Overview of Drug-Drug Interactions Between Ritonavir-Boosted Nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid) and Targeted Therapy and Supportive Care for Lung Cancer

Introduction: Oral administration of ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid) was found to be promising in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019. The active antiviral component nirmatrelvir in Paxlovid is co-formulated with ritonavir, a strong cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 inhibitor. Many oral targeted therapies indicated for lung cancer are known substrates of CYP 3A4, and concurrent use with Paxlovid may lead to potential drug-drug interaction (DDI). The purpose of this review is to evaluate the potential DDI between targeted therapies and supportive care for lung cancer and ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir. Methods: Drug database search in PubMed and the Food and Drug Administration was conducted to identify pharmacokinetic data on oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) used in NSCLC, both Food and Drug Administration approved and those in development. Metabolism pathways for various TKIs are extracted, and the impact of TKI area under the curves and maximum concentration by strong CYP 3A4 inducers and inhibitors is summarized. The most common toxicities and supportive care medications for the TKI were identified. Results: Among EGFR and exon 20 insertion inhibitors, afatinib is least likely to be affected by CYP 3A4, followed by dacomitinib and osimertinib. Among ALK inhibitors, alectinib is the least susceptible to CYP 3A4. ROS1 inhibitors are affected by CYP 3A4 inhibition with the exception of crizotinib. Among MET inhibitors, capmatinib is substantially affected by CYP 3A4 inhibition. Drug exposure of RET inhibitors is expected to increase with CYP 3A4 inhibition, with selpercatinib being the least affected. Certain supportive care medications for lung cancer TKI may have relevant DDIs. Conclusions: The clinical impact of the DDI between lung cancer TKI and ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir varies largely on the basis of the susceptibility of CYP 3A4 inhibition caused by the antiviral. Close monitoring and medication adjustments (i.e., dose changes or alternative coronavirus disease 2019 therapy) can be used to overcome DDI to ensure patient safety

Real-World Response and Outcomes in Patients With NSCLC With EGFR Exon 20 Insertion Mutations

Introduction: This study describes treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with NSCLC with EGFR exon 20 insertions (EGFRex20ins) in the United States. Methods: The Flatiron Health electronic health record database was used to select three cohorts among patients diagnosed with NSCLC with EGFRex20ins (January 1, 2011–February 29, 2020): (1) first-line (1L) or patients receiving 1L therapy after documented EGFRex20ins; (2) second or later-line (≥2L) or patients receiving ≥2L therapy after documented EGFRex20ins; and (3) ≥2L postplatinum trial-aligned, or ≥2L patients previously treated with platinum chemotherapy whose baseline characteristics aligned with key eligibility criteria (initiating new treatment after documented EGFRex20ins and ≥1 previous treatment excluding mobocertinib or amivantamab) of the mobocertinib trial NCT02716116. Real-world end points were confirmed overall response rate, overall survival, and progression-free survival. Results: Of 237 patients with EGFRex20ins-mutated NSCLC, 129 and 114 patients were included in the 1L and ≥2L cohorts, respectively. In 1L patients, platinum chemotherapy plus nonplatinum chemotherapy (31.0%) and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (28.7%) were the most common regimens. In ≥2L patients, immuno-oncology monotherapy (28.1%) and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (17.5%) were the most common index treatments. For any 1L, ≥2L, and ≥2L postplatinum trial-aligned patients, the confirmed overall response rate was 18.6%, 9.6%, and 14.0%, respectively; the median overall survival was 17.0, 13.6, and 11.5 months; the median progression-free survival was 5.2, 3.7, and 3.3 months, respectively. Conclusions: The outcomes for patients with NSCLC with EGFRex20ins were poor. This real-world study provides a benchmark on treatment outcomes in this patient population and highlights the unmet need for improved therapeutic options

Lorlatinib Tolerability and Association With Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Advanced ALK- or ROS1-Rearranged NSCLC: A Brief Report

Introduction: Treatment with lorlatinib for patients with advanced ALK- and ROS1-rearranged NSCLC (ALK+ and ROS1+ NSCLC) is associated with a unique set of adverse events (AEs) often requiring dose reduction. However, the impact of dose reductions on outcomes remains unclear and is mainly limited to analyses from prospective studies of lorlatinib in the first-line setting. Methods: We reviewed the course of 144 patients with advanced ALK- or ROS1-rearranged NSCLC treated with lorlatinib in the second-line or later setting to assess the frequency of dose reductions resulting from treatment-related AEs (TRAEs) and the association between dose reductions and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: A total of 58 patients (40%) had TRAE-related dose reductions, most (59%) owing to neurocognitive AEs or neuropathy. Among all patients, the median PFS was 8.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.4–11.8); the median OS was 20.7 months (95% CI: 16.3–30.5). Among patients who were started on lorlatinib 100 mg/d (n = 122), a Cox regression model with the occurrence of a dose reduction as a time-dependent covariate indicated no association between dose reduction and PFS (hazard ratio = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.54–1.39) or OS (hazard ratio = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.47–1.30). Conclusions: Lorlatinib dose reductions were not associated with inferior clinical outcomes in this multicenter analysis. Prompt identification of lorlatinib TRAEs and implementation of dose reductions may help maximize tolerability without compromising outcomes