Novartis reports Phase 3 NETTER-2 trial met primary endpoint

Novartis announced the Phase III NETTER-2 trial with Lutathera met its primary endpoint. First line treatment with Lutathera in combination with long-acting octreotide demonstrated a significant improvement in progression-free survival, or PFS, in patients with newly diagnosed somatostatin receptor-positive, Grade 2 and 3, advanced gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, or GEP-NETs, versus high-dose long-acting octreotide alone. No new or unexpected safety findings were observed in the study and data are consistent with the already well-established safety profile of Lutathera, the company stated. “These positive results for Lutathera are quite remarkable and they represent the potential for radioligand therapy to make a meaningful impact for newly diagnosed patients living with advanced GEP-NETs,” said Jeff Legos, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Oncology Development at Novartis. “Exploring the use of radioligand therapies in earlier lines of treatment for patients with cancer is part of our larger, collaborative effort to precisely deliver novel treatment modalities directly to the cancer cells to improve patient outcomes.” The findings from NETTER-2 will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting and discussed with regulatory authorities.