Maximizing the Value of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Management Using Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in the USA: Potential Determinants and Consequences of Healthcare Resource Utilization and Costs, with Proposed Optimization Approaches.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The introduction and widespread use of effective and well-tolerated tyrosine kinase inhibitors for chronic myeloid leukemia have been associated with marked increments in life expectancy and disease prevalence. These changes have been accompanied by elevations in costs of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which typically must be taken ad vitam after diagnosis and tend to be more expensive than medical therapies for many other hematologic malignancies. The aims of this review included evaluating the potential associations and consequences of healthcare resource utilization and costs of tyrosine kinase inhibitors and possible clinical management approaches to mitigate them. METHODS: A PubMed search of English-language US study reports was conducted that covered the interval of 2001 (US approval of imatinib) through 17 April, 2023 augmented by manual reviews of published bibliographies from the referenced articles and searches of other databases: Google Scholar and Scopus. RESULTS: On the basis of this analysis of chiefly real-world evidence (administrative claims database studies), healthcare resource utilization and costs can be considered indicators of ineffective chronic myeloid leukemia management, including potentially mutation-driven treatment resistance and costly tyrosine kinase inhibitor switches, non-adherence, and suboptimal tolerability, which may culminate in the progression of disease from the chronic to an accelerated or blast phase, with additional excess costs. Costs of tyrosine kinase inhibitors are also associated with reduced treatment adherence. At a willingness-to-pay threshold of $50,000-$200,000 per quality-adjusted life-year, tyrosine kinase inhibitors can be considered cost effective from a US payer perspective. Potential clinical approaches to mitigate costs include regular molecular monitoring with proactive assessments of BCR::ABL1 gene mutations to avoid costly treatment switches, as well as interventions to enhance treatment adherence and tyrosine kinase inhibitor tolerability. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare resource utilization and costs of chronic myeloid leukemia care may be considered barometers of ineffective management, including mutation-driven tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance and switching as well as non-adherence and intolerance. Future prospective research is warranted to help determine whether costs can be reduced and other treatment outcomes optimized via more proactive and effective diagnostic interventions (i.e., regular molecular monitoring and proactive mutational testing) and treatment approaches. The strengths and limitations of this review include its emphasis on observational research, which, on one hand, offers a naturalistic "real-world" perspective on current chronic myeloid leukemia management, but, on the other hand, is associational in nature and cannot be used to determine causality and/or its direction.

Drug-drug interactions of protein kinase inhibitors in chronic myeloid leukaemia patients: A study using the French health insurance database.

The introduction of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs) for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) has considerably improved prognosis of the disease but has also demonstrated a great potential for drug-drug interactions. Using the French health insurance databases, we aim to investigate the frequency, identify the associated factors and describe the potential consequences of potential drug-drug interactions (pPKI-DIs) between PKIs and concurrent medications in CML. A retrospective cohort study has been performed among patients with CML identified in the French healthcare database from 2011 to 2014. A pPKI-DI is defined as the presence of drugs listed as 'interacting' on the same day as PKI dispensing (co-dispensing) or in its coverage period (co-medication) during the first year of follow-up. The list of interacting drugs is based on the summary of products characteristics (SPCs) and Thesaurus of interactions. We performed specific nested case-control comparisons to investigate the association between PKI-DI and each of the three potential outcomes (death, hospitalisation for adverse drug reactions and switch to another PKI). We included 3480 patients; 1429 (41%) had a co-dispensing pPKI-DI, and 2153 (62%) had a co-medication pPKI-DI; 50% of the pPKI-DIs were 'to be taken into account', and 17% were 'not recommended'. The PKI with the most interactions was imatinib, and additional common drug classes included statins, benzodiazepines and proton pump inhibitors. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the use of a higher number of additional drugs, comorbidities at baseline, high number of prescribers and higher ages were potential risk factors. Nilotinib and dasatinib showed a tendency towards a higher risk of pPKI-DI compared to imatinib. Despite the fact that some PKI-DIs were potentially clinically relevant, we did not find any significant association with death, hospitalisation for adverse drug reactions and switching. These findings should increase awareness to help reduce the prevalence of PKI-drug interactions and thereby ensure better management of CML patients.

Assessment of Imatinib as a Primary Treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in Chronic Phase: a Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Imatinib in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in our hospital population. In addition to identify which brand of imatinib (Gleevec/Veenat) is cost effective for CML patients and to assess the possible adverse drug reactions during the treatment for chronic myeloid leukaemia. METHODS: A non-interventional (observational), both retrospective and prospective study was carried out in the department of Medical Oncology and Haematology of our hospital. A total of 152 patients were enrolled in the study. Patients who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected for the study. RESULTS: Evaluation of baseline characteristics of study population (n = 152) showed predominance of males (65.1%). The mean age was 49.80 ± 16.561 years. The overall clinical outcome of the sample population, BCR ABL value responses during 3,6 and 12 months are the main indicators for the prediction of outcome in CML -CP patients. Using Independent sample t test, it was found that the difference in response to Imatinib therapy during 3,6 & 12 months were statistically significant and showed a statistically significant difference between the good and adverse outcome (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study concluded that Imatinib showed a benefit in treating the condition without any life-threatening adverse events and also the drug exhibits a complete haematological and optimal response based on European Leukaemia Net criteria during the period of study. From which, it can be concluded that imatinib appears to be a safe and well-tolerated treatment for the chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukaemia population.

The influence of drug prices, new availability of inexpensive generic imatinib, new approvals, and post-marketing research on the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia in the USA.

