Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Announces Abstract on Lambert Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS) to be Presented at the Upcoming IASLC 2023 World Conference of Lung Cancer

Study Reveals LEMS Often Goes Undiagnosed in U.S. Patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer

CORAL GABLES, Fla., Aug. 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Catalyst") (Nasdaq: CPRX), a commercial-stage, patient-centric biopharmaceutical company focused on in-licensing, developing, and commercializing novel high-quality medicines for patients living with rare diseases, today announced that an abstract assessing the prevalence of Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (“LEMS”) among patients with small cell lung cancer (“SCLC”) in the United States, was accepted and will be presented at the IASLC 2023 World Conference of Lung Cancer (#WCLC23) hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, happening September 9-12, 2023 in Singapore.

The abstract details the results from a study analyzing real-world data to determine the prevalence of LEMS diagnoses among patients with SCLC in the United States. While published data estimate that 3% of patients with SCLC have a concurrent LEMS diagnosis, this analysis of oncology healthcare claims between 2017-2022 found that 0.16 – 0.24% of patients with SCLC had LEMS claims, indicating a 10-fold underdiagnosis of LEMS in patients with SCLC. The authors hypothesize non-specific LEMS symptoms, such as fatigue and weakness, may have been attributed to SCLC, leading to underdiagnosis. These data imply that the overall population of LEMS is significantly larger than previous estimates.

Presentation Details:
Poster Session: P2.31 - Global Health, Health Services, and Health Economics – Real World Data
Title: Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome is Underrecognized in Small Cell Lung Cancer: An Analysis of Real-World Data
Date Monday, September 11, 2023
Time: 6:00 PM -7:30 PM Singapore Time (SST) / 6:00 AM – 7:30 AM U.S. Eastern Time (ET)
Presenter: David Morrell, MBA, SVP Marketing at Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

“The results from the study have brought to light significant insights into the relationship between small-cell lung cancer and Lambert Eaton myasthenic syndrome, or LEMS. This research adds to the growing body of evidence illustrating that the prevalence of LEMS, including individuals with small cell lung cancer, is now estimated to be about 3,600 to 5,400 people ^(1-6) in the United States, of which a substantial number currently remain undiagnosed and untreated,” stated Patrick J. McEnany, Chairman and CEO of Catalyst. “Our hope is that this study will contribute to heightened awareness, leading to early diagnoses and ultimately improving the quality of life for those affected by LEMS and small cell lung cancer.”