FDA Approvals

The following section is oncology drug approval and new indication information directly from the FDA.

2020

  • Food and Drug Administration approved avapritinib (AYVAKITTM, Blueprint Medicines Corporation) for adults with unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) harboring a platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) exon 18 mutation, including D842V mutations. More Information. January 9, 2020
  • Food and Drug Administration approved pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA, Merck & Co. Inc.) for the treatment of patients with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)-unresponsive, high-risk, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (CIS) with or without papillary tumors who are ineligible for or have elected not to undergo cystectomy.  More Information.  January 8, 2020

2019

  • FDA approved olaparib (LYNPARZA®, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP) for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated (gBRCAm) metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, as detected by an FDA-approved test, whose disease has not progressed on at least 16 weeks of a first-line platinum-based chemotherapy regimen. More Information. December 27, 2019.
  • FDA granted accelerated approval to fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (ENHERTU®, Daiichi Sankyo) for patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received two or more prior anti-HER2-based regimens in the metastatic setting. More Information. December 20, 2019
  • FDA granted accelerated approval to enfortumab vedotin-ejfv (PADCEV, Astellas Pharma US, Inc.) for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have previously received a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor, and a platinum-containing chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant/adjuvant, locally advanced or metastatic setting. More Information. December 18, 2019
  • FDA approved enzalutamide (XTANDI, Astellas Pharma Inc.) for patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). More Information. December 16, 2019
  • FDA approved  approved atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ, Genentech  Inc.) in combination with paclitaxel protein-bound  and carboplatin for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic  non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with no EGFR or ALK genomic  tumor aberrations. More Information. December 3, 2019
  • FDA approved acalabrutinib (CALQUENCE, AstraZeneca) for adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). More Information.  November 21, 2019
  • FDA approved givosiran (GIVLAARI, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) for adults with acute hepatic porphyria (AHP). More Information. November 20, 2019
  • FDA approved crizanlizumab-tmca (ADAKVEO, Novartis) to reduce the frequency of vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) in adults and pediatric patients aged 16 years and older with sickle cell disease. More Information.  November 15, 2019
  • FDA granted accelerated approval to zanubrutinib (BRUKINSA, BeiGene, Ltd.) for adult patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) who have received at least one prior therapy. More Information.  November 14, 2019
  • FDA approved luspatercept-aamt (REBLOZYL, Celgene Corp.) for treatment of anemia in adult patients with beta thalassemia who require regular red blood cell transfusions. More Information. November 8, 2019.
  • FDA approved daratumumab (DARZALEX, Janssen) for adult patients with multiple myeloma in combination with bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone in newly diagnosed patients who are eligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). More Information. September 26, 2019.
  • FDA granted accelerated approval to the combination of pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA, Merck) plus lenvatinib (LENVIMA, Eisai) for the treatment of patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma that is not microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) and who have disease progression following prior systemic therapy but are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation. More Information.  September 17, 2019
  • FDA approved apalutamide (ERLEADA, Janssen Biotech, Inc) for patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). Apalutamide was initially approved in 2018 for patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. More Information. September 17, 2019
  • FDA granted accelerated approval to entrectinib (ROZLYTREK, Genentech Inc.) for adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with solid tumors that have a neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene fusion without a known acquired resistance mutation, are metastatic or where surgical resection is likely to result in severe morbidity, and have progressed following treatment or have no satisfactory standard therapy. More Information August 15, 2019
  • FDA approves pexidartinib for tenosynovial giant cell tumor. More Information. August 2, 2019
  • FDA approved darolutamide (NUBEQA, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.) for non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. More Information.  July 30, 2019
  • FDA approved pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA, Merck) for patients with recurrent, locally advanced or metastatic, squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (ESCC) whose tumors express PD-L1 (Combined Positive Score [CPS] ≥10), as determined by an FDA-approved test, with disease progression after one or more prior lines of systemic therapy. More Information.  July 30, 2019
  • FDA granted accelerated approval to selinexor (XPOVIO, Karyopharm Therapeutics) in combination with dexamethasone for adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who have received at least four prior therapies and whose disease is refractory to at least two proteasome inhibitors, at least two immunomodulatory agents, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. More Information.  July 3, 2019
