The European Commission (EC) has granted approval to Eli Lilly and Company for the use of Alimta (pemetrexed for injection) as a single agent for continuation maintenance therapy to treat advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Clinical trial data which demonstrated an improvement in progression-free survival for NSCLC patients treated first with Alimta plus cisplatin and then with Alimta alone, led to the approval.
Continuation maintenance therapy with Alimta will help in treatment of a particular type of NSCLC, called nonsquamous, and in patients who have shown a positive response or disease stabilization after treatment with first-line Alimta plus cisplatin, the company said.
Lilly Oncology senior medical director Allen Melemed said the approval marks a significant step in the advancement of lung cancer treatment.
"With ALIMTA continuation maintenance therapy, patients with lung cancer who have already benefited from first-line treatment will now have the option to continue treatment with ALIMTA, with the goal of a better clinical outcome," Melemed added.