Recently the USFDA has approved Ripretinib tablet for the treatment of advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). This drug is indicated as a fourth-line treatment for adult patients who do not respond to three or more kinase inhibitor therapies, including imatinib. Ripretinib is a kinase inhibitor that inhibits the growth of malignant cells in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The drug approval was based on a multi-center clinical trial that estimated the efficacy of the drug in 129 patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).
The study compared the rate of tumor progression among the patients who received the drug ripretinib with that of placebo. The progression-free survival rate in patients who received ripretinib tablets was higher (6.3 months) as compared to those who were on placebo (1 month). However, the drug may exhibit some severe side effects,…
