Relugolix

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Accord’s oral hormone therapy, Orgovyx (relugolix), for use in advanced prostate cancer patients. The androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which has been specifically recommended for those with hormone-sensitive cases of the disease, is now the first oral treatment of its kind to be approved by the agency. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with approximately 51,000 new cases diagnosed in England in 2022 alone. ADTs work by reducing the level of androgen hormones, such as testosterone, which are needed by prostate cancer cells to grow. Orgovyx reduces levels of testosterone by blocking the production of the hormone in the testes and is taken as a tablet, offering an alternative to other hormone treatments given by injection and providing patients with the option to take it at home. NICE’s final draft guidance on the drug was supported by clinical trial evidence suggesting that Orgovyx is better at reducing testosterone to levels that stop cancer growth in the longer term than leuprolide and reduces the risk of serious cardiovascular events compared to leuprolide. An indirect treatment comparison also demonstrated that Orgovyx works as well as other ADTs, the agency outlined. Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE, said: “We are continuing to focus on what matters most to people by recommending this innovative and effective treatment that can make a positive difference to people with advanced prostate cancer. “[Orgovyx] provides a convenient and flexible treatment option compared with therapies that need to be injected, helping people to avoid travel and time off work and the evidence shows it can improve people’s quality of life.” The recommendation comes just one month after a mid-stage trial led by researchers from the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Cancer Research found that hormone therapy in combination with radiotherapy could delay the need for chemotherapy in advanced prostate cancer patients. Findings from the national TRAP study demonstrated that, instead of disease progression after hormone therapy indicating that the cancer has become resistant to treatment, it may just be that some tumours are resistant. The team noted that if the tumours are treated with radiotherapy, the rest of the cancer will still respond to hormone therapy.

Sumitomo Pharma's U.S. cuts apparently weren't enough to recoup from a swift revenue decline, as Sumitomo is reportedly weighing more cuts this fiscal year. A recent layoff round affecting 400 U.S. staffers was just the latest in Sumitomo Pharma’s waves of workforce reductions. Now, the Japanese pharma is reportedly weighing layoffs in its home country as revenues slide. The company’s new CEO and president Toru Kimura, who just took the helm June 25, is weighing a restructuring plan that could be implemented “as soon as this fiscal year,” he told Nikkei Asia. While the Japan job cuts “won’t be to the same extent as in the U.S.,” the company's recent revenue declines prompt “no choice but to take further measures, including offering early retirement,” Kimura added. Still, no final decision has been made, a spokesperson told Fierce Pharma. "We understand the necessity of streamlining our organization not to reduce productivity levels while adapting to changes in business scale and product mix in Japan, and we are considering all possible options, including early retirement," the spokesperson said. So far, the company has slimmed down its U.S. workforce by some 1,260 people since early last year. Last month's round of 400 job cuts came after prior waves of 500 and 360 layoffs, respectively. Despite recent sales growth for prostate cancer med Orgovyx, overactive bladder treatment Gemtesa and Pfizer-partnered uterine fibroid therapy Myfembree, Sumitomo’s annual revenue plummeted 43% to 314.5 billion yen ($1.9 billion) during its last fiscal year, which ended March 31. The downturn was attributed to the U.S. loss of exclusivity for antipsychotic Latuda, a “former mainstay,” the company said in its recent earnings report (PDF). Generics to the drug entered the market during the first half of 2023. As for Kimura, the CEO was bumped up from his former position of senior managing executive officer. His CEO appointment was one of “various measures” Sumitomo implemented in an attempt to make an “early recovery” in its performance, the company disclosed in March. The new CEO has already divulged an ambitious plan to return to profitability during the company’s 2025 fiscal year. Other than layoffs, Sumitomo plans to “sell what assets we can,” which could include overseas drug sales operations and manufacturing and marketing rights to Latuda and other off-patent meds, Kimura told Nikkei. The pharma’s parent company, Sumitomo Chemical, is also reportedly considering finding partners that could offer financial support or collaborations.