Skip to main content
          Skip to FDA Search
          Skip to in this section menu
          Skip to footer links


U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government

					Here’s how you know
          			Dot gov**The .gov means it’s official.**Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.
							      SSL**The site is secure.** The **https://** ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. 
			U.S. Food and Drug Administration
				
        Search
            Menu
							
						Search FDA
									
									Submit search 
		Featured
							Contact FDA
	                FDA Guidance Documents
	                Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts
	                Press Announcements
	                Warning Letters
	                Advisory Committees
	                En Español

					Products
            Food
							Drugs
							Medical Devices
							Radiation-Emitting Products
							Vaccines, Blood, and Biologics
							Animal and Veterinary
							Cosmetics
							Tobacco ProductsTopics
            About FDA
							Combination Products
							Regulatory Information
							Safety
							Emergency Preparedness
							International Programs
							News and Events
							Training and Continuing Education
							Inspections and Compliance
							Science and ResearchInformation For
            Consumers
	            Patients
	            Industry
	            Health Professionals
	            Federal, State and Local Officials 
 In this section:

                Resources for Information | Approved Drugs

Resources for Information | Approved Drugs

                        Oncology (Cancer) / Hematologic Malignancies Approval Notifications
          Ongoing | Cancer Accelerated Approvals
          Verified Clinical Benefit | Cancer Accelerated Approvals
          Withdrawn | Cancer Accelerated Approvals
          Other | Cancer Accelerated Approvals


                        Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (Orange Book) Short Description Home
          Drugs
          Development & Approval Process | Drugs
          Drug Approvals and Databases
          Resources for Information | Approved Drugs
          FDA D.I.S.C.O. Burst Edition: Libtayo (cemiplimab-rwlc) for first-line treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC (locally advanced who are not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation or metastatic) whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression with no eGFR, anaplastic lymphoma kinase or receptor tyrosine kinase aberrationsResources for Information | Approved Drugs FDA D.I.S.C.O. Burst Edition: Libtayo (cemiplimab-rwlc) for first-line treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC (locally advanced who are not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation or metastatic) whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression with no eGFR, anaplastic lymphoma kinase or receptor tyrosine kinase aberrations
  
  	
    Share
    Post
    Linkedin

    Email
    PrintPodcast

Welcome back to the D.I.S.C.O., FDA’s Drug Information Soundcast in Clinical Oncology, Burst Edition, brought to you by FDA’s Division of Drug Information in partnership with FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence. Today we have another quick update on a recent FDA cancer drug approval.

On February 22, 2021, the FDA approved cemiplimab-rwlc (brand name Libtayo) for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (locally advanced who are not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation or metastatic) whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression (a Tumor Proportion Score greater than or equal to 50%) as determined by an FDA-approved test, with no estimated glomerular filtration rate, anaplastic lymphoma kinase or receptor tyrosine kinase aberrations.

Efficacy was evaluated in Study 1624, a multi-center, randomized, open-label trial in 710 patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer who were not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation or with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive cemiplimab-rwlc or a platinum-based chemotherapy.

The trial demonstrated statistically significant improvements in overall survival and progression-free survival for patients receiving cemiplimab-rwlc compared to those treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. Median overall survival was 22.1 months for patients in the cemiplimab-rwlc arm compared with 14.3 months in the chemotherapy arm. Median progression-free survival per blinded independent central review was 6.2 months in the cemiplimab-rwlc arm and 5.6 months in the chemotherapy arm. Confirmed overall response rate per blinded independent central review was 37% and 21% in the cemiplimab-rwlc and chemotherapy arms, respectively.

The most common adverse reactions occurring in more than 10% of patients with cemiplimab-rlwc as a single agent were musculoskeletal pain, rash, anemia, fatigue, decreased appetite, pneumonia and cough.

This review used the Assessment Aid, a voluntary submission from the applicant to facilitate the FDA’s assessment. Full prescribing information for this approval can be found on the web at www.fda.gov/drugsatFDA.

Health care professionals should report serious adverse events to the FDA’s MedWatch Reporting System at www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Follow the Division of Drug Information on Twitter @FDA_Drug_Info and the Oncology Center of Excellence @FDAOncology. Send your feedback via email to FDAOncology@fda.hhs.gov. Thanks for tuning into the DISCO Burst Edition.

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      03/12/2021
              
              
Regulated Product(s)
		 Drugs
			  			     			  						              
			
			
			
			
						  OncologyResources for Information | Approved Drugs

          
                        Oncology (Cancer) / Hematologic Malignancies Approval Notifications
          Ongoing | Cancer Accelerated Approvals
          Verified Clinical Benefit | Cancer Accelerated Approvals
          Withdrawn | Cancer Accelerated Approvals
          Other | Cancer Accelerated Approvals


                        Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (Orange Book) Short Description
 
 Footer Links
    FDA Archive
          About FDA
          Accessibility
      Visitor Information
          Website Policies / Privacy
          No FEAR Act
          Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
      FOIA
          HHS.gov
          USA.gov
    Contact FDA
      Follow FDA on Facebook
      Follow FDA on X
      Follow FDA on Instagram
      Follow FDA on LinkedIn
      View FDA videos on YouTube
      Subscribe to FDA RSS feeds
    FDA Homepage
    Contact Number
      1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) Back toTop