Findings from first-ever quadruplet therapy study with subcutaneous DARZALEX FASPRO® showed 60 percent reduction in risk of disease progression or death
New regimen solidifies DARZALEX FASPRO® as a foundational frontline therapy in multiple myeloma with potential to significantly delay disease progression
HORSHAM, PA, USA I July 30, 2024 I Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved DARZALEX FASPRO® (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) in combination with bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (D-VRd) for induction and consolidation in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) who are eligible for an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT).1 Patients will have the opportunity to receive this DARZALEX FASPRO®-based quadruplet therapy at initial diagnosis, providing them with a new treatment that may significantly improve outcomes.
This approval is supported by data from the Phase 3 PERSEUS study evaluating DARZALEX FASPRO® in a regimen that included D-VRd induction and consolidation therapy compared to bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (VRd) during induction and consolidation in patients with NDMM eligible for ASCT.1 Following consolidation, patients received an investigational treatment regimen for maintenance that included DARZALEX FASPRO® in combination with lenalidomide or lenalidomide alone.1
“Multiple myeloma has a highly varied clinical course among patients and in each individual patient, and there is a continued need for innovation and therapies that employ different targets and combinations to provide patients with treatment options at diagnosis and throughout the course of their disease,” said Amrita Y. Krishnan, M.D., Professor and Director of the Judy and Bernard Briskin Multiple Myeloma Center, City of Hope.* “The efficacy data supporting this new quadruplet regimen, combined with its established safety and tolerability profile, provide compelling evidence that adding D-VRd upon initial diagnosis as compared to VRd can deepen responses and prolong remissions in the context of autologous stem cell transplantation.”
Findings from the PERSEUS study demonstrated a significant improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS), with D-VRd reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 60 percent compared to VRd (HR [95% CI]: 0.40 [0.29, 0.57]; p-value < 0.0001).1 Treatment with D-VRd induction and consolidation resulted in deeper responses at the end of consolidation compared to VRd: minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rates of 57.5 percent vs. 32.5 percent, and MRD-negativity rates in patients with complete response (CR) or better of 76.6 percent vs. 58.5 percent, respectively.1
“This latest indication for DARZALEX FASPRO-based quadruplet therapy demonstrated a clinically significant reduction in disease progression or death during first-line treatment when patients are likely to experience their deepest responses,” said Jordan Schecter, M.D., Vice President, Disease Area Leader, Multiple Myeloma, Johnson & Johnson. “Today’s approval embodies our commitment to setting new standards of care for patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma who are transplant eligible.”
The overall safety profile of D-VRd was consistent with the known safety profiles for DARZALEX FASPRO® and VRd.1 The most common adverse reactions (≥20%) in patients with multiple myeloma who received D-VRd are peripheral neuropathy, fatigue, edema, pyrexia, upper respiratory infection, constipation, diarrhea, musculoskeletal pain, insomnia, and rash.1
About the PERSEUS Study
The PERSEUS study is being conducted in collaboration with the European Myeloma Network as the sponsor. PERSEUS is an ongoing, randomized, open-label, Phase 3 study comparing the efficacy and safety of D-VRd during induction and consolidation versus VRd during induction and consolidation in patients with NDMM eligible for ASCT. Following consolidation, patients received an investigational treatment regimen for maintenance that included DARZALEX FASPRO® in combination with lenalidomide or lenalidomide alone. The trial was not designed to isolate the effect of DARZALEX FASPRO® in the maintenance phase of treatment. The efficacy of DARZALEX FASPRO® in combination with lenalidomide for maintenance has not been established. The primary endpoint is PFS, and secondary endpoints include overall CR or better rate, and overall MRD-negativity (in patients with CR or better). The median age is 61.0 (range, 32-70) years for patients in the D-VRd arm and 59.0 (range, 31-70) years for patients in the VRd arm.2 The study is being conducted in 14 countries in Europe and Australia.
