Initiation follows positive results from cohort 7 of phase 1b COSMIC-021 trial

CONTACT-01 is the first of three phase 3 pivotal trials that are part of a previously announced clinical collaboration with Roche –

ALAMEDA, CA, USA I June 11, 2020 IExelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXEL) today announced the initiation of CONTACT-01, a global phase 3 pivotal trial of cabozantinib (CABOMETYX®) in combination with atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ®) in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have been previously treated with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) and platinum-containing chemotherapy. Two additional phase 3 pivotal trials in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC; CONTACT-02) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC; CONTACT-03) are planned as part of the clinical trial collaboration between Exelixis and Roche.

“Survival rates for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer are low, and since more than half of these patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, the patient community is in need of new treatment options, especially for those who progress following immunotherapy and chemotherapy,” said Gisela Schwab, M.D., President, Product Development and Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, Exelixis. “We were pleased to see the positive results from cohort 7 of the COSMIC-021 trial further supporting the growing body of preclinical and clinical evidence that cabozantinib may promote a more immune-permissive environment potentially resulting in additive or synergistic effects with immune checkpoint inhibitors such as atezolizumab. We look forward to forthcoming findings for the combination in this disease in CONTACT-01, as well as in other difficult-to-treat cancers in planned phase 3 studies.”

Results from the ongoing COSMIC-021 trial — a phase 1b study of cabozantinib and atezolizumab in multiple advanced solid tumors including NSCLC, CRPC and RCC — informed the design of this phase 3 pivotal trial. Initial results from the COSMIC-021 cohort of patients with advanced NSCLC who progressed after treatment with an ICI were presented at the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology Virtual Scientific Program.

CONTACT-01 is a global, multicenter, randomized, phase 3, open-label study that aims to enroll approximately 350 patients. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to the experimental arm of cabozantinib in combination with atezolizumab and the control arm of docetaxel. The primary endpoint of the trial is overall survival. Secondary endpoints include progression-free survival, objective response rate and duration of response. The trial is sponsored by Roche and co-funded by Exelixis.

About NSCLC

Lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer in the U.S., with more than 220,000 new cases expected to be diagnosed in 2020.1 The disease is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in both men and women, causing 25% of all cancer-related deaths.1 The majority (84%) of lung cancer cases are NSCLC, which mainly comprise adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma.1 The five-year survival rate for patients with NSCLC is 24%, but that rate falls to just 6% for those with advanced or metastatic disease.2 More than half of lung cancer cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, and more options are needed for these patients.3

About CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib)

In the U.S., CABOMETYX tablets are approved for the treatment of patients with advanced RCC and for the treatment of patients with HCC who have been previously treated with sorafenib. CABOMETYX tablets have also received regulatory approvals in the European Union and additional countries and regions worldwide.

CABOMETYX in combination with atezolizumab is not indicated for previously treated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

About Exelixis’ Collaboration with Ipsen

On February 29, 2016, Exelixis and Ipsen jointly announced an exclusive licensing agreement for the commercialization and further development of cabozantinib indications outside of the United States, Canada and Japan. On December 21, 2016, this agreement was amended to include commercialization rights for Ipsen in Canada. Under the parties’ collaboration agreement, if Ipsen opts to participate in funding this phase 3 trial, or future studies, Ipsen will have access to the respective study results to support potential future regulatory submissions in their territory.

About Exelixis’ Collaboration with Takeda

On January 30, 2017, Exelixis and Takeda jointly announced an exclusive licensing agreement for the commercialization and further development of cabozantinib indications in Japan. Under the parties’ collaboration agreement, if Takeda opts to participate in funding this phase 3 trial, or future studies, Takeda will have access to the respective study results to support potential future regulatory submissions in their territory.

Exelixis holds the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize cabozantinib in the United States.

Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information https://cabometyx.com/downloads/CABOMETYXUSPI.pdf.

About Exelixis

Founded in 1994, Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXEL) is a commercially successful, oncology-focused biotechnology company that strives to accelerate the discovery, development and commercialization of new medicines for difficult-to-treat cancers. Following early work in model system genetics, we established a broad drug discovery and development platform that has served as the foundation for our continued efforts to bring new cancer therapies to patients in need. Our discovery efforts have resulted in four commercially available products, CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib), COMETRIQ® (cabozantinib), COTELLIC® (cobimetinib) and MINNEBRO® (esaxerenone), and we have entered into partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies to bring these important medicines to patients worldwide. Supported by revenues from our marketed products and collaborations, we are committed to prudently reinvesting in our business to maximize the potential of our pipeline. We are supplementing our existing therapeutic assets with targeted business development activities and internal drug discovery — all to deliver the next generation of Exelixis medicines and help patients recover stronger and live longer. Exelixis is a member of the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) MidCap 400 index, which measures the performance of profitable mid-sized companies. For more information about Exelixis, please visit www.exelixis.com, follow @ExelixisInc on Twitter or like Exelixis, Inc. on Facebook.

1American Cancer Society. About Lung Cancer.
https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/CRC/PDF/Public/8703.00.pdf. Accessed June 2020.

2American Society of Clinical Oncology. Cancer.Net. Lung Cancer – Non-Small Cell: Statistics.
https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/lung-cancer-non-small-cell/statistics. Accessed June 2020.

3National Cancer Institute. SEER Stat Fact Sheets: Lung and Bronchus Cancer.
https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/lungb.html. Accessed June 2020.

SOURCE: Exelixis