Kite Announces Two-Year Data for Yescarta (Axicabtagene Ciloleucel) in Patients With Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma
-- 39 Percent of Patients in Ongoing Response Two Years after a Single Infusion of Yescarta in the ZUMA-1 Study; Median Overall Survival was Not Reached --
-- Data Presented at the Annual Meeting of the?American Society of Hematology (ASH) and Simultaneously Published?in?The Lancet?Oncology?--
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kite, a?Gilead Company?(Nasdaq: GILD), announced two-year efficacy and safety data from the pivotal ZUMA-1 trial of Yescarta??(axicabtagene ciloleucel) in patients with refractory large B-cell lymphoma. With a minimum follow-up of two years after a single infusion of Yescarta (median follow up of 27.1 months), 39 percent of patients were in an ongoing response. This updated analysis with at least 24 months of follow-up was presented at the Annual Meeting of the?American Society of Hematology?(ASH; Abstract #2967) and simultaneously published in?The Lancet Oncology. In?October 2017, Yescarta became the first chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T) cell therapy to be approved by the?U.S. Food and Drug Administration?(FDA) 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 (PMBCL), high grade B-cell lymphoma and DLBCL arising from follicular lymphoma. Yescarta is not indicated for the treatment of patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma. The U.S. Prescribing Information for Yescarta contains a Boxed Warning regarding the risk of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurologic toxicities; see below for Important Safety Information. At two years, the best objective response via investigator assessment (n=101) showed an overall response rate of 83 percent, with 58 percent of patients having achieved a complete response. With a median follow-up of 27.1 months, 39 percent of patients remained in response. Of the patients with an ongoing response at 12 months, 93 percent remained in response at 24 months. The median duration of response was 11.1 months; the median duration of complete response was not reached. Median overall survival was not reached. ?With aggressive cancers such as refractory large B-cell lymphoma, our primary goal is to extend the lives of patients,? said Sattva S. Neelapu, MD,?ZUMA-1 Co-Lead Investigator and Professor,?Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma,?Division of Cancer Medicine?at?The?University of Texas?MD Anderson Cancer Center. ?Outcomes with traditional standard of care for this highly refractory patient population have been extremely poor. Nearly 40 percent of patients in ZUMA-1 remain in response and half of the patients are still alive after at least two years of treatment with Yescarta.? In the two-year analysis (n=108), Grade 3 or higher CRS and neurologic events were seen in 11 percent and 32 percent of patients, respectively, and were generally reversible. Four patients developed new serious adverse events (occurring since the previous?August 11, 2017?data cutoff), none of which were related to Yescarta. No new Yescarta-related CRS or neurologic events or deaths have occurred since the one-year analysis. ?The two-year point is a another major milestone for Yescarta, which has extended the lives of a significant number of patients in ZUMA-1 and has yielded important learnings that inform further research and development of CAR T therapies,? said?Alessandro Riva, MD, Executive Vice President, Oncology Therapeutics and Head, Cell Therapy,?Gilead Sciences. ?These data are not only significant for the lymphoma community, but also reinforce our leadership in cell therapy as we aim to transform the treatment of a variety of cancers with other investigational therapies in our pipeline.? Full study results are available in?The Lancet Oncology: Long-term safety and activity of axicabtagene ciloleucel in refractory large B-cell lymphoma (ZUMA-1): a single-arm, multicentre, phase 1?2 trial:?http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(18)30864-7/fulltext U.S. Important Safety Information for Yescarta BOXED WARNING:?CYTOKINE RELEASE SYNDROME AND NEUROLOGIC TOXICITIES- Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS), including fatal or life-threatening reactions, occurred in patients receiving Yescarta. Do not administer Yescarta to patients with active infection or inflammatory disorders. Treat severe or life-threatening CRS with tocilizumab or tocilizumab and corticosteroids.
- Neurologic toxicities, including fatal or life-threatening reactions, occurred in patients receiving Yescarta, including concurrently with CRS or after CRS resolution. Monitor for neurologic toxicities after treatment with Yescarta. Provide supportive care and/or corticosteroids as needed.
- Yescarta is available only through a restricted program under a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) called the Yescarta REMS.
U.S. Prescribing Information for Yescarta, including?BOXED WARNING?and Medication Guide, is available at?www.kitepharma.com?and?www.gilead.com.
Yescarta is a registered trademark of?Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.
For more information on Kite, please visit the company?s website at?www.kitepharma.com. Learn more about Gilead at?www.gilead.com, follow Gilead on Twitter (@GileadSciences) or call Gilead Public Affairs at 1-800-GILEAD-5 or 1-650-574-3000.