Several research and market developments in the past 5 years could influence front-line and subsequent-line strategies in chronic myeloid leukaemia. These developments include the increased availability of effective and safe generic imatinib at affordable prices, studies showing that doses of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) lower than the approved dose are effective and less toxic, studies showing that dose-adjusted ponatinib therapy at a reduced dose is effective and substantially safer than approved doses, and the approval of asciminib as third-line therapy in 2021. With the availability of an affordable generic imatinib, all patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia globally should be able to access a lifetime supply. The availability of reduced-dose schedules of generic second-generation TKIs, which are less toxic and produce faster deep molecular response than imatinib, might make them more appealing to use as front-line therapy. In the subsequent-line setting, the role of different TKIs as second, third, and later lines of therapy depends on the evolving front-line use. Dose-adjusted ponatinib schedules have shown better efficacy and safety with long-term follow-up. Ponatinib is the favoured therapy for patients with second-generation-TKI resistance or chronic myeloid leukaemia with 944C→T (Thr315Ile)-mutated BCR-ABL1. Studies of asciminib are needed in larger numbers of patients and with longer follow-up than has been done previously to better assess its comparative efficacy, safety, and survival data (vs ponatinib). The role of third-generation TKIs as second-line therapy following front-line resistance to second-generation TKIs needs to be evaluated. New and mature data with TKI therapy in chronic myeloid leukaemia are producing observations that encourage continuous discussion of the optimal treatment recommendations and frameworks in chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Occupational allergic contact dermatitis to Piperamido Nitrotoluene in pharmaceutical workers: A case series.

BACKGROUND: Imatinib mesylate is a first-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Piperamido Nitrotoluene, also known as F5, is an intermediate used in the manufacturing of imatinib. We present a case series of allergic contact dermatitis to F5 in pharmaceutical workers. METHODS: Four male pharmaceutical workers were referred between 2007 and 2021 with new dermatitis predominantly affecting the periorbital region. All were involved in the production of imatinib and particularly exposed to F5. Following medical history and examination, they underwent patch testing to standard series and F5 diluted in white soft paraffin (WSP). RESULTS: All patients tested positive confirming a diagnosis of contact allergy to F5. The first case tested positive to F5 diluted to 1% in WSP, the second to F5 diluted to 10% in WSP and the third and fourth to F5 diluted to 1% and 10% in WSP. In all four cases, dermatitis resolved when they were removed from exposure to F5. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, these are the first cases of allergic contact dermatitis to F5 confirmed by patch testing in the literature. In February 2016, a generic formulation of imatinib entered the market. Globalized production of imatinib may result in further cases presenting to dermatology departments worldwide.

[Prevalence of Adverse Effects of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Used in Management of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia at Sidi Bel-Abbès University Hospital Center]. / Prévalence des Effets Indésirables des Inhibiteurs de Tyrosine Kinase Utilisés dans le Traitement de la Leucémie Myéloïde Chronique au CHU de Sidi Bel-Abbès.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a malignant hemopathy within the framework of chronic myeloproliferative syndromes, predominant on the granular line. Her drug treatment is based on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) which inhibit the abnormal BCR-ABL protein kinase that causes CML and thus block the signals that cause cancer cells to multiply abnormally. However, other proteins are also inhibited, so they can cause a wide range of adverse effects (AEs). The objective of this study was to study the prevalence of AEs of TKIs used in the therapeutic management of CML by the hematology department of University Hospital Center (UHC) of Sidi Bel-Abbes in Algeria and that of the ITK discontinuation following an AE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a retrospective descriptive study carried out over a period of four months, from April 01st, 2021 to July 31st, 2021, on CML patients treated with TKI in the hematology department of Sidi Bel-Abbes HUC in Algeria. The primary outcome measure was the prevalence of AEs associated with the use of normal dosages or overdose of the following TKIs: Imatinib, Dasatinib and Nilotinib. Data were collected from patient charts, filled by doctors of hematology department, using questionnaire, and analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software, version 20. RESULTS: A total of 40 patients were included, including 22 women, mean age 51.55±11.66years (23-78). Twenty-six patients reported at least one AE. Among the 106 AEs declared, 69 AEs (65.09 %) declared with Imatinib, 26 AEs (24.53 %) with Dasatinib and 11 AEs (10.38 %) with Nilotinib. A predominance of musculoskeletal effects 43 (40.56 %), followed by general disorders 18 (17 %), myelosuppression 14 (13.20 %) and digestive system 12 (11.32 %). AEs were responsible for permanent discontinuation of ITK in three cases (11.54 %), including two cases (07.70 %) on Imatinib because of neutropenia and one case (03.84 %) onDasatinibsuffering from pleural effusion. AEs could be controlled in 13 (50 %) of cases, including 9 (34.62%) by temporary discontinuation and 4 (15.38 %) by reducing the dosage, allowing improvement of symptoms and continuation or reintroduction of treatment. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of AEs was high in the studied population, their occurrence was inevitable, good management of AEs from the start of treatment is necessary to avoid switching to another TKI, especially in good responders. It is recommended to establish a low-sodium diet beforehand for all TKIs and a low-carbohydrate diet, especially for Nilotinib, and not to rush to stop the TKI because most often, EIs regress over time in order to allow good therapeutic adherence and obtain better results.

Comparative Assessment of Echocardiographic Patterns Among Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients on Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor and Healthy Controls.

PURPOSE: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is one of the common hematological malignancies in Nigeria. Cardiac abnormalities are associated with CML irrespective of treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as imatinib, which is available gratis in Nigeria. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and patterns of cardiac dysfunction among patients with CML irrespective of treatment with imatinib using transthoracic echocardiography, and 12-lead surface electrocardiography. PATIENTS AND METHODS: CML patients without Imatinib, CML patients with imatinib, and apparently healthy (age- and sex-matched) controls were 70 each in the study. Various echocardiographic parameters were measured and data obtained were analyzed, and the level of significance was taken as p < 0.05. RESULTS: Of 70 CML patients with imatinib, 54.3% were men and 45.7% were women, while the CML group without imatinib had 62.9% men and 37.1% women, non-CML control had 54.3% men and 45.7% women. The average hematocrit was significantly lower in the CML group without Imatinib compared with the other groups (p<0.001). And, 12.9% and 17.1% of CML groups with and without imatinib had LVH, respectively, and none of the non-CML controls had LVH (P<0.041). Impaired left ventricular relaxation in 25.71% and 28.57% of CML patients with and without imatinib respectively but only 8.57% of the non-CML control had impaired left ventricular relaxation (p=0.236). Mitral valve regurgitation was the most frequent valvular abnormality across the groups. Pulmonary hypertension in 17.4% and 20% of CML patients with and without imatinib, respectively, but none of the non-CML controls had pulmonary hypertension (p<0.001). Pericardial effusion in 32.86% and 45.71% of CML patients with and without imatinib, respectively, but none of the non-CML controls had pericardial effusion (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the QTC interval across the three groups. CONCLUSION: Cardiac abnormalities are present in CML patients with or without Imatinib treatment, with significant prevalence than what is seen in the non-CML control group.

