Is olmutinib effective in treating T790M-positive unresponsive non-small cell lung cancer?

This article looked at the use of olmutinib (Olita) in the treatment of T790M-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that was previously unresponsive to a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). The authors concluded that olmutinib had clinical activity and manageable side effects in these patients.

NSCLC accounts for 85% of lung cancers found worldwide. The main form of treatment is the surgical removal of tumors plus chemotherapy. Many NSCLCs develop genetic abnormalities. By identifying the different genetic abnormalities of NSCLC has become critical in deciding what treatment regimen to use. 

Olmutinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). TKIs block proteins that are responsible for many cellular functions in the body. TKIs have been shown to have anti-tumor properties in cancers that test positive for genetic abnormalities such as T790M. Olmutinib has shown promising effectiveness in NSCLC. However, its effectiveness according to different subtypes such as T790M-positive NSCLC remains under investigation. 

There were 162 patients with T790M-positive NSCLC enrolled in this trial. Patients had been treated before with another TKI and had disease progression. All patients received olmutinib for an average of 6.5 months. The average follow-up period was 12.7 months. 

Overall, 46.3% of patients had a response to olmutinib. The average length of time patients had before their disease progressed was 9.4 months. The estimated overall survival of patients taking olmutinib was on average 19.7 months.

All patients in this trial had a side effect in response to olmutinib. 71.6% of patients in this trial had a severe side effect such as rash, diarrhea, and increased liver enzymes. 

The authors concluded that olmutinib had good clinical activity and manageable side effects. However, the authors decided to stop the development of this medication as a treatment for NSCLC. 

The study had a mostly Asian population, this study may not translate to a worldwide population. This study was funded by Hanmi Pharmaceutical Company, the manufacturers of olmutinib.