Prostate cancer RLT therapy has a bright future! Novartis AG Sponsored ADR pharmaceutical company (NVS.US) subsidiary Pluvicto is expected to become a leader.

The market for RadioLigand Therapy (RLT therapy) is expected to achieve significant growth by 2030, with Novartis AG Sponsored ADR's RLT product Pluvicto poised to capture the largest share in the field of prostate cancer therapy. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in over half of the countries worldwide. The incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer are alarmingly high, with projections from a major report on prostate cancer by The Lancet indicating that global cases of prostate cancer are expected to increase from 1.4 million annually in 2020 to 2.9 million annually by 2040, doubling the number of cases; with the largest increase expected in low- and middle-income countries. It is estimated that the number of deaths from prostate cancer globally will increase from 375,000 in 2020 to nearly 700,000 by 2040, a rise of about 85%. RLT therapy is a new method of treating cancer that uses specific molecules bound to radioactive isotopes to precisely target tumor lesions and kill target cells with radiation. In recent years, innovative RadioLigand Therapies (RLTs) such as Lutetium-177 have become the focus of attention in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. This therapy has been proven effective and safe in the treatment of gastrointestinal, pancreatic, neuroendocrine tumors, and prostate cancer, particularly in the treatment of advanced metastatic prostate cancer, significantly improving patient survival rates. According to GlobalData, Pluvicto (177Lu-PSMA-617) approved by the FDA in 2022, is rapidly becoming the mainstream RLT product for prostate cancer. Pluvicto achieved $980 million in sales revenue in 2023 with a growth of 260%, making it just a step away from becoming a billion-dollar "blockbuster" drug. By 2024, sales revenue for Pluvicto is expected to soar to over $1.5 billion, reaching around $4.3 billion by 2030. Although Pluvicto is not the first RLT therapy approved for prostate cancer Xofigo (radium-223 dichloride) by Bayer was approved in the US in 2013, Xofigo's revenue compared to Pluvicto's is significantly less. GlobalData estimates that Xofigo's sales revenue will only be $244 million in 2024, dropping to $161 million by 2030. However, in May 2023, Bayer partnered with Bicycle Therapeutics (BCYC.US) to develop new radioactive drugs, which are expected to offer more RLT therapies. GlobalData's oncology and hematology analyst Thomas Wales stated that Pluvicto's robust trial results will drive its growth. Pluvicto was approved for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have positive prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and have received androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) therapy and taxane chemotherapy. Approval for Pluvicto was based on key Phase III clinical trial (VISION) results, which showed that adding Pluvicto to standard treatment significantly extended radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS, 8.7 vs 3.4 months) and overall survival (OS, 15.3 vs 11.3 months) in late-stage PSMA-positive mCRPC patients. Thomas Wales added that Novartis AG Sponsored ADR recently submitted an application to expand Pluvicto's indication to patients who have not received taxane chemotherapy, which could broaden the potential patient market. Other pharmaceutical companies developing RLT therapies for prostate cancer are also expected to enter the market in the coming years. This includes Eli Lilly's lutetium (lutetium Lu 177 dotatate), which is expected to be approved by 2025. GlobalData predicts that lutetium's sales revenue will only be $125 million in 2025, increasing to $1.65 billion by 2030. Additionally, Eli Lilly acquired Point BioPharma for $1.4 billion in 2023, as the company is developing clinical and preclinical-stage RLT therapies for cancer. AstraZeneca PLC Sponsored ADR acquired Fusion Pharma for $2.4 billion to obtain the prostate cancer RLT candidate drug FPI-2265-202, a purchase completed earlier in 2024. Although Phase 2/3 trials for this candidate drug targeting PSMA-positive mCRPC patients are expected to be completed in 2026, GlobalData predicts approval in 2028 and sales revenue of only $182 million by 2030.