Imatinib Mesylate for the Treatment of Canine Mast Cell Tumors: Assessment of the Response and Adverse Events in Comparison with the Conventional Therapy with Vinblastine and Prednisone.

Mast cell tumors (MCTs) are common neoplasms in dogs, and treatments for these diseases include surgery, polychemotherapy and targeted therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. This study aimed to evaluate the response and the adverse events of treatment with imatinib mesylate (IM) compared to conventional therapy using vinblastine and prednisolone (VP) in canine cutaneous MCTs. Twenty-four dogs were included in the study; 13 animals were treated with IM and 11 with VP. Tumor tissue samples were submitted for histological diagnosis, grading and KIT immunostaining. The response to treatment was assessed by tomographic measurements according to VCOG criteria. Adverse events were classified according to VCOG-CTCAE criteria. The IM and VP groups had dogs with similar breeds, gender, ages, MCT localization, WHO stages and lymph node metastasis profiles. Most MCTs were grade 2/low and had KIT- patterns 2 and 3. The objective response rate (ORR) was significantly higher (30.79%) in the IM group then in VP group (9.09%). Adverse events (AE) in IM group were all grade 1, significantly different from VP. In conclusion, IM presented better ORR and less severe adverse events when compared to VP, representing a suitable option for the treatment of low-grade canine MCTs.

Eficacia y seguridad de dasatinib en pacientes adultos con leucemia linfoblástica aguda philadelphia positivo resistente o intolerante a quimioterapia más imatinib / Efficacy and safety of dasatinib in adult patients with philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia resistant or intolerant to chemotherapy plus imatinib

ANTECEDENTES : El presente dictamen expone la evaluación de la eficacia y seguridad de dasatinib con o sin quimioterapia, comparado con quimioterapia, en pacientes adultos con leucemia linfoblástica aguda, philadelphia positivo, resistente o intolerante a quimioterapia más imatinib. En la literatura se señala que, la leucemia linfoblástica aguda (LLA) cromosoma Philadelphia positivo (Ph+) representa entre el 20.0 al 30 % de los casos de LLA. En el Perú, no se conoce el número de casos de LLA Ph+; sin embargo, se conoce que, en el 2019, la tasa de incidencia de LLA en personas mayores de 20 años fue de 1.04 casos por cada 100,000 personas y la tasa de mortalidad fue de 0.79 muertes por cada 100,000 personas.  Luego de la terapia de inducción con un inhibidor de la tirosina quinasa (TKI, por sus siglas en inglés), entre el 10 y 20 % de los pacientes desarrolla LLA resistente. Debido a la aparición de casos de resistencia o intolerancia a los TKI de primera generación (imatinib), se han desarrollado otros TKI, como dasatinib. En EsSalud, se cuentan con varias opciones de medicamentos que pueden ser empleados en diferentes esquemas de quimioterapia en este grupo de pacientes con resistencia o intolerancia a TKI. Actualmente, dasatinib se encuentra disponible en EsSalud para el tratamiento de pacientes con leucemia mieloide crónica (LMC), Ph+ resistente o intolerante a tratamientos previos a dosis altas a imatinib y sin mutación T315l. No obstante, algunos especialistas de EsSalud solicitan que se amplíe el uso de dasatinib a pacientes adultos con LLA Ph+ resistente o intolerante, aduciendo que dasatinib (con o sin quimioterapia) podría mejorar la sobrevida libre de progresión (SLP) del paciente. Así, el presente dictamen preliminar expone la evaluación de la eficacia y seguridad de dasatinib, con o sin quimioterapia, en pacientes adultos con LLA Ph+ resistente o intolerante a quimioterapia más imatinib. METODOLOGÍA: Tras la búsqueda de la literatura científica, se identificaron dos guías de práctica clínicas (GPC) elaboradas por The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) y The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), y dos evaluaciones de tecnologías sanitarias (ETS) elaboradas por The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) y Comissão Nacional de Incorporação de Tecnologías no Sistema Único de Saúde (CONITEC). Además, se encontraron dos estudios de fase II; sin grupo de comparación, el estudio START-L (Ottman et al., 2007), empleado para sustentar la aprobación acelerada de uso de dasatinib por parte de la Food and Drug Administration (FDA) y la aprobación de la European Medicines Agency (EMA) en pacientes con LLA Ph+ y resistencia o intolerancia a una terapia previa, y el estudio de Sakamaki et al., 2009. RESULTADOS: Se describe la evidencia disponible según el tipo de publicación, siguiendo lo indicado en los criterios de elegibilidad. CONCLUSIONES: En el presente documento, se evaluó la mejor evidencia científica disponible hasta la actualidad, sobre la eficacia y seguridad de dasatinib con o sin quimioterapia, comparado con quimioterapia, en pacientes adultos con LLA Ph+y resistencia o intolerancia a la quimioterapia más imatinib. La búsqueda sistemática de la evidencia culminó con la selección de dos GPC (NCCN 2021; Hoelzer et al. 2016), dos ETS (CONITEC 2020; SMC 2007), el estudio de fase II START-L, pivotal de dasatinib (Ottmann et al. 2007), y el estudio de fase II de Sakamaki et al. (Sakamaki et al. 2009). Las GPC del NCCN y ESMO coinciden en señalar que la evidencia disponible sobre el uso de dasatinib para el tratamiento de los pacientes con LLA Ph+ y resistencia o recaída no es de calidad. Por ello, la ESMO resalta que no hay una terapia estándar de reinducción y el NCCN recomienda, especialmente, la participación en un ensayo clínico. Las ETS del SMC y del CONITEC coinciden en dar una recomendación en contra del uso de dasatinib en pacientes con LLA Ph+ con resistencia/recaída a una terapia previa o al mesilato de imatinib. La SMC basó en que la terapia con dasatinib no sería costo-efectiva en este grupo de pacientes; y la CONITEC, en la alta incidencia de EAS, y las altas tasas de abandono del tratamiento y de reducción de dosis observadas en la evidencia analizada. Los estudios START-L y de Sakamaki et al., de fase II, presentaron limitaciones (e.g. falta de un grupo de comparación, pequeño tamaño de la muestra y la falta de acceso al protocolo del estudio) que afectan la validez de sus resultados. Aun así, sus resultados sugieren que el perfil de seguridad de dasatinib no puede ser considerado como favorable para los pacientes (altas tasas de eventos adversos, reducción de dosis de dasatinib y descontinuación del tratamiento). Actualmente, en EsSalud, se cuentan con varias opciones de medicamentos que pueden ser empleados en diferentes esquemas de quimioterapia para pacientes con LLA Ph+ resistente o intolerante a quimioterapia más imatinib. Por lo expuesto, el IETSI no aprueba el uso de dasatinib con o sin quimioterapia en pacientes adultos con LLA Ph+ resistente o intolerante a quimioterapia más imatinib.

