The Galien Foundation has selected Regeneron’s (Nasdaq:REGN) Inmazeb (atoltivimab, maftivimab and odesivimab-ebgn) as the best biotechnology product of 2022 and Amgen’s (Nasdaq:AMGN) Lumakras as the best pharmaceutical agent.
The organization announced the news last week as part of the Prix Galien USA 2022 awards series.
The antibody cocktail Inmazeb (atoltivimab, maftivimab and odesivimab-ebgn) became the first FDA-approved treatment for Ebola (Zaire Ebolavirus) for pediatric and adult patients in 2020.
The Tarrytown, New York–based biotechnology company Regeneron developed Inmazeb with its proprietary VelocImmune mouse technology to facilitate the immediate generation of genetically altered mice from modified embryonic stem cells. In addition, the technique enabled the company to study the drug preclinically without breeding multiple generations of mice.
“Our groundbreaking ‘rapid response’ application of our VelociSuite® technologies to address the Ebola outbreak laid the foundation for our COVID-19 efforts,” said Christos Kyratsous, senior vice president of research, at Regeneron, in a news release.
More about Amgen’s Lumakras
FDA approved Lumakras (sotorasib) for adults with KRAS G12C-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in 2021, making it the first KRAS protein inhibitor to win regulatory backing. The agency approved the drug using its Accelerated Approval pathway.
Sotorasib has an indication for NSCLC patients with a genetic mutation known as KRAS G12C who have received at least one prior systemic therapy. The KRAS G12C mutation is involved in roughly 13% of mutations in NSCLC, according to the FDA.
Thousand Oaks, California–based Amgen is also exploring sotorasib’s potential for brain metastases, pancreatic cancer, solid tumors and colorectal cancer.
In 2021, Amgen released data for a Phase 2 study of sotorasib known as Codebreak, revealing that key metrics aligned with expectations. At the time, UBS noted that the data supported the drug’s safety and efficacy profile, concluding that the drug should “become the standard of care in 2L+ KRAS+ve NSCLC.”
While some analysts project that sotorasib will have peak sales of approximately $2 billion, UBS anticipated in 2021 that the drug would fetch half as much. In addition, the analyst firm noted that the KRAS G12C mutation involves approximately 13% of non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer rather than 13% of all non-small cell lung cancer.
GlobalData reached similar conclusions, projecting that Lumakras would achieve $1.1 billion in sales by 2029.
Neither Lumakras or Inmazeb appeared in our roundup of best-selling drugs in 2021.