FDA ACCEPTS FOR REVIEW LIBTAYO? (CEMIPLIMAB-RWLC) IN COMBINATION WITH CHEMOTHERAPY FOR FIRST-LINE TREATMENT OF ADVANCED NSCLC
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo® (cemiplimab-rwlc) in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The target action date for the FDA decision is September 19, 2022.
The sBLA is supported by results from a randomized, multicenter Phase 3 trial that investigated Libtayo in combination with a physician's choice of platinum-doublet chemotherapy (Libtayo combination), compared to platinum-doublet chemotherapy alone. Enrolled patients (n=466) had locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC, irrespective of PD-L1 expression level or tumor histology, and with no ALK, EGFR or ROS1 aberrations. A regulatory filing has also been recently submitted to the European Medicines Agency.
The Phase 3 trial supporting the sBLA was stopped early after the Libtayo combination demonstrated a significant overall survival improvement compared to chemotherapy alone. Results were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress in 2021. Among patients in the Libtayo combination (n=312) and chemotherapy alone (n=154) groups, treatment discontinuations due to adverse events (AEs) occurred in 5% and 3% of patients, respectively. Immune-mediated AEs occurred in 19% of patients in the Libtayo combination group.
Notably, the Phase 3 trial was designed to include baseline characteristics seen in everyday clinical practice. Among those enrolled, 43% had tumors with squamous histology, 67% had tumors with <50% PD-L1 expression, 15% had inoperable locally advanced disease not eligible for definitive chemoradiation, and 7% had pretreated and clinically stable brain metastases. In addition, 84% of patients had an ECOG 1 performance status, which indicates the presence of cancer-related symptoms. ECOG performance status assesses patient ability to conduct daily living activities and prognosis on a scale of increasing severity ranging from 0 (no symptoms) to 5 (death).
In 2021, Libtayo was approved in the U.S. and European Union as first-line monotherapy treatment for adult patients with advanced NSCLC whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression (tumor proportion score ≥50%), as determined by an FDA-approved test. Patients must either have metastatic or locally advanced tumors that are not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation, and the tumors must not have EGFR, ALK or ROS1 aberrations.
Libtayo, which was invented using Regeneron's proprietary VelocImmune® technology, is being jointly developed by Regeneron and Sanofi under a global collaboration agreement. The use of Libtayo in combination with chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC is investigational, and its safety and efficacy have not been fully evaluated by any regulatory authority.
About Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. In recent years, more than 235,000 and 2.2 million annual new cases have been diagnosed in the U.S. and globally, respectively. Approximately 84% of all lung cancers are NSCLC, with 75% of these cases diagnosed in advanced stages. Additionally, 70% of all NSCLC cases will have <50% PD-L1 expression, making it the most common treatment setting.
About Libtayo
Libtayo is a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting the immune checkpoint receptor PD-1 on T-cells. By binding to PD-1, Libtayo has been shown to block cancer cells from using the PD-1 pathway to suppress T-cell activation. Libtayo is indicated in certain patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma, advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and advanced NSCLC.
The extensive clinical program for Libtayo is focused on difficult-to-treat cancers. Libtayo is currently being investigated in trials as a monotherapy, as well as in combination with either conventional or novel therapeutic approaches for other solid tumors and blood cancers. These potential uses are investigational, and their safety and efficacy have not been evaluated by any regulatory authority.
U.S. FDA-approved Indications
Libtayo is a prescription medicine used to treat people with:
- A type of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) that has spread or cannot be cured by surgery or radiation.
- A type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma (BCC):
- That cannot be removed by surgery (locally advanced BCC) and have received treatment with a hedgehog inhibitor (HHI), or cannot receive treatment with an HHI.
- That has spread (metastatic BCC) and have received treatment with an HHI, or cannot receive treatment with an HHI. This use is approved based on how many patients responded to treatment and how long they responded. Studies are ongoing to provide additional information about clinical benefit.
- A type of lung cancer called non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Libtayo may be used as your first treatment when your lung cancer has not spread outside your chest (locally advanced lung cancer) and you cannot have surgery or chemotherapy with radiation, or your lung cancer has spread to other areas of your body (metastatic lung cancer), and your tumor tests positive for high "PD-L1" and your tumor does not have an abnormal "EGFR", "ALK" or "ROS1" gene.
It is not known if Libtayo is safe and effective in children.
About Regeneron's VelocImmune Technology
Regeneron's VelocImmune technology utilizes a proprietary genetically engineered mouse platform endowed with a genetically humanized immune system to produce optimized fully human antibodies. When Regeneron's President and Chief Scientific Officer George D. Yancopoulos was a graduate student with his mentor Frederick W. Alt in 1985, they were the first to envision making such a genetically humanized mouse, and Regeneron has spent decades inventing and developing VelocImmune and related VelociSuite technologies. Dr. Yancopoulos and his team have used VelocImmune technology to create approximately a quarter of all original, FDA-approved or authorized fully human monoclonal antibodies currently available. This includes REGEN-COV® (casirivimab and imdevimab), Dupixent® (dupilumab), Libtayo® (cemiplimab-rwlc), Praluent® (alirocumab), Kevzara® (sarilumab), Evkeeza® (evinacumab-dgnb) and Inmazeb™ (atoltivimab, maftivimab, and odesivimab-ebgn).