Eficacia y seguridad de bosutinib en pacientes con leucemia mieloide crónica con el gen de fusion bcr-abl, con mutación T315I negativo y con falla y/o intolerancia a imatinib, dasatinib y nilotinib / Efficacy and safety of bosutinib in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia with the bcr-abl fusion gene, negative T315I mutation and with failure and/or intolerance to imatinib, dasatinib and nilotinib

INTRODUCCIÓN: El presente dictamen preliminar expone la evaluación de la eficacia y seguridad de bosutinib, comparado con la mejor terapia de soporte, para el tratamiento de pacientes con leucemia mieloide crónica con el gen de fusión BCR-ABL, con mutación T315I negativo y con falla y/o intolerancia a imatinib, dasatinib y nilotinib. La leucemia mieloide crónica (LMC) es una neoplasia mieloproliferativa y de baja frecuencia; no obstante, es la sexta causa de muerte por cáncer en Perú. El gen de fusión BCR-ABL, presente en más del 90 % de los casos, produce una proteína con alta actividad catalítica de tirosina quinasa, implicada en la patogénesis de la LMC. Esta enfermedad consta de tres fases: crónica, acelerada y de crisis blástica. Si bien el trasplante alogénico de células hematopoyéticas (TACMH) es potencialmente curativo, algunos pacientes no son candidatos a recibir un TACMH o no es posible encontrar un donante compatible. En estos casos, los pacientes pueden recibir inhibidores de la tirosina quinasa (ITQ), los cuales actúan de manera específica sobre la proliferación celular inducida por el gen de fusión BCR-ABL. En EsSalud se cuenta con tres ITQ (imatinib, dasatinib y nilotinib) que pueden ser utilizados hasta una tercera línea de tratamiento. Sin embargo, existen pacientes, con la mutación T315I negativo, no respondedores a los tres ITQ por falla o intolerancia, para quienes los médicos especialistas de la institución sugieren el uso de bosutinib, un ITQ de segunda generación, como cuarta línea de tratamiento. METODOLOGÍA: Se llevó a cabo una búsqueda sistemática de la literatura con el objetivo de identificar la mejor evidencia sobre la eficacia y seguridad de bosutinib, en comparación con la mejor terapia de soporte, para el tratamiento de pacientes con LMC con el gen de fusión BCR-ABL, con mutación T315I negativo y con falla y/o intolerancia a imatinib, dasatinib y nilotinib. La búsqueda se realizó en las bases de datos: PubMed, The Cochrane Library y LILACS. Adicionalmente, se realizó una búsqueda manual dentro de las páginas web pertenecientes a grupos que realizan evaluación de tecnologías sanitarias (ETS) y guías de práctica clínica (GPC) incluyendo: el National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), la Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), el Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), el Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), el Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), el Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Healthcare (IQWiG por sus siglas en alemán), la Base Regional de Informes de Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud de las Américas (BRISA), la OMS, el Ministerio de Salud del Perú (MINSA), el Instituto de Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud e Investigación (IETSI), la National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), la British Society for Haematology (BSH) y la European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). Finalmente, se realizó una búsqueda manual en la página web de registro de ensayos clínicos (EC) de ClinicalTrials.gov para identificar EC en curso o con resultados que no hayan sido publicados. RESULTADOS: La presente sinopsis describe la evidencia científica sobre el uso de bosutinib como tratamiento de pacientes con LMC con el gen de fusión BCR-ABL, con mutación T315I negativo y con falla y/o intolerancia a imatinib, dasatinib y nilotinib, según el tipo de publicación. CONCLUSIONES: El objetivo del presente dictamen fue evaluar la mejor evidencia disponible sobre la eficacia y seguridad de bosutinib comparado con la mejor terapia de soporte (hidroxiurea) para el tratamiento de pacientes con LMC con el gen de fusión BCR-ABL (cromosoma Ph positivo), con mutación T315I negativo y con falla y/o intolerancia a imatinib, dasatinib y nilotinib. La población de interés (pacientes con LMC con cromosoma Ph positivo, con mutación T315I negativo y con falla y/o intolerancia imatinib, dasatinib y nilotinib) no cuenta con una alternativa de tratamiento contra la LMC (vacío terapéutico), ante el vacío terapéutico estos pacientes progresarían a etapas más avanzadas con mayor riesgo de muerte. Luego de la búsqueda de la literatura se identificó una GPC desarrollada por BSH; cuatro ETS desarrolladas por el SMC, la CADTH, el NICE y el IQWiG; un EC de fase I/II (estudio pivotal) publicado por Khoury et al.; un EC de fase IV (fase de post comercialización) publicado por Hochhaus et al. y un estudio observacional retrospectivo publicado por García-Gutiérrez et al. Debido a las limitaciones del los ECA de fase II y IV y el estudio observacional (todos sin grupo de comparación), la eficacia y seguridad de bosutinib y su beneficio neto en la calidad de vida son inciertos puesto que no se puede establecer una relación causal entre los resultados reportados y el tratamiento con bosutinib. No obstante, cabe precisar que datos descriptivos muestran que la mortalidad a los dos años con el uso bosutinib es menor al 5 %, mientras que con el uso de hidroxiurea sería entre 20 % y 47.5 %. La guía recomienda usar ITQ en el contexto de cuarta línea en pacientes con intolerancia a ITQ recibidos previamente. No obstante, no se especifica la evidencia de soporte. Las ETS de NICE, SMC y CADTH optaron por recomendar el uso de bosutinib en pacientes adultos con LMC con cromosoma Ph positivo, que previamente han recibido ITQ y para quienes imatinib, dasatinib y nilotinib no son apropiados, dicha recomendación fue condicionada a un descuento confidencial sobre el precio de lista de bosutinib. Las tres ETS emplearon como evidencia de soporte el estudio clínico fase I/II, el cual incluyó solo tres pacientes que recibieron bosutinib en cuarta línea. La ETS de IQWiG concluye que no es posible determinar el beneficio del tratamiento con bosutinib frente a otro ITQ. La principal limitación para ello fue que el EC de fase I/II no evalúa bosutinib frente a los comparadores de interés para IQWiG, los cuales fueron diferentes a los establecidos en la PICO del presente dictamen. El uso prolongado de la terapia de soporte con hidroxiurea podría generar similares incidencias de EA que con bosutinib (toxicidad gastrointestinal, neutropenia, anemia, trombocitopenia); pero, adicionalmente podría generar otros problemas como ulceras graves, neoplasias malignas, toxicidad pulmonar, mielosupresión grave, entre otros. Existe plausibilidad biológica; ya que no todas las mutaciones que confieren resistencia a imatinib, dasatinib o nilotinib, confieren resistencia a bosutinib; y aún existe la posibilidad de que bosutinib sí sea eficaz. Por lo expuesto, el Instituto de Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud e Investigación aprueba el uso de bosutinib para el tratamiento de pacientes con LMC con el gen de fusión BCR-ABL (cromosoma Ph positivo), con mutación T315I negativo, con falla y/o intolerancia a tres inhibidores de la tirosina quinasa (imatinib, dasatinib y nilotinib), según lo establecido en el Anexo N°1. La vigencia del presente dictamen preliminar es de un año a partir de la fecha de publicación. Así, la continuación de dicha aprobación estará sujeta a la evaluación de los resultados obtenidos y de mayor evidencia que pueda surgir en el tiempo.

