The U.S. FDA has approved a new drug for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The drug is called Komzifti (ziftomenib). Kura Oncology and its partner, Kyowa Kirin, developed this therapy. This is a significant step for patients with this aggressive blood cancer.
Komzifti is the first once-daily, oral treatment of its kind. It targets adults whose AML has relapsed or resisted prior treatment. Specifically, it treats patients with a common NPM1 gene mutation. This mutation is found in about 30% of AML cases. These patients previously had very few good options.
The approval is based on strong trial results. The drug showed a complete or near-complete remission rate of over 21%. Patients who responded saw remission last for a median of five months. Importantly, Komzifti is a menin inhibitor. This type of drug blocks a protein interaction that drives cancer growth. The convenience of a daily pill offers a big improvement for patients. This new, targeted therapy will be available quickly.