About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that affects a type of white blood cell called plasma cells, which are found in the bone marrow.3 In multiple myeloma, these malignant plasma cells proliferate and replace normal cells in the bone marrow.4 Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer worldwide and remains an incurable disease.5 In 2024, it is estimated that more than 35,000 people will be diagnosed with multiple myeloma in the U.S. and more than 12,000 will die from the disease.6 People with multiple myeloma have a 5-year survival rate of 59.8 percent.6 While some people diagnosed with multiple myeloma initially have no symptoms, most patients are diagnosed due to symptoms that can include bone fracture or pain, low red blood cell counts, tiredness, high calcium levels, kidney problems or infections.7,8
About DARZALEX FASPRO®
DARZALEX FASPRO® (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) received U.S. FDA approval in May 2020 and is approved for nine indications in multiple myeloma, four of which are for frontline treatment in newly diagnosed patients who are transplant eligible or ineligible.1 It is the only subcutaneous CD38-directed antibody approved to treat patients with multiple myeloma. DARZALEX FASPRO® is co-formulated with recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20 (rHuPH20), Halozyme’s ENHANZE® drug delivery technology.
In August 2012, Janssen Biotech, Inc. and Genmab A/S entered a worldwide agreement, which granted Janssen an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab.
For more information, visit https://www.darzalexhcp.com.
DARZALEX FASPRO® INDICATIONS AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
INDICATIONS
DARZALEX FASPRO® (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma:
- In combination with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone for induction and consolidation in newly diagnosed patients who are eligible for autologous stem cell transplant
- In combination with bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone in newly diagnosed patients who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant
- In combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone in newly diagnosed patients who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant and in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy
- In combination with bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone in newly diagnosed patients who are eligible for autologous stem cell transplant
- In combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone in patients who have received at least one prior line of therapy including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor (PI)
- In combination with carfilzomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received one to three prior lines of therapy
- In combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients who have received at least one prior therapy
- As monotherapy in patients who have received at least three prior lines of therapy including a PI and an immunomodulatory agent or who are double refractory to a PI and an immunomodulatory agent
Please click here to read full Prescribing Information for DARZALEX FASPRO®.
About Johnson & Johnson
At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/ or at www.janssen.com/johnson-johnson-innovative-medicine. Follow us at @JanssenUS and @JNJInnovMed. Janssen Research & Development, LLC and Janssen Biotech, Inc. are both Johnson & Johnson companies.
*Dr. Amrita Y. Krishnan has provided consulting, advisory, and speaking services to Johnson & Johnson; she has not been paid for any media work.
1 DARZALEX FASPRO® U.S. Prescribing Information.
2 Pieter Sonneveld, Dimopoulos MA, Boccadoro M, et al. Daratumumab, Bortezomib, Lenalidomide, and Dexamethasone for Multiple Myeloma. The New England Journal of Medicine. Accessed July 2024. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2312054
3 Rajkumar SV. Multiple Myeloma: 2020 Update on Diagnosis, Risk-Stratification and Management. Am J Hematol. 2020;95(5):548-5672020;95(5):548-567. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32212178
4 National Cancer Institute. Plasma Cell Neoplasms. Accessed July 2024. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/myeloma/patient/myeloma-treatment-pdq
5 Multiple Myeloma. City of Hope, 2022. Multiple Myeloma: Causes, Symptoms & Treatments. Accessed July 2024. Available at: https://www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/multiple-myeloma
6 American Cancer Society. Myeloma Cancer Statistics. Accessed July 2024. Available at: https://cancerstatisticscenter.cancer.org/types/myeloma
7 American Cancer Society. What is Multiple Myeloma? Accessed July 2024. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/multiple-myeloma/about/what-is-multiple-myeloma.html
8 American Cancer Society. Multiple Myeloma Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging. Accessed July 2024. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/multiple-myeloma/detection-diagnosis-staging/detection.html
SOURCE: Johnson & Johnson
Post Views: 4,781
Findings from first-ever quadruplet therapy study with subcutaneous DARZALEX FASPRO® showed 60 percent reduction in risk of disease progression or death
New regimen solidifies DARZALEX FASPRO® as a foundational frontline therapy in multiple myeloma with potential to significantly delay disease progression
HORSHAM, PA, USA I July 30, 2024 I Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved DARZALEX FASPRO® (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) in combination with bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (D-VRd) for induction and consolidation in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) who are eligible for an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT).1 Patients will have the opportunity to receive this DARZALEX FASPRO®-based quadruplet therapy at initial diagnosis, providing them with a new treatment that may significantly improve outcomes.
