LUTATHERA® is the first approved medicine from a class of drugs called peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). It is a prescription treatment for adults with a type of cancer known as gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). GEP-NETs are neuroendocrine tumors of the stomach, gut, or pancreas that make somatostatin hormones, which may cause symptoms such as flushing and diarrhea. LUTATHERA targets those receptor-positive tumors.
How does LUTATHERA® work?
LUTATHERA uses radiation to damage the cancer cells that are positive for the hormone receptor somatostatin. It is given as an infusion and is made up of 2 parts.
- A tumor-targeting part that binds to cancer cells that have somatostatin receptors.
- Once it binds to the cancer cells, it goes into the cell and releases radiation, which then causes damage to the cancer cell.
Effectiveness of LUTATHERA®
In a clinical trial of 229 patients that compared patients who received LUTATHERA in combination with 30-mg, long-acting octreotide, to those who received 60 mg of long-acting octreotide alone, LUTATHERA reduced the relative risk of the cancer getting worse or resulting in death by 79%. More patients treated with LUTATHERA had their tumors shrink or disappear compared with patients treated with 60 mg of long-acting octreotide alone.
