— Yescarta is the First CAR T-Cell Therapy Approved for Indolent Follicular Lymphoma; Approval Marks the Third Indication for a Kite Cell Therapy —
— 91 Percent of Patients Responded to Yescarta, and Median Duration of Response Was Not Yet Reached in the ZUMA-5 Trial —
SANTA MONICA, CA, USA I March 05, 2021 I Kite, a Gilead Company (Nasdaq: GILD), today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to Yescarta® (axicabtagene ciloleucel) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy. The approval makes Yescarta the first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approved for patients with indolent follicular lymphoma, follows FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation and a priority review, and marks the third approved indication for a Kite cell therapy.
The approval is based on results from ZUMA-5, a single-arm, open-label study in which 91 percent of patients with relapsed or refractory FL (n=81) responded to Yescarta, including an estimated 74 percent of patients in a continued remission at 18 months (Kaplan-Meier estimate). Among all FL patients, median duration of response was not reached at a median follow-up of 14.5 months. In the safety analysis set (n=146), Grade 3 or higher cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurologic toxicities occurred in 8 percent and 21 percent of patients, respectively.
“Once a follicular lymphoma patient’s disease relapses, the duration of response to care shortens with each round of therapy,” said Caron A. Jacobson, MD, MMSc, Medical Director, Immune Effector Cell Therapy Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. “Additionally, for follicular patients in the third line of therapy, the five-year survival rate is only 20 percent, highlighting the urgent need for treatments that offer a real chance for durable remission. Impressively, 91 percent of follicular lymphoma patients in the ZUMA-5 study responded to a single infusion of axicabtagene ciloleucel, including an estimated 74 percent of patients in a continued remission at 18 months, giving these patients much-needed hope and oncologists an important addition to the treatment armamentarium.”
“As we look to bring the hope of survival to more patients in need, today’s FDA decision represents a real step forward in our commitment in hematologic malignancies,” said Christi Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of Kite. “Advancing CAR T therapies for patients across lymphomas remains a cornerstone of our cell therapy development program, and we are excited about the potential of Yescarta for patients with indolent follicular lymphoma.”
Patients whose healthcare professionals have prescribed Yescarta therapy can work with Kite Konnect®, an integrated technology platform that provides information and assistance throughout the therapy process for Kite’s commercialized CAR T therapies, including courier tracking for shipments and manufacturing status updates. More information is available at www.kitekonnect.com.
“This is an important new treatment option for people with third-line relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma,” said Lee Greenberger, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). “LLS has supported CAR T development from the beginning, and on behalf of blood cancer patients, we thank Kite and Gilead for their work in bringing this remarkably innovative treatment to more patients.”
The Yescarta U.S. Prescribing Information has a BOXED WARNING for the risks of CRS and neurologic toxicities, and Yescarta is approved with a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) due to these risks; see below for Important Safety Information.
About Indolent Follicular Lymphoma
Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a form of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL) in which malignant tumors slowly grow but can become more aggressive over time. FL is the most common form of indolent lymphoma and the second most common type of lymphoma globally. It accounts for approximately 22 percent of all lymphomas diagnosed worldwide. Currently, there are limited options for the treatment of relapsed or refractory indolent FL after two or more lines of therapy.
ZUMA-5 Trial Results
ZUMA-5 is an ongoing, single-arm, open-label, multicenter trial evaluating 146 patients (≥18 years old) with relapsed or refractory iNHL, who received at least two prior lines of systemic therapy, including the combination of an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody and an alkylating agent. Efficacy was established on the basis of objective response rate (ORR) and duration of response (DoR) as assessed by an independent review committee per the 2014 Lugano Classification.
In the study, 91 percent of all FL patients (n=81 evaluable for efficacy analysis) responded to a single infusion of Yescarta, including 60 percent of patients who achieved a complete remission. Thirteen of the 25 patients who achieved a partial remission met imaging criteria for a complete remission without confirmation by negative bone marrow biopsy after treatment. Median DoR has not yet been reached.
Among the 146 patients evaluable for safety, Grade 3 or higher CRS and neurologic toxicities were observed in 8 percent and 21 percent of patients, respectively. The median time to onset of CRS and neurologic toxicities were four days (range: 1 to 20 days) and six days (range 1 to 79 days), respectively. The most common (≥10 percent) Grade 3 or higher adverse reactions included febrile neutropenia, encephalopathy, and infections with pathogen unspecified.
About Yescarta
Yescarta is a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy indicated for the treatment of:
- Adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified, primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, high grade B-cell lymphoma, and DLBCL arising from follicular lymphoma.
Limitations of Use: Yescarta is not indicated for the treatment of patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma.
- Adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trial(s).
Please see full Prescribing Information, including BOXED WARNING and Medication Guide.
About Kite
Kite, a Gilead Company, is a biopharmaceutical company based in Santa Monica, California, with commercial manufacturing operations in North America and Europe. Kite is engaged in the development of innovative cancer immunotherapies. The company is focused on chimeric antigen receptor and T cell receptor engineered cell therapies. For more information on Kite, please visit www.kitepharma.com.
About Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California. For more information on Gilead Sciences, please visit the company’s website at www.gilead.com.
