Dr. Eward on FDA Approval of Pexidartinib in TGCT

William Eward, MD, DVM, associate professor and orthopedic surgical oncologist at Duke Cancer Institute, discusses the approval of pexidartinib (Turalio) to treat patients with tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT).

The FDA approved pexidartinib in August 2019 for the treatment of adult patients with symptomatic TGCT that is associated with severe morbidity or functional limitations and is not responsive to improvement with surgery. Pexidartinib, the first drug approved to treat patients with TGCT, targets CSF1 and blocks the signal, causing all of the white blood cells and other cells to come into the tumor, explains Eward.

Duke Cancer Institute researchers participated in the ENLIVEN trial that led to the approval of pexidartinib. Results of the trial showed that pexidartinib can lead to tumor shrinkage, improve stiffness for patients to move better, and decrease patient pain, concludes Eward.