Assessment of estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia following discontinuation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have dramatically improved survival outcomes in patients with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP) and are associated with a manageable safety profile. However, long-term TKI administration can lead to cardiovascular or renal adverse events. One goal in discontinuation of TKIs was reduction of adverse events, but it is unclear whether chronic toxicities are ameliorated as a result. In this study, we evaluated changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with CML-CP before and after TKI discontinuation. Long-term TKI treatment appears to induce renal toxicity, as eGFR at the time of TKI discontinuation correlated with the duration of TKI treatment (r = - 0.478, p = 0.005). Patients who received imatinib as first-line treatment exhibited lower eGFR levels than those treated with dasatinib or nilotinib, which may be correlated with long-term treatment (p = 0.027). After TKI discontinuation, no significant increases in eGFR were seen either in patients with treatment-free remission (66.8-71.2 ml/min/1.73 m2) or molecular relapse (64.8-68.7 ml/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.666). These data indicate that TKI-induced renal toxicities are associated with long-term TKI treatment, and may be irreversible even following treatment discontinuation.

Comparative Safety and Health Care Expenditures Among Patients With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Initiating First-Line Imatinib, Dasatinib, or Nilotinib.

PURPOSE: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have dramatically improved survival for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). No overall survival differences were observed between patients initiating first- and second-generation TKIs in trials; however, real-world safety and cost outcomes are unclear. We evaluated comparative safety and health care expenditures between first-line imatinib, dasatinib, and nilotinib among patients with CML. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients had one or more fills for imatinib, dasatinib, or nilotinib in the MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental databases between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2016 (earliest fill is the index date), 6 months pre-index continuous enrollment, CML diagnosis, and no TKI use in the pre-index period. Hospitalizations or emergency department visits (safety events) were compared across treatment groups using propensity-score-weighted 1-year relative risks (RRs) and subdistribution hazard ratios (HRs). Inflation-adjusted annual health care expenditures were compared using quantile regression. RESULTS: Eligible patients included 1,417 receiving imatinib, 1,067 receiving dasatinib, and 647 receiving nilotinib. The 1-year risk of safety events was high: imatinib, 37%; dasatinib, 44%; and nilotinib, 40%, with higher risks among patients receiving dasatinib (RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.30) and nilotinib (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.93 to 1.23) compared with those receiving imatinib. Over a median of 1.7 years, the cumulative incidence of safety events was higher among patients receiving dasatinib (HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.38) and nilotinib (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.95 to 1.24) than among those receiving imatinib. One-year health care expenditures were high (median, $125,987) and were significantly higher among patients initiating second-generation TKIs compared with those receiving imatinib (difference in medians: dasatinib v imatinib, $22,393; 95% CI, $17,068 to $27,718; nilotinib v imatinib, $19,463; 95% CI, $14,689 to $24,236). CONCLUSION: Patients receiving imatinib had the lowest risk of hospitalization or emergency department visits and 1-year health care expenditures. Given a lack of significant differences in overall survival, imatinib may represent the ideal first-line therapy for patients, on average.

A pharmacovigilance system for treatment access and medical donation programs: The Max Foundation experience.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is a major burden of disease in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) yet financial barriers limit access to life-saving oncology drugs. Medical donation and other drug access programs can help improve patient access to essential medicines, such as quality assured oncology drugs in LMICs. However, there are no published examples of the conduct of pharmacovigilance with donated medical products intended for use in LMICs where pharmacovigilance is weak. We describe a partnership between a pharmaceutical company and a non-governmental organization as a case example that addresses the challenges in performing pharmacovigilance with donated medicines in LMICs. The Max Foundation's direct to patient model is designed to improve global access to quality assured oncology drugs through access programs such as the Glivec® (generic name: imatinib) International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP). RESULTS: Between 2013 and 2016, in the course of managing the GIPAP program, The Max Foundation was made aware of 13,039 instances of adverse events (AEs). These AEs were reported to The Max Foundation by physicians, patients, and caregivers. The Max Foundation reported these AEs to Novartis through the AE reporting tool within its Patient Assistance Tracking System (PATS). Physicians were the reporters for 58% of the AEs while the remainder of the AEs were reported directly by patients or caregivers. The overall rate of reported AEs remained relatively steady for the years 2013 through 2016 at 92, 95, 86, and 97 AEs reported per 1000 persons who received Glivec® per year, respectively. The vast majority of adverse events (85%) were reported from countries where The Max Foundation has a MaxStation, i.e., where The Max Foundation staff interact directly with physicians and patients at clinics or over the phone. AE reporting rates were consistently higher in all years studied from countries where The Max Foundation has a MaxStation. While India accounted for the largest number of reported adverse events in 2016 (1990), Bolivia had the highest rate of reported adverse events at 484 AEs per 1000 patients. CONCLUSIONS: International patient assistance programs that provide access to medicines can have an important role in assisting pharmaceutical companies in fulfilling their pharmacovigilance obligations. Adverse event information collected through PATS can potentially contribute to the overall body of knowledge on the safety of medicinal products.