This approval is supported by data from the Phase 3 PERSEUS study evaluating DARZALEX FASPRO® in a regimen that included D-VRd induction and consolidation therapy compared to bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (VRd) during induction and consolidation in patients with NDMM eligible for ASCT.1 Following consolidation, patients received an investigational treatment regimen for maintenance that included DARZALEX FASPRO® in combination with lenalidomide or lenalidomide alone.1
“Multiple myeloma has a highly varied clinical course among patients and in each individual patient, and there is a continued need for innovation and therapies that employ different targets and combinations to provide patients with treatment options at diagnosis and throughout the course of their disease,” said Amrita Y. Krishnan, M.D., Professor and Director of the Judy and Bernard Briskin Multiple Myeloma Center, City of Hope.* “The efficacy data supporting this new quadruplet regimen, combined with its established safety and tolerability profile, provide compelling evidence that adding D-VRd upon initial diagnosis as compared to VRd can deepen responses and prolong remissions in the context of autologous stem cell transplantation.”
Findings from the PERSEUS study demonstrated a significant improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS), with D-VRd reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 60 percent compared to VRd (HR [95% CI]: 0.40 [0.29, 0.57]; p-value < 0.0001).1 Treatment with D-VRd induction and consolidation resulted in deeper responses at the end of consolidation compared to VRd: minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rates of 57.5 percent vs. 32.5 percent, and MRD-negativity rates in patients with complete response (CR) or better of 76.6 percent vs. 58.5 percent, respectively.1
“This latest indication for DARZALEX FASPRO-based quadruplet therapy demonstrated a clinically significant reduction in disease progression or death during first-line treatment when patients are likely to experience their deepest responses,” said Jordan Schecter, M.D., Vice President, Disease Area Leader, Multiple Myeloma, Johnson & Johnson. “Today’s approval embodies our commitment to setting new standards of care for patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma who are transplant eligible.”
The overall safety profile of D-VRd was consistent with the known safety profiles for DARZALEX FASPRO® and VRd.1 The most common adverse reactions (≥20%) in patients with multiple myeloma who received D-VRd are peripheral neuropathy, fatigue, edema, pyrexia, upper respiratory infection, constipation, diarrhea, musculoskeletal pain, insomnia, and rash.1
About the PERSEUS Study
The PERSEUS study is being conducted in collaboration with the European Myeloma Network as the sponsor. PERSEUS is an ongoing, randomized, open-label, Phase 3 study comparing the efficacy and safety of D-VRd during induction and consolidation versus VRd during induction and consolidation in patients with NDMM eligible for ASCT. Following consolidation, patients received an investigational treatment regimen for maintenance that included DARZALEX FASPRO® in combination with lenalidomide or lenalidomide alone. The trial was not designed to isolate the effect of DARZALEX FASPRO® in the maintenance phase of treatment. The efficacy of DARZALEX FASPRO® in combination with lenalidomide for maintenance has not been established. The primary endpoint is PFS, and secondary endpoints include overall CR or better rate, and overall MRD-negativity (in patients with CR or better). The median age is 61.0 (range, 32-70) years for patients in the D-VRd arm and 59.0 (range, 31-70) years for patients in the VRd arm.2 The study is being conducted in 14 countries in Europe and Australia.
