OBJECTIVES: Immunotherapies have made significant impact in the field of NSCLC, with significant clinical impact and resulting widespread adoption by major payers and HTA groups and payers. It is hypothesized that in response, manufacturers have invested significantly in the therapeutic space and are shifting their investments to personalized therapies. This study analyses the late-stage pipeline within NSCLC to understand the degree of shift towards personalized medicine and the role that positive coverage for innovations can play in development program investments.

METHODS: A market scan of the top 11 oncology companies’ late stage pipeline drugs within NSCLC, categorized by chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy and then subdivided into precision medicine was conducted in parallel with an assessment of payer coverage decisions and HTA outcomes for commercialized immunotherapies in the NSCLC space in UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Brazil.

RESULTS: Of the 68 drugs in the late stage NSCLC pipeline, three are chemotherapy, 16 are immunotherapy, and the remaining 48 are targeted therapies. Within targeted therapies, 52%, or 25 of the 48 therapies, are precision medicine drugs, while within immunotherapies, 38%, or 6 out of the 16 therapies, are precision medicine drugs. HTA decisions and coverage policies were largely positive for marketed therapies that demonstrated significant and targeted impact.

CONCLUSIONS: As an indication with a high-growth rate and significant innovation potential, NSCLC highlights a major shift towards personalized and precision medicine, especially supported by the degree to which payers and HTAs are rewarding this type of innovation. The positive coverage/HTA outcomes are supporting the business case for further investment in this space by manufacturers.