Lilly’s Early Bird Verzenio Goes After Up To S4bn Worm With Early Breast Cancer Nod

Eli Lilly and Company’s Verzenio (abemaciclib) has snagged a much-coveted indication in early breast cancer, gaining a needed edge on its fellow CDK 4/6 inhibitors, Novartis AG’s Kisqali (ribociclib) and especially Pfizer Inc.’s Ibrance (palbociclib). But Lilly faces the challenge of getting doctors into the habit of using Ki-67 testing for treatment selection, per Verzenio’s new label, on top of its traditional prognostic role.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved Verzenio on 12 October as the first drug in the CDK4/6 inhibitor class to win approval for adjuvant treatment of adults with hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-), node-positive early breast cancer at