In reference to what have recently been circulated on the media and networking sites, the Ministry of Health (MOH) clarified that the new cancer drug Vitrakvi (larotrectinib) does not cure cancer completely. However, it aims to control cancer growth and spread for as long as possible, and is not a substitute for surgical treatment, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
According to MOH, a new study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on larotrectinib treatment. The study was in the first and second phase. It includes 55 patients with the TRK gene mutation, with total response rates of 13% and a partial response rate of 62%.
The study showed that the response did not last long in all patients, as the disease developed in some participants and continued to respond in 39% of patients after the first year of treatment. Some patients had surgical operation after treatment with the drug.
The new drug has recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of specific cases of cancer with a specific type of rare genetic mutations (TRK gene(. This rare mutation is found in some tumors, such as salivary gland, thyroid, lung and connective tissue. It is also for the treatment of cases containing a genetic mutation that does not tolerate surgery and cases that contain genetic mutation with no suitable alternative to treatment and cases that developed after prescribed treatment.