  • FDA approved daratumumab (DARZALEX, Janssen Biotech, Inc.) in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant. More Information.  June 27, 2019
  • FDA granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA, Merck) for patients with metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy and at least one other prior line of therapy. More Information. June 17, 2019
  • FDA approved pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA, Merck) for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic or unresectable recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). More Information. June 10, 2019
  • FDA granted accelerated approval to polatuzumab vedotin-piiq (POLIVY, Genentech, Inc.), a CD79b-directed antibody-drug conjugate indicated in combination with bendamustine and a rituximab product for adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), not otherwise specified, after at least two prior therapies. More Information. June 10, 2019
  • Janssen provides a Q & A paper for 2020 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Proposed Rule. The CMS fact sheet is available here. In the FY 2020 IPPS Proposed Rule, CMS addresses how the agency proposes to pay for CAR T-cell therapy administered on an inpatient basis.   Click here for the Q & A Paper
  • FDA approved the addition of overall survival data in labeling for gilteritinib (XOSPATA, Astellas Pharma US, Inc.), indicated for adult patients who have relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a FLT3 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test. More Information.  May 29, 2019
  • FDA approved lenalidomide (REVLIMID, Celgene Corp.) in combination with a rituximab product for previously treated follicular lymphoma (FL) and previously treated marginal zone lymphoma (MZL). More Information. May 28, 2019
  • FDA approved alpelisib (PIQRAY®, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation) in combination with fulvestrant for postmenopausal women, and men, with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, PIK3CA-mutated, advanced or metastatic breast cancer as detected by an FDA-approved test following progression on or after an endocrine-based regimen. More Information.  May 24, 2019
  • FDA approved ruxolitinib (JAKAFI, Incyte Corporation) for steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older. More Information. May 24, 2019
  • FDA approved avelumab (BAVENCIO, EMD Serono, Inc.) in combination with axitinib for first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). More Information. May 14, 2019
  • FDA approved venetoclax (VENCLEXTA, AbbVie Inc. and Genentech Inc.) for adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). More Information. May 15, 2019
  • URGENT RECALL – Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., is voluntarily recalling multiple lots of Anastrozole Tablets, USP, 1 mg, at RETAIL LEVEL.  Detail of lots being recalled can be found here.
  • FDA approved ramucirumab (CYRAMZA, Eli Lilly and Company) as a single agent for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients who have an alpha fetoprotein (AFP) of ≥ 400 ng/mL and have been previously treated with sorafenib. More Information. May 10, 2019
  • FDA approved ado-trastuzumab emtansine (KADCYLA, Genentech, Inc.) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer (EBC) who have residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant taxane and trastuzumab-based treatment. More Information. May 3, 2019
  • FDA approved pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA, Merck & Co. Inc.) plus axitinib for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).More Information, April 19, 2019
  • FDA granted accelerated approval to erdafitinib (BALVERSA, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies) for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, with susceptible FGFR3 or FGFR2 genetic alterations, that has progressed during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy, including within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant platinum-containing chemotherapy. More Information. April 12, 2019
  • FDA approved pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA, Merck Inc.) for the first-line treatment of patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation or metastatic NSCLC. Patients’ tumors must have no EGFR or ALK genomic aberrations and express PD-L1 (Tumor Proportion Score [TPS] ≥1%) determined by an FDA-approved test. More Information. April 11, 2019
  • FDA approved atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ, Genentech Inc.) in combination with carboplatin and etoposide, for the first-line treatment of adult patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). More Information. March 18, 2019
  • FDA approves atezolizumab for PD-L1 positive unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. More information. March 8, 2019
  • FDA approved trastuzumab and hyaluronidase-oysk injection, for subcutaneous use (Herceptin Hylecta, Genentech Inc.). Herceptin Hylecta is a combination of trastuzumab, a HER2/neu receptor antagonist, and hyaluronidase, an endoglycosidase, for the treatment of HER2 overexpressing breast cancer. More Information. February 28, 2019
  • FDA approved trifluridine/ tipiracil tablets (LONSURF, Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.)—a fixed combination of trifluridine, a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor, and tipiracil, a thymidine phosphorylase inhibitor—for adult patients with metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma previously treated with at least two prior lines of chemotherapy that included a fluoropyrimidine, a platinum, either a taxane or irinotecan, and if appropriate, HER2/neu-targeted therapy. More Information. February 22, 2019.
  • FDA approved pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA, Merck) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma with involvement of lymph node(s) following complete resection. More Information. February 15, 2019

  • FDA approved cabozantinib (CABOMETYX, Exelixis, Inc.) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have been previously treated with sorafenib. More Information, January 14, 2019