In which year was capmatinib officially launched?

Capmatinib (Capmatinib) is a targeted therapy drug mainly used to treat patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially those with METexon14 skipping mutations (METex14). It is a selective MET inhibitor that can effectively block the activity of MET receptor tyrosine kinase, thereby inhibiting the growth and spread of tumor cells. Capmatinib was developed by Novartis and was approved on May 6, 2020. It has received accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with METex14 mutated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

The approval of capmatinib stems from its excellent performance in clinical trials, especially the significant efficacy data obtained in the GEOMETRY mono-1 clinical trial. The trial showed that capmatinib demonstrated a high response rate and long progression-free survival in patients carrying METex14 mutations, with controllable side effects. This approval makes capmatinib the first targeted drug to treat this specific type of lung cancer, providing patients with a new treatment option.

In 2022, capmatinib was conventionally approved by the FDA based on longer clinical data, proving its durable efficacy and good safety. Compared with traditional chemotherapy, capmatinib has a more significant therapeutic effect and has less impact on patients' quality of life. Patients usually experience a longer progression-free survival period after taking capmatinib, and side effects such as fatigue and abnormal liver function are relatively mild.

Currently, capmatinib has been officially launched in the United States, but has not yet been approved in mainland China. Therefore, domestic patients are currently unable to purchase the drug through formal channels. However, patients can still choose to obtain capmatinib through overseas drug purchase channels, although this may involve higher costs. As the clinical application of capmatinib continues to deepen, it is expected to be approved in more countries in the future, benefiting more lung cancer patients around the world.

Reference materials:https://www.novartis.com/our-products/pipeline/capmatinib