Dr. Ocean on the Development of Nanoliposomal Irinotecan in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Allyson Ocean, ​MD, an associate attending physician, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, discusses the need for additional second-line therapies in metastatic pancreatic cancer. 

FOLFIRINOX and the combination of gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) have demonstrated survival advantages in the first-line setting for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, says Ocean. However, ​these patients often progress ​and require second-line therapy. 

Notably, the unmet need in this space led to the development of nanoliposomal irinotecan (Onivyde), a unique compound that can induce a prolonged response and better cell kill, Ocean concludes.