Capmatinib (Tabrecta™) is an oral, small molecule mesenchymal-epithelial 
transition (MET) inhibitor being developed by Novartis Oncology, under a license 
from Incyte Corporation, for the treatment of lung cancer. Capmatinib targets 
and selectively binds to MET, including the mutant variant produced by exon 14 
skipping, and inhibits cancer cell growth driven by the mutant MET variant. In 
May 2020, oral capmatinib received its first global approval in the USA for the 
treatment of adults with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose 
tumours have a mutation that leads to MET exon 14 skipping, as detected by an 
FDA-approved test. Clinical development for the treatment of glioblastoma, liver 
cancer, malignant melanoma, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, head and neck 
cancer and solid tumours is ongoing in several countries. This article 
summarizes the milestones in the development of capmatinib leading to its first 
approval.