EU approves Alimta as continuation maintenance therapy in non squamous NSCLC

The European Commission has granted approval for the use of Alimta (pemetrexed for injection) from Eli Lilly as a single agent for continuation maintenance therapy in patients with a particular type of lung cancer, called advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The approval is based on clinical trial results showing an improvement in progression-free survival, as well as a preliminary analysis showing a strong trend toward better overall survival, for NSCLC patients treated first with Alimta plus cisplatin and then continue treatment with Alimta alone in the maintenance setting. Alimta is the first chemotherapy agent to be approved in Europe for continuation maintenance therapy. In this setting, patients whose disease has not progressed immediately following first-line treatment with Alimta plus cisplatin can continue maintenance treatment with Alimta alone and achieve additional benefit.