Generic Imatinib Therapy Among Jordanians: An Observational Assessment of Efficacy and Safety in Routine Clinical Practice.

INTRODUCTION: Generic imatinib therapy is being globally considered owing to cost considerations. However, evidence of its efficacy and safety in Middle Eastern clinical settings is scarce. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The efficacy and safety of generic imatinib (Cemivil) were assessed among Jordanian patients diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia using an observational, multicenter, prospective study design. Responses were defined using European LeukemiaNet 2009 guidelines and assessed by complete blood counts, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: All patients (N = 91) were adults with chronic myeloid leukemia treated with generic imatinib 400 mg/day. Thirty-three patients received generic imatinib as first-line therapy, and 58 switched from patented imatinib to generic imatinib after a median of 4.5 years (range, 0.5-13.6 years) of imatinib therapy. The majority (85%; n = 28) of the first-line patients achieved complete hematologic response within 3 months of starting generic imatinib therapy (100% after 6 months [n = 33]). The 12-month major molecular response rate in the intention-to-treat population was 45%. The 12-month major molecular response rate was 88% for patients who switched therapy. The 12-month progression-free and overall survival rates were 92% and 100%, respectively. Most (85%; n = 144) adverse events were mild. Frequencies of drug-related adverse events were similar to patented imatinib. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the efficacy and safety of generic imatinib in this Middle Eastern population in routine clinical practice are comparable to patented imatinib, and to that of the global population.

Healthcare and economic burden of adverse events among patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia treated with BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

OBJECTIVES: BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are established treatments for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML); however, they are associated with infrequent, but clinically serious adverse events (AEs). The objective of this analysis was to assess healthcare resource utilization and costs associated with AEs, previously identified using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) in another study, among TKI-treated patients. METHODS: Adult patients with ≥1 inpatient or ≥2 outpatient ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes for CML and ≥1 claim for a TKI treatment between January 1, 2006 and September 30, 2012 were identified from the Commercial and Medicare MarketScan databases. The first claim for a TKI was designated as the index event. Patients were required to have no TKI treatment during a 12-month baseline period. Healthcare resource utilization and costs associated with select AEs having the strongest association with TKI treatment (femoral arterial stenosis [FAS], peripheral arterial occlusive disease [PAOD], intermittent claudication, coronary artery stenosis [CAS], pericardial effusion, pleural effusion, malignant pleural effusion, conjunctival hemorrhage) were evaluated during a 12-month follow-up period. RESULTS: The study sample included 2,005 CML patients receiving TKI therapy (mean age = 56 years; 56% male). Among all evaluated AEs, the highest mean inpatient healthcare costs were observed for FAS ($16,800 per patient) and PAOD ($14,263 per patient), which had total mean medical costs (inpatient + outpatient) of $17,015 and $15,154 per patient, respectively. Mean outpatient healthcare costs were highest for CAS ($1,861 per patient), followed by intermittent claudication ($947 per patient), PAOD ($891 per patient), and pleural effusion ($890 per patient). Total mean medical costs for fluid retention-related AEs, including pericardial effusion and pleural effusion, were $2,797 and $1,908 per patient, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The healthcare costs of AEs identified in the FAERS as having the strongest association with TKI treatment are substantial. Vascular stenosis-related AEs, including FAS and PAOD, have the highest cost burden.

Randomized assessment of imatinib in patients with acute ischaemic stroke treated with intravenous thrombolysis.

BACKGROUND: Imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been shown to restore blood-brain barrier integrity and reduce infarct size, haemorrhagic transformation and cerebral oedema in stroke models treated with tissue plasminogen activator. We evaluated the safety of imatinib, based on clinical and neuroradiological data, and its potential influence on neurological and functional outcomes. METHODS: A phase II randomized trial was performed in patients with acute ischaemic stroke treated with intravenous thrombolysis. A total of 60 patients were randomly assigned to four groups [3 (active): 1 (control)]; the active treatment groups received oral imatinib for 6 days at three dose levels (400, 600 and 800 mg). Primary outcome was any adverse event; secondary outcomes were haemorrhagic transformation, cerebral oedema, neurological severity on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at 7 days and at 3 months and functional outcomes on the modified Rankin scale (mRS). RESULTS: Four serious adverse events were reported, which resulted in three deaths (one in the control group and two in the 400-mg dose group; one patient in the latter group did not receive active treatment and the other received two doses). Nonserious adverse events were mostly mild, resulting in full recovery. Imatinib ameliorated neurological outcomes with an improvement of 0.6 NIHSS points per 100 mg imatinib (P = 0.02). For the 800-mg group, the mean unadjusted and adjusted NIHSS improvements were 4 (P = 0.037) and 5 points (P = 0.012), respectively, versus controls. Functional independence (mRS 0-2) increased by 18% versus controls (61 vs. 79; P = 0.296). CONCLUSION: This phase II study showed that imatinib is safe and tolerable and may reduce neurological disability in patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis after ischaemic stroke. A confirmatory randomized trial is currently underway.