About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that affects a type of white blood cell called plasma cells, which are found in the bone marrow.3 In multiple myeloma, these malignant plasma cells proliferate and replace normal cells in the bone marrow.4 Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer worldwide and remains an incurable disease.5 In 2024, it is estimated that more than 35,000 people will be diagnosed with multiple myeloma in the U.S. and more than 12,000 will die from the disease.6 People with multiple myeloma have a 5-year survival rate of 59.8 percent.6 While some people diagnosed with multiple myeloma initially have no symptoms, most patients are diagnosed due to symptoms that can include bone fracture or pain, low red blood cell counts, tiredness, high calcium levels, kidney problems or infections.7,8
About DARZALEX FASPRO®
DARZALEX FASPRO® (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) received U.S. FDA approval in May 2020 and is approved for nine indications in multiple myeloma, four of which are for frontline treatment in newly diagnosed patients who are transplant eligible or ineligible.1 It is the only subcutaneous CD38-directed antibody approved to treat patients with multiple myeloma. DARZALEX FASPRO® is co-formulated with recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20 (rHuPH20), Halozyme’s ENHANZE® drug delivery technology.
In August 2012, Janssen Biotech, Inc. and Genmab A/S entered a worldwide agreement, which granted Janssen an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab.
For more information, visit https://www.darzalexhcp.com.
DARZALEX FASPRO® INDICATIONS AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
INDICATIONS
DARZALEX FASPRO® (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma:
- In combination with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone for induction and consolidation in newly diagnosed patients who are eligible for autologous stem cell transplant
- In combination with bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone in newly diagnosed patients who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant
- In combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone in newly diagnosed patients who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant and in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy
- In combination with bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone in newly diagnosed patients who are eligible for autologous stem cell transplant
- In combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone in patients who have received at least one prior line of therapy including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor (PI)
- In combination with carfilzomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received one to three prior lines of therapy
- In combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients who have received at least one prior therapy
- As monotherapy in patients who have received at least three prior lines of therapy including a PI and an immunomodulatory agent or who are double refractory to a PI and an immunomodulatory agent
Please click here to read full Prescribing Information for DARZALEX FASPRO®.
About Johnson & Johnson
At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/ or at www.janssen.com/johnson-johnson-innovative-medicine. Follow us at @JanssenUS and @JNJInnovMed. Janssen Research & Development, LLC and Janssen Biotech, Inc. are both Johnson & Johnson companies.
*Dr. Amrita Y. Krishnan has provided consulting, advisory, and speaking services to Johnson & Johnson; she has not been paid for any media work.
1 DARZALEX FASPRO® U.S. Prescribing Information.
2 Pieter Sonneveld, Dimopoulos MA, Boccadoro M, et al. Daratumumab, Bortezomib, Lenalidomide, and Dexamethasone for Multiple Myeloma. The New England Journal of Medicine. Accessed July 2024. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2312054
3 Rajkumar SV. Multiple Myeloma: 2020 Update on Diagnosis, Risk-Stratification and Management. Am J Hematol. 2020;95(5):548-5672020;95(5):548-567. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32212178
4 National Cancer Institute. Plasma Cell Neoplasms. Accessed July 2024. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/myeloma/patient/myeloma-treatment-pdq
5 Multiple Myeloma. City of Hope, 2022. Multiple Myeloma: Causes, Symptoms & Treatments. Accessed July 2024. Available at: https://www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/multiple-myeloma
6 American Cancer Society. Myeloma Cancer Statistics. Accessed July 2024. Available at: https://cancerstatisticscenter.cancer.org/types/myeloma
7 American Cancer Society. What is Multiple Myeloma? Accessed July 2024. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/multiple-myeloma/about/what-is-multiple-myeloma.html
8 American Cancer Society. Multiple Myeloma Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging. Accessed July 2024. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/multiple-myeloma/detection-diagnosis-staging/detection.html
SOURCE: Johnson & Johnson
Post Views: 4,781
