Health Canada Approves New Treatment for Throat Cancer

Medical tools are pictured in an exam room at a health clinic in Calgary, on July 14, 2023. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

Health Canada has approved a new treatment for adult patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a type of throat cancer, according to the manufacturer of the drug.

BeOne Medicines, a global oncology company based in Switzerland, said Health Canada had granted its tislelizumab injection medication a notice of compliance. The drug will be sold under the brand name Tevimbra, according to a Dec. 23 company news release.

BeOne said the injection would be used in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin as a “first-line treatment” for adults with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Dr. Desiree Hao, head and neck medical oncologist and University of Calgary professor, said the approval was a “milestone” and a treatment advancement for those with the cancer.

“Adult patients with recurrent or metastatic NPC have long faced limited therapeutic choices,” Hao said.

Nasopharyngeal cancer is a malignant tumour, meaning it can spread to other parts of the body, and starts in the cells of the upper part of the throat, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.

It says those most at risk for developing this form of cancer are those of Southeast Asian or Chinese descent.

About 8,100 Canadians will be diagnosed with head and neck cancer this year, and 2,200 will die from the cancer, the Cancer Society said. Statistics for nasopharyngeal cancer are not reported separately but are included in the head and neck cancer category.

The organization said that the five-year survival rate for head and neck cancer is 64 percent, which means the majority of those diagnosed will survive for at least five years.

“Nasopharyngeal cancer is often aggressive, so it may grow and spread quickly,” the Cancer Society said.

The organization said the earlier it is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome, adding that nasopharyngeal cancer was not usually discovered until it was at an advanced stage.

The survival rates for stage 1 nasopharyngeal cancer is 72 percent, stage 2 is 64 percent, and those diagnosed at stage 3 have a 62 percent survival rate. That number drops to 38 percent for those with stage 4 nasopharyngeal cancer.

BeOne said that Health Canada’s approval of the treatment was based on results from recent testing, which showed that Tevimbra “significantly prolonged progression free survival” and showed a 48 percent reduction in the progression of the cancer.

The company also noted Tevimbra and chemotherapy were “generally well tolerated” in studies.

Kristian Stubbs, general manager of BeOne in Canada, said the approval was an “important step” for Canadian patients with nasopharyngeal cancer.

“We are committed to making TEVIMBRA broadly accessible to Canadian NPC patients. We look forward to partnering with stakeholders who share a sense of urgency to improve the standard of care for NPC patients in Canada,” Stubbs said.

The drug is expected to be available in the first half of 2026.