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND INDICATION FOR U.S. PATIENTS
What is the most important information I should know about Libtayo?
Libtayo is a medicine that may treat certain cancers by working with your immune system. Libtayo can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in any area of your body and can affect the way they work. These problems can sometimes become severe or life-threatening and can lead to death. You can have more than one of these problems at the same time. These problems may happen anytime during treatment or even after your treatment has ended.
Call or see your healthcare provider right away if you develop any new or worsening signs or symptoms, including:
- Lung problems: cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain
- Intestinal problems: diarrhea (loose stools) or more frequent bowel movements than usual, stools that are black, tarry, sticky or have blood or mucus, or severe stomach area (abdomen) pain or tenderness
- Liver problems: yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes, severe nausea or vomiting, pain on the right side of your stomach area (abdomen), dark urine (tea colored), or bleeding or bruising more easily than normal
- Hormone gland problems: headache that will not go away or unusual headaches, eye sensitivity to light, eye problems, rapid heartbeat, increased sweating, extreme tiredness, weight gain or weight loss, feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual, urinating more often than usual, hair loss, feeling cold, constipation, your voice gets deeper, dizziness or fainting, or changes in mood or behavior, such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulness
- Kidney problems: decrease in your amount of urine, blood in your urine, swelling of your ankles, or loss of appetite
- Skin problems: rash, itching, skin blistering or peeling, painful sores or ulcers in mouth or nose, throat, or genital area, fever or flu-like symptoms, or swollen lymph nodes
- Problems can also happen in other organs and tissues. These are not all of the signs and symptoms of immune system problems that can happen with Libtayo. Call or see your healthcare provider right away for any new or worsening signs or symptoms, which may include: chest pain, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath or swelling of ankles, confusion, sleepiness, memory problems, changes in mood or behavior, stiff neck, balance problems, tingling or numbness of the arms or legs, double vision, blurry vision, sensitivity to light, eye pain, changes in eyesight, persistent or severe muscle pain or weakness, muscle cramps, low red blood cells, or bruising
- Infusion reactions that can sometimes be severe. Signs and symptoms of infusion reactions may include: nausea, chills or shaking, itching or rash, flushing, shortness of breath or wheezing, dizziness, feel like passing out, fever, back or neck pain, or facial swelling.
- Rejection of a transplanted organ. Your healthcare provider should tell you what signs and symptoms you should report and monitor you, depending on the type of organ transplant that you have had.
- Complications, including graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), in people who have received a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic). These complications can be serious and can lead to death. These complications may happen if you underwent transplantation either before or after being treated with Libtayo. Your healthcare provider will monitor you for these complications.
Getting medical treatment right away may help keep these problems from becoming more serious.
Your healthcare provider will check you for these problems during your treatment with Libtayo. Your healthcare provider may treat you with corticosteroid or hormone replacement medicines. Your healthcare provider may also need to delay or completely stop treatment with Libtayo if you have severe side effects.
Before you receive Libtayo, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:
- have immune system problems such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or lupus
- have received an organ transplant
- have received or plan to receive a stem cell transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic)
- have a condition that affects your nervous system, such as myasthenia gravis or Guillain-Barré syndrome are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Libtayo can harm your unborn baby
Females who are able to become pregnant:- Your healthcare provider will give you a pregnancy test before you start treatment.
- You should use an effective method of birth control during your treatment and for at least 4 months after your last dose of Libtayo. Talk with your healthcare provider about birth control methods that you can use during this time.
- Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant during treatment with Libtayo.
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Libtayo passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment and for at least 4 months after the last dose of Libtayo.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
The most common side effects of Libtayo include muscle or bone pain, tiredness, rash, and diarrhea. These are not all the possible side effects of Libtayo. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report side effects to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi at 1-877-542-8296.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide.
About Regeneron
Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading biotechnology company that invents life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led for over 30 years by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to nine FDA-approved treatments and numerous product candidates in development, almost all of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, pain, hematologic conditions, infectious diseases and rare diseases.
Regeneron is accelerating and improving the traditional drug development process through our proprietary VelociSuite technologies, such as VelocImmune, which uses unique genetically humanized mice to produce optimized fully human antibodies and bispecific antibodies, and through ambitious research initiatives such as the Regeneron Genetics Center, which is conducting one of the largest genetics sequencing efforts in the world.
For additional information about the company, please visit www.regeneron.com or follow @Regeneron on Twitter.
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