Novartis' radiopharma drug wins approval in tough-to-treat prostate cancer patients

One of the key ways in which Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan hopes to stave off generic competition took a giant leap forward Wednesday afternoon.

The FDA approved Lu-PSMA-617, Novartis’ radioligand program acquired in the $2.1 billion buyout of Endocyte back in 2018, to treat PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Novartis will brand the drug as Pluvicto, and a spokesperson told Endpoints News that the drug’s wholesale acquisition cost will be set at $42,500 per dose.