Active ingredient: dacomitinib
Disease: EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer
Peak sales estimate: n/a
Approved: Sept. 27
Company: Pfizer
The scoop: It took a while, but Pfizer’s Vizimpro finally crossed the regulatory finish line this fall—a feat that looked unlikely back in 2014. That year, the drug failed a pair of studies pitting it against Roche’s Tarceva. But Pfizer rebounded, and last year it trumpeted a phase 3 win at ASCO showing Vizimpro could top fellow EGFR drug Iressa from AstraZeneca at delaying cancer growth in newly diagnosed patients. Now, the drug is rolling out with a price tag of $12,400 per month alongside a slew of other new Pfizer oncology approvals. But it’ll have to duke it out with drugs including Tarceva and AstraZeneca’s hot-selling Tagrisso to find success in the marketplace. — Carly Helfand
