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Availability of Lytgobi (futibatinib) marks the first medicine introduced by Taiho Oncology Europe
BAAR, Switzerland, November 3, 2025 – Taiho Oncology Europe GmbH announced today the availability of Lytgobi® (futibatinib), a novel irreversibly binding fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor,1 in Switzerland. This milestone follows the temporary authorisation by Swissmedic for futibatinib monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) combined with a fusion or rearrangement of FGFR2 when the disease has spread after at least one prior line of systemic therapy.2
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive cancer of the bile ducts that carry bile inside the liver and from the liver and gallbladder to the small intestine. The disease is growing in incidence worldwide.3 CCA is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, with a very poor prognosis, with less than one in five patients surviving five years, and new treatment options such as futibatinib are urgently needed.4
Futibatinib is a molecularly targeted drug which binds irreversibly to FGFR and targets FGFR fusions or rearrangements.1,5 The medicine is taken orally, once daily, on a continuous basis.5
The temporary marketing authorisation* in Switzerland is based on data from the pivotal Phase 2 FOENIX-CCA2† global open-label trial evaluating 103 patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic CCA with an FGFR2 fusion or rearrangement. The trial showed that futibatinib provided a clinically meaningful benefit, including an objective response rate of 42%, and a median duration of response of 9.7 months.6 The mature follow-up data demonstrated median overall survival was 20.0 months6 and the 12-month overall survival rate was 73.1%.7
The most common treatment-related adverse events with futibatinib are hyperphosphatemia (88.1%), constipation (34.9%), diarrhoea (33.3%), nail disorders (29.6%), nausea (27.0%), fatigue (26.4%), increased AST (26.1%), decreased appetite (24.8%), vomiting (23.0%), alopecia (22.0%), and dry mouth (22.0%).5
The results of the FOENIX-CCA2 trial were published in The New England Journal of Medicine.6 Within Europe, patients were enrolled in this trial from Spain, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
“This milestone is the culmination of extensive and productive collaboration among researchers, healthcare professionals and patients, united in their commitment to advance care in cholangiocarcinoma to improve the lives of patients," said Dr Peter Foertig, General Manager of Taiho Oncology Europe. "The introduction of futibatinib in Switzerland marks a moment of particular pride with our European operations located here and highlights our ongoing commitment to bring innovative oral therapies to patients with cancer."
Futibatinib was developed by Taiho Oncology Europe’s parent company, Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, which continues to investigate its benefits for solid tumours in combination with pembrolizumab.
*ENDS*
*A temporary marketing authorisation is granted for medicines that fulfil an unmet medical need to treat serious diseases, and the benefits of having them available earlier outweigh any risks associated with using the medicines while waiting for further evidence.8
† The FOENIX-CCA2 trial is a Phase 1/2 Study of TAS-120 in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors Harboring FGF/FGFR Aberrations: FGFR Oral SElective Novel Inhibitor X [across] tumors.
About Lytgobi (futibatinib)
Futibatinib is an oral, potent, selective, and irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor of FGFR1, 2, 3 and 4. Futibatinib irreversibly binds to the adenosine triphosphate-binding pocket of FGFR1–4 resulting in the inhibition of FGFR-mediated signal transduction pathways, reduced tumour-cell proliferation and increased tumour-cell death in tumours with FGFR1–4 genetic aberrations.1,5
About Taiho Oncology Europe
The mission of Taiho Oncology Europe is to improve the lives of patients with cancer, their families, and their caregivers. The company specialises in orally administered anti-cancer agents and has a growing pipeline of selectively targeted anti-cancer agents. Taiho Oncology Europe GmbH (Baar, Switzerland) is the European subsidiary of Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan). For more information, visit www.taihooncology.eu.
Lytgobi is a registered trademark of Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Taiho Oncology Europe Media Contact:
Leigh Labrie (Eastern Time Zone)
+ 609.664.9878
Helen Rae
+44 (0) 7503 652311 (United Kingdom Time Zone)
References
- Sootome H, Fujita H, Ito K, et al. Futibatinib is a novel irreversible FGFR 1–4 inhibitor that shows selective anti-tumor activity against FGFR-deregulated tumors. Cancer Res. 2020;80:4986-4997. Available at: https://aacrjournals.org/cancerres/article/80/22/4986/645861/Futibatinib-Is-a-Novel-Irreversible-FGFR-1-4 Last accessed: April 2025
- Lytgobi, Filmtabletten (Futibatinibum). Swissmedic Approval https://www.swissmedic.ch/swissmedic/en/home/about-us/publications/public-summary-swiss-par/public-summary-swiss-par-lytgobi.html Last accessed: April 2025
- Banales JM, Marin JJG, Lamarca A, et al. Cholangiocarcinoma 2020: the next horizon in mechanisms and management. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020;17:557-588. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41575-020-0310-z#:~:text=CCA%20is%20a%20rare%20cancer,in%20the%20past%20few%20decades Last accessed: April 2025
- Valle JW, Bai LY, Orlova R, et al. Ramucirumab (RAM) or merestinib (MER) or placebo (PL) plus gemcitabine (GEM) and cisplatin (CIS) as first-line treatment for advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancer (BTC): a randomized, double-blind, phase II study. J Clinical Oncol. 2020;38(4):Abstract 477. Available at: https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2020.38.4_suppl.477 Last accessed: April 2025
- Taiho Oncology Europe GmbH. Lytgobi® (futibatinib): Swiss Public Assessment Report. Available at https://www.swissmedic.ch/swissmedic/de/home/humanarzneimittel/authorisations/new-medicines/lytgobi-filmtabletten-futibatinibum.html Last accessed: April 2025
- Goyal L, Meric-Bernstam F, Hollebecque A, et al. Futibatinib for FGFR2-rearranged intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. N Engl J Med. 2023 Jan 19;388(3):228-239. Available at: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2206834 Last accessed: February 2025
- Goyal L, Meric-Bernstam F, Hollebecque A, et al. Updated results of the FOENIX-CCA2 trial: efficacy and safety of futibatinib in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) harboring FGFR2 fusions/rearrangements. Journal of Clinical Oncology. June 2022;40(16):Abstract 4009. Available at: https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2022.40.16_suppl.4009#:~:text=Conclusions%3A%20Findings%20from%20the%20final,iCCA%20harboring%20FGFR2%20fusion%2Frearrangements. Last accessed: April 2025
- Temporary marketing authorisation. Swiss federal authorities. Available at: https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2001/422/en Last accessed: April 2025