Eficacia y seguridad del uso de regorafenib para el tratamiento de tumor estromal del tracto gastrointestinal (gist) metastásico con progresión de enfermedad luego de imatinib y sunitinib / Efficacy and safety of the use of regorafenib for the treatment of stromal tumor of the gastrointestinal (gist) metastatic tract with disease progression after imatinib and sunitinib

INTRODUCCIÓN: El presente dictamen expone la evaluación de la eficacia y seguridad del uso de regorafenib para el tratamiento de GIST metastásico con progresión a enfermedad luego de imatinib y sunitinib. Los tumores estromales del tracto gastrointestinal (GIST, por sus siglas en inglés) son tumores mesenquimales que se encuentran en el tracto gastrointestinal, representando al tipo de tumor mesenquimal más común y el tipo de sarcoma gastrointestinal más frecuente. El estudio de Soreide et al., 2016, encontró una incidencia por cada mil habitantes que fluctúa entre 4.3 a 21.1, incluyendo Estados Unidos y países de Europa y Asia. En Perú, se encontró un estudio realizado por Manrique M.N et al., 2012 en relación a la población atendida en el Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins, donde se identificaron 103 casos desde el año 2002 hasta el 2010, es de notar que el objetivo de dicho estudio no fue estimar prevalencias ni incidencias. El tratamiento estándar de primera línea para GIST metastásico o irresecable es imatinib en dosis 400 mg y se menciona la dosis de 800 mg como una alternativa adicional. Asimismo, luego de progresión a imatinib se menciona el uso de sunitinib. Sin embargo, en el Dictamen Preliminar de Evaluación de Tecnología Sanitaria N. ° 051-SDEPFyOTS-DETS-IETSI-2017 el cual tuvo como objetivo evaluar la eficacia y seguridad del uso de sunitinib para el tratamiento de GIST que ha progresado a imatinib, se decidió no aprobar el uso de sunitinib para el tratamiento de GIST metastásico que ha progresado a imatinib debido a que la razón riesgo beneficio no era clara. Por lo tanto, en la actualidad imatinib es el único tratamiento incluido dentro del Petitorio Farmacológico de EsSalud. A pesar de ello, existen pacientes que luego de haber progresado a altas dosis de imatinib, adquirieron sunitinib fuera de EsSalud, progresando también a esta alternativa. Así, existe un grupo de pacientes que en la actualidad ha progresado a ambos tratamientos, por lo que surge la necesidad de evaluar alternativas que podrían ser de beneficio para dichos pacientes. TECNOLOGIA SANITARIA DE INTERÉS: Regorafenib es un inhibidor multiquinasa de los receptores de tirosina quinasa intracelulares y de membrana, con actividad antitumoral y anti angiogénica (Thangaraju, Singh, and Chakrabarti 2015) . Este posee acción inhibitoria frente a receptores de tirosina quinasa claves en la angiogénesis, oncogénesis, el mantenimiento del microambiente tumoral, y en las vías de señalización de crecimiento y proliferación del tumor. METODOLOGIA: Se realizó una búsqueda de la literatura con respecto a la eficacia y seguridad del uso de regorafenib para el tratamiento de GIST metastásico con progresión de enfermedad luego de imatinib y sunitinib. Esta búsqueda se realizó utilizando los meta-buscadores: Translating Research into Practice (TRIPDATABASE) y National Library of Medicine (Pubmed-Medline). Adicionalmente, se realizó una búsqueda manual del listado de referencias bibliográficas de los estudios seleccionados a fin de identificar otros estudios que pudieran ser útiles para la presente evaluación. Por otro lado, se amplió la búsqueda revisando la evidencia generada por grupos internacionales que realizan revisiones sistemáticas (RS), evaluación de tecnologías sanitarias (ETS) y guías de práctica clínica (GPC), tales como la Cochrane Group, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Agency for Health care Research and Quality (AHRQ), The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), y The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH). Esta búsqueda se completó revisando publicaciones de grupos dedicados a la educación, investigación y mejora de la práctica clínica oncológica dentro de américa y Europa, como The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) y The European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO). Por último, se completó la búsqueda ingresando a la página web www.clinicaltrials.gov, para así poder identificar ensayos clínicos en elaboración o que no hayan sido publicados aún, y así disminuir el riesgo de sesgo de publicación. RESULTADOS: A la fecha, la evidencia de uso de regorafenib en pacientes con GIST metastásico que han progresado a imatinib y sunitinib, recaen en los resultados del ensayo GRID, publicados por Demetri et al., 2013. Así, las cuatro guías de práctica clínica y las dos ETS incluidas basan sus recomendaciones en los resultados de este ensayo. El ensayo GRID es un ensayo de fase III, aleatorizado, y doble ciego contra placebo. Este ensayo tuvo como objetivo principal evaluar eficacia en términos de sobrevida libre de progresión, y seguridad y tolerancia del fármaco. Se observaron diferencias significativas con respecto a la sobrevida libre de progresión (HR: 0.27; IC95 %: 0.19-0.39; valor p <0.001), con una mediana de 4.8 meses (rango intercuartil (IQR) 1.4-9.2) para el grupo de regorafenib y de 0.9 meses (IQR 0.9-1.8) para el grupo placebo. Sin embargo, esta diferencia no se tradujo en una diferencia en el análisis interino de la sobrevida global (HR: 0.77; IC95 %: 0.42-1.4; valor p=0.199). Asimismo, el rango intercuartil de las medianas de sobrevida libre de progresión se cruzan entre si y no se presenta una prueba estadística de las diferencias de dichas medianas, que permita concluir que esta diferencia de 3.9 meses es estadísticamente significativa. Debido a que solo se observa diferencias en relación a la sobrevida libre de progresión, un desenlace cuya relevancia clínica no es del todo convincente; la evaluación de la calidad de vida toma mayor relevancia. Con ello, tal como se menciona en el documento de Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) en torno a evaluación de la calidad de vida del ensayo GRID, no se muestran diferencias entre los grupos en relación al deterioro del estado de salud, adicionalmente, en la sub-escala del cumplimiento de la función de rol (role function subscale) si se encuentra un deterioro clínico significativo en el grupo de regorafenib. Además, en relación a los eventos adversos se observa una mayor proporción de eventos en el grupo de regorafenib, donde si bien las pérdidas por eventos adversos son similares, las disminuciones de dosis son bastante más frecuentes en el grupo de regorafenib (72 %), con un 29 % de eventos adversos serios versus a 21 % de eventos adversos serios de placebo. Así, no queda claro la razón riesgo beneficio en relación al uso de regorafenib en la población de interés del presente dictamen. Es de notar que las ETSs, las cuales utilizan la misma evidencia en relación a eficacia y seguridad, consideran que, al precio ofertado, regorafenib no resulta ser una alternativa costo-efectiva, con lo cual condicionan su aprobación a un descuento confidencial ofrecido por la compañía farmacéutica que permita que regorafenib alcance la costo-efectividad dentro de sus sistemas de salud.CONCLUSIÓN: El Instituto de Evaluación de Tecnologías Sanitarias-IETSI no aprueba el uso de regorafenib para el tratamiento de GIST metastásico con progresión de enfermedad luego de imatinib y sunitinib.

