Genentech is taking to Facebook and TikTok to spread its message about biomarker testing, publishing a series of videos with lung cancer patients about the need to “Ask About ALK.”
South San Francisco-based Genentech sells Alecensa, a treatment for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and its parent company Roche provides an assay to identify patients with the biomarker. Outcomes for patients with ALK-positive lung cancer are better, with a post hoc analysis finding 60% of people who received Alecensa in a clinical trial were alive after five years.
However, knowledge of biomarker testing is patchy. A 2023 survey found 49% of cancer patients were tested for biomarkers. Around 1 in 7 of those patients asked for the test themselves. Genentech wants to empower more lung cancer patients to push to get tested.
The company is running videos on its Facebook account and the ALKPositiveInc TikTok handle. The three videos shared to date feature relatively young people who were each blindsided by a NSCLC diagnosis, got tested for ALK and are now alive to tell their stories.
In one video, ALK-positive NSCLC patient Anita says why she tells everyone who gets a cancer diagnosis to undergo biomarker testing, explaining that “knowing more about the cancer means that I know more about the options to treat it.” Patients may need to be pushy to get tested.
“You have to be a strong advocate for yourself. And I think you have to be a squeaky wheel and be a pest and speak up,” Anita said. “When you get this ... terrible news, it's going to be the worst day of your life. But it doesn't have to be the end of your life.”
Nikki hits on a similar point in another video. “This information changed my life. This information can change your life. I would ask my oncologist, “Can I have a biomarker test?” Nikki said. Another video features Matt, who was diagnosed with ALK-positive lung cancer two years ago, and his wife Stephanie. For Matt, who has three teenage boys, “biomarker testing means hope.”
Roche reported (PDF) Alecensa sales of 766 million Swiss francs ($880 million) over the first half of the year. U.S. sales increased 9% to 236 million Swiss francs compared to the first half of 2023.