KYPROLIS, Lenalidomide and Dexamethasone Reduced the Risk of Death by 21 Percent Versus Lenalidomide and Dexamethasone

Patients Treated With the KYPROLIS-Based Regimen Survived 7.9 Months Longer Than Patients on Lenalidomide and Dexamethasone

KYPROLIS-Based Regimens Are the First and Only to Demonstrate Improved Overall Survival Versus Today’s Standards of Care in Two Phase 3 Studies in Relapsed Multiple Myeloma

THOUSAND OAKS, CA, USA I July 12, 2017 I Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) today announced positive results from the final analysis of the Phase 3 ASPIRE trial. The study met the key secondary endpoint of overall survival (OS), demonstrating that KYPROLIS® (carfilzomib), lenalidomide and dexamethasone (KRd) reduced the risk of death by 21 percent over lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone (Rd) (median OS 48.3 months for KRd versus 40.4 months for Rd, HR = 0.79, 95 percent CI, 0.67 – 0.95). Per protocol, patients received 18 cycles of KYPROLIS with Rd before continuing treatment with Rd alone to progression. This KRd regimen of twice-weekly KYPROLIS administered at 27 mg/m2 is currently approved in the U.S., European Union and other countries based on the primary analysis of progression-free survival (PFS) in the ASPIRE study.

“For multiple myeloma patients, the first relapse is usually the most devastating,” said David S. Siegel, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Division of Multiple Myeloma at John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, N.J., and investigator on the ASPIRE trial. “These data clearly show that the addition of KYPROLIS – for just 18 cycles – to lenalidomide and dexamethasone at relapse gave patients a significantly improved chance of survival. With these results, this KYPROLIS regimen should be considered a new standard of care.”

“The ENDEAVOR study has already demonstrated that KYPROLIS is the superior proteasome inhibitor versus Velcade,” said Sean E. Harper, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen. “This overall survival benefit from the ASPIRE trial further supports the importance of proteasome inhibition and duration of treatment with KYPROLIS in the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma.”

Adverse events observed in this updated analysis were consistent with those previously reported for ASPIRE. The most common adverse events (greater than or equal to 20 percent) in the KYPROLIS arm were diarrhea, anemia, neutropenia, fatigue, upper respiratory tract infection, pyrexia, cough, hypokalemia, thrombocytopenia, muscle spasms, pneumonia, nasopharyngitis, nausea, constipation, insomnia and bronchitis.

Amgen recently announced OS results from the Phase 3 head-to-head ENDEAVOR trial, which showed KYPROLIS at 56 mg/m2 in combination with dexamethasone reduced the risk of death by 21 percent over Velcade® (bortezomib) and dexamethasone (Vd). Patients treated with KYPROLIS lived 7.6 months longer than those treated with Velcade (median OS 47.6 months for Kd versus 40.0 months for Vd, HR = 0.79, 95 percent CI, 0.65 – 0.96).

The ASPIRE OS data will be submitted to a future medical conference, for publication, and to regulatory agencies worldwide to support a potential label update.

The KYPROLIS clinical program continues to focus on providing solutions for physicians and patients in treating this frequently relapsing and difficult-to-treat cancer. KYPROLIS is available for patients whose myeloma has relapsed or become resistant to another treatment and continues to be studied in a range of combinations and patient populations.

About ASPIRE
The international, randomized Phase 3 ASPIRE (CArfilzomib, Lenalidomide, and DexamethaSone versus Lenalidomide and Dexamethasone for the treatment of PatIents with Relapsed Multiple MyEloma) trial evaluated KYPROLIS in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, versus lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone, in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma following treatment with one to three prior regimens. The primary endpoint of the trial was PFS, defined as the time from treatment initiation to disease progression or death. Secondary endpoints included OS, overall response rate (ORR), duration of response (DOR), disease control rate, health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) and safety. Patients were randomized to receive KYPROLIS (20 mg/m2 on days 1 and 2 of cycle one, escalating to 27 mg/m2 on days 8, 9, 15 and 16 of cycle one and continuing on days 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 and 16 of subsequent cycles), in addition to a standard dosing schedule of lenalidomide (25 mg per day for 21 days on, 7 days off) and low-dose dexamethasone (40 mg per week in four-week cycles), versus lenalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone alone. The study randomized 792 patients at sites in North America, Europe and Israel.

About ENDEAVOR
The randomized ENDEAVOR (RandomizEd, OpeN Label, Phase 3 Study of Carfilzomib Plus DExamethAsone Vs Bortezomib Plus DexamethasOne in Patients With Relapsed Multiple Myeloma) trial of 929 patients evaluated KYPROLIS in combination with low-dose dexamethasone (Kd), versus bortezomib with low-dose dexamethasone (Vd) in patients whose multiple myeloma has relapsed after at least one, but not more than three prior therapeutic regimens. The primary endpoint of the trial was PFS, defined as the time from treatment initiation to disease progression or death. The primary analysis was published in The Lancet Oncology and is described in the Prescribing Information.

Patients received treatment until progression with KYPROLIS as a 30-minute infusion on days 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 and 16 of 28 day treatment cycles, along with low-dose dexamethasone (20 mg). For cycle one only, KYPROLIS was administered at 20 mg/mon days 1 and 2, and if tolerated was escalated to 56 mg/m2 from day 8 cycle one onwards. Patients who received bortezomib (1.3 mg/m2) with low-dose dexamethasone (20 mg) were treated with bortezomib administered subcutaneously or intravenously at the discretion of the investigator and in accordance with regional regulatory approval of bortezomib. More than 75 percent of the patients in the control arm received bortezomib subcutaneously. This study was conducted at 235 sites worldwide. For information about this trial, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov under trial identification number NCT01568866.

About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is an incurable blood cancer, characterized by a recurring pattern of remission and relapse.1 It is a rare and very aggressive disease that accounts for approximately one percent of all cancers.2,3 In the U.S., there are nearly 95,000 people living with, or in remission from, multiple myeloma.4 Approximately 30,330 Americans are diagnosed with multiple myeloma each year and 12,650 patient deaths are reported on an annual basis.4

About KYPROLIS® (carfilzomib) 
Proteasomes play an important role in cell function and growth by breaking down proteins that are damaged or no longer needed.5 KYPROLIS has been shown to block proteasomes, leading to an excessive build-up of proteins within cells.5 In some cells, KYPROLIS can cause cell death, especially in myeloma cells because they are more likely to contain a higher amount of abnormal proteins.5,6

KYPROLIS is approved in the U.S. for the following:

  • In combination with dexamethasone or with lenalidomide plus dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received one to three lines of therapy.
  • As a single agent for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received one or more lines of therapy.

KYPROLIS is also approved in Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macao, Mexico, Thailand, Colombia, S. Korea, Canada, Qatar, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Russia, Brazil, India, Oman and the European Union. Additional regulatory applications for KYPROLIS are underway and have been submitted to health authorities worldwide.

About Amgen’s Commitment to Oncology
Amgen Oncology is committed to helping patients take on some of the toughest cancers, such as those that have been resistant to drugs, those that progress rapidly through the body and those where limited treatment options exist. Amgen’s supportive care treatments help patients combat certain side effects of strong chemotherapy, and our targeted medicines and immunotherapies focus on more than a dozen different malignancies, ranging from blood cancers to solid tumors. With decades of experience providing therapies for cancer patients, Amgen continues to grow its portfolio of innovative and biosimilar oncology medicines.

About Amgen
Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.

Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people’s lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world’s leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.

SOURCE: Amgen