SOURCE: Gilead Sciences
Post Views: 266
— Yescarta is the First CAR T-Cell Therapy Approved for Indolent Follicular Lymphoma; Approval Marks the Third Indication for a Kite Cell Therapy —
— 91 Percent of Patients Responded to Yescarta, and Median Duration of Response Was Not Yet Reached in the ZUMA-5 Trial —
SANTA MONICA, CA, USA I March 05, 2021 I Kite, a Gilead Company (Nasdaq: GILD), today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to Yescarta® (axicabtagene ciloleucel) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy. The approval makes Yescarta the first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approved for patients with indolent follicular lymphoma, follows FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation and a priority review, and marks the third approved indication for a Kite cell therapy.
The approval is based on results from ZUMA-5, a single-arm, open-label study in which 91 percent of patients with relapsed or refractory FL (n=81) responded to Yescarta, including an estimated 74 percent of patients in a continued remission at 18 months (Kaplan-Meier estimate). Among all FL patients, median duration of response was not reached at a median follow-up of 14.5 months. In the safety analysis set (n=146), Grade 3 or higher cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurologic toxicities occurred in 8 percent and 21 percent of patients, respectively.
“Once a follicular lymphoma patient’s disease relapses, the duration of response to care shortens with each round of therapy,” said Caron A. Jacobson, MD, MMSc, Medical Director, Immune Effector Cell Therapy Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. “Additionally, for follicular patients in the third line of therapy, the five-year survival rate is only 20 percent, highlighting the urgent need for treatments that offer a real chance for durable remission. Impressively, 91 percent of follicular lymphoma patients in the ZUMA-5 study responded to a single infusion of axicabtagene ciloleucel, including an estimated 74 percent of patients in a continued remission at 18 months, giving these patients much-needed hope and oncologists an important addition to the treatment armamentarium.”
“As we look to bring the hope of survival to more patients in need, today’s FDA decision represents a real step forward in our commitment in hematologic malignancies,” said Christi Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of Kite. “Advancing CAR T therapies for patients across lymphomas remains a cornerstone of our cell therapy development program, and we are excited about the potential of Yescarta for patients with indolent follicular lymphoma.”
Patients whose healthcare professionals have prescribed Yescarta therapy can work with Kite Konnect®, an integrated technology platform that provides information and assistance throughout the therapy process for Kite’s commercialized CAR T therapies, including courier tracking for shipments and manufacturing status updates. More information is available at www.kitekonnect.com.
“This is an important new treatment option for people with third-line relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma,” said Lee Greenberger, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). “LLS has supported CAR T development from the beginning, and on behalf of blood cancer patients, we thank Kite and Gilead for their work in bringing this remarkably innovative treatment to more patients.”
The Yescarta U.S. Prescribing Information has a BOXED WARNING for the risks of CRS and neurologic toxicities, and Yescarta is approved with a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) due to these risks; see below for Important Safety Information.
About Indolent Follicular Lymphoma
Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a form of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL) in which malignant tumors slowly grow but can become more aggressive over time. FL is the most common form of indolent lymphoma and the second most common type of lymphoma globally. It accounts for approximately 22 percent of all lymphomas diagnosed worldwide. Currently, there are limited options for the treatment of relapsed or refractory indolent FL after two or more lines of therapy.
ZUMA-5 Trial Results
ZUMA-5 is an ongoing, single-arm, open-label, multicenter trial evaluating 146 patients (≥18 years old) with relapsed or refractory iNHL, who received at least two prior lines of systemic therapy, including the combination of an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody and an alkylating agent. Efficacy was established on the basis of objective response rate (ORR) and duration of response (DoR) as assessed by an independent review committee per the 2014 Lugano Classification.
In the study, 91 percent of all FL patients (n=81 evaluable for efficacy analysis) responded to a single infusion of Yescarta, including 60 percent of patients who achieved a complete remission. Thirteen of the 25 patients who achieved a partial remission met imaging criteria for a complete remission without confirmation by negative bone marrow biopsy after treatment. Median DoR has not yet been reached.
Among the 146 patients evaluable for safety, Grade 3 or higher CRS and neurologic toxicities were observed in 8 percent and 21 percent of patients, respectively. The median time to onset of CRS and neurologic toxicities were four days (range: 1 to 20 days) and six days (range 1 to 79 days), respectively. The most common (≥10 percent) Grade 3 or higher adverse reactions included febrile neutropenia, encephalopathy, and infections with pathogen unspecified.
About Yescarta
Yescarta is a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy indicated for the treatment of:
- Adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified, primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, high grade B-cell lymphoma, and DLBCL arising from follicular lymphoma.
Limitations of Use: Yescarta is not indicated for the treatment of patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma.
- Adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trial(s).
Please see full Prescribing Information, including BOXED WARNING and Medication Guide.
About Kite
Kite, a Gilead Company, is a biopharmaceutical company based in Santa Monica, California, with commercial manufacturing operations in North America and Europe. Kite is engaged in the development of innovative cancer immunotherapies. The company is focused on chimeric antigen receptor and T cell receptor engineered cell therapies. For more information on Kite, please visit www.kitepharma.com.
About Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California. For more information on Gilead Sciences, please visit the company’s website at www.gilead.com.
SOURCE: Gilead Sciences
Post Views: 266
