‘Piqray,’ the first targeted anticancer drug that targets the PIK3CA gene, may now be prescribed at general hospitals.

According to industry sources, Novartis Korea’s ‘Piqray (alpelisib)’ passed the drug committee (DC) reviews of 2 of the ‘Big 5’ hospitals in Korea - the Seoul Samsung Medical Center, and Seoul Asan Medical Center.

Piqray, which was approved in Korea in May last year, is a PIK3Caα inhibitor that blocks the overactivation of the PI3K pathway by inhibiting the overactivation of PI3K-α that is caused by PIK3CA mutation. This targeted therapy is prescribed in combination with ‘Faslodex (fulvestrant)’ for patients with HR-positive/ HER2 negative metastatic or advance