Novartis' Neuroendocrine Tumors Targeted Radiotherapy Takes Small Hit on Clinically Relevant Overall Survival - Novartis (NYSE:NVS)

Novartis AG NVS reported the final analysis from the NETTER-1 phase 3 study comparing Lutathera plus 30 mg Sandostatin LAR (octreotide) to 60 mg octreotide LAR in patients with midgut neuroendocrine tumors.
Lutathera failed to significantly prolong the lives of patients with midgut neuroendocrine tumors, according to data unveiled at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
When used alongside Novartis’ Sandostatin LAR in the trial, Lutathera reduced the risk of death by 16% compared with solo Sandostatin LAR. But the improvement didn’t clear the statistical significance bar.
Lutathera resulted in a clinically relevant prolongation in median overall survival of 11.7 months (48 months vs. 36.3 months in the control group).
The company also noted that adding Lutathera to the mix extended the median time patients lived by nearly a year; patients treated with the Lutathera regimen lived a median of 48 months, versus 36.3 months for the control group.
“While not statistically significant, I consider this difference to be clinically relevant for these patients,” Strosberg said in a statement.
Multiple factors may have hurt Lutathera’s survival stats, Novartis said. A large number of patients in the control arm—about 36%—actually crossed over to receive Lutathera, Strosberg noted.
Patients in the Netter-1 trial were allowed to receive other anti-cancer treatments after disease progression on their randomized treatment or upon finishing an 18-month treatment period.
No new safety signals emerged in the long-term safety follow-up with a median of 6.3 years. In terms of secondary hematological malignancies, no new MDS or acute leukemia cases were reported in the long-term follow-up.
Price Action: NVS shares are up 0.44% at $89.70 during the market session on the last check Friday.

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