Eficacia y seguridad de nilotinib para el tratamiento de v pe leucemia mieloide crónica con resistencia o intolerancia a Imatinib y a Dasatinib, sin mutación T315I y ECOG 0-2 / Efficacy and safety of nilotinib for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia with resistance or intolerance to Imatinib and Dasatinib, without mutation T315I and ECOG 0-2

INTRODUCCIÓN: Antecedentes: El presente dictamen expone la evaluación de tecnología de la eficacia y seguridad de nilotinib para el manejo de pacientes con diagnóstico de leucemia mieloide crónica resistente o intolerante a imatinib y a dasatinib sin mutación T315I y ECOG 0-2. Aspectos Generales: La leucemia mieloide crónica (LMC) es una enfermedad mieloproliferativa, que se caracteriza por la proliferación de granulocitos en sangre y medula ósea. Más del 90% de los casos se debe a la traslocación recíproca de los cromosomas 9 y 22 [t (9; 22)] debido a la mutación del cromosoma Filadelfia (Ph+). Esta traslocación genera la fusión de una región del gen BCR del cromosoma 22 en la banda q11 y del gen ABL1 localizado en el cromosoma 9 en la banda q34. El producto de la fusión BDR-ABL1 es una proteína activa llamada tirosina quinasa. Esta proteína lleva a una proliferación celular incontrolada. Las personas con leucemia mieloide crónica, sin la mutación Filadelfia, tienen otros mecanismos de traslocación, pero resultan en la misma fusión de genes y la codificación de la proteína tirosina quinasa. Tecnologia Sanitaria de Interés: El nilotinib (Tasigna®, Novartis; C28H22F3N70), es un inhibidor de tirosina quinasa, derivado del imatinib. El nilotinib se une y estabiliza la conformación inactiva del dominio quinasa de la proteína Abl. METODOLOGIA: Estrategia de Búsqueda: Se realizó una búsqueda de la literatura con respecto a la eficacia y seguridad de nilotinib para el tratamiento de leucemia mieloide crónica en pacientes resistentes/intolerantes a imatinib y dasatinib. Esta búsqueda se realizó utilizando los meta-buscadores: Translating Research into Practice (TRIPDATABASE), National Library of Medicine (Pubmed-Medline) y Health Systems Evidence. Adicionalmente, se amplió la búsqueda revisando la evidencia generada por grupos internacionales que realizan revisiones sistemáticas (RS), evaluación de tecnologías sanitarias (ETS) y guías de práctica clínica (GPC), como la Cochrane Group, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Agency for Health care Research and Quality (AHRQ), The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) y The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC). RESULTADOS: Sinopsis de la Evidencia: Se realizó la búsqueda bibliográfica y de evidencia científica para el sustento del uso de nilotinib para el tratamiento de leucemia mieloide crónica en pacientes resistentes o intolerantes a imatinib/dasatinib. Se presenta la evidencia disponible según el tipo de publicación priorizada en los criterios de inclusión (i.e., GP, ETS, RS y ECA fase III). CONCLUSIONES: La presente evaluación de tecnología sanitaria tuvo por objetivo la evaluación de la eficacia y seguridad del uso de nilotinib como tercera línea de tratamiento de la LMC-FC, en pacientes resistentes y/o intolerantes a imatinib y dasatinib, sin mutación T315I y ECOG 0-2. Fueron incluidos un total de 6 publicaciones científicas (1 guía de práctica clínica, 1 revisión sistemática, 1 ensayo clínico y 3 ensayos observacionales). A pesar que la evidencia es de baja calidad dado que no existen estudios clínicos aleatorizados fase III del uso de nilotinib como tercera línea de tratamiento de LCM, los ECAs fase II y estudios observacionales encontrados muestran que nilotinib podría ser una alternativa eficaz como tercera línea. Además, existe plausibilidad biológica, pues los patrones de resistencia y de efectos adversos son diferentes para nilotinib, dasatinib e imatinib, excepto por la mutación T315I. Nilotinib puede ser considerado como una adecuada alternativa para el a' tratamiento de tercera línea, luego de haber recibido tratamiento con dos inhibidores de tirosina quinasa y haber mostrado resistencia o intolerancia a estos, aunque la respuesta podría no ser duradera. Ello teniendo en cuenta, además, que actualmente no se cuenta con más alternativas de tratamiento, pues los inhibidores de tirosina quinasa indicados para tratamiento de tercera línea no se encuentran en el mercado, y el trasplante no está indicado para todos los casos. El Instituto de Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud e Investigación (IETSI) aprueba el uso de nilotinib como alternativa de tratamiento en pacientes con leucemia mieloide crónica con resistencia o intolerancia a imatinib y dasatinib sin mutación T315I y ECOG 0-2. El periodo de vigencia de este dictamen es de dos años y la continuación de dicha aprobación estará sujeta a los resultados obtenidos de los pacientes que se beneficien con dicho tratamiento y a nueva evidencia que pueda surgir en el tiempo.

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Early in the Disease Course: Lessons From Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia.

The landscape of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) management has changed with the advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting the BCR-ABL1 oncoprotein. Imatinib mesylate, followed by nilotinib and dasatinib, has been approved for newly diagnosed patients. Since none of these TKIs show survival superiority, the drug choice is a challenge. Even so, the rate of deeper and earlier responses is higher with second-generation TKIs than it is with imatinib, and, in general, better response is associated with a survival advantage, regardless of TKI type being used. Patients should be monitored carefully for response, and treatment failure should prompt a timely switch to another TKI. Side effect profile and drug cost are other important considerations in therapy choice. In several clinical studies, achieving undetectable and durable disease status allowed some patients to discontinue the TKI and enjoy long-term treatment-free remission. Cure for CML may be possible with TKIs alone or TKIs in combination with other investigational therapies. However, due to lack of long-term outcome data and absence of consensus for the definition of optimal response and time to stop TKIs, discontinuation is discouraged outside of a clinical trial.