THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Dec. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) today announced the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) will present results from the E1910 randomized Phase 3 trial. This is the first study to demonstrate superior overall survival (OS) with BLINCYTO added to consolidation chemotherapy over current standard of care (multiagent consolidation chemotherapy) in newly diagnosed adult patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-ALL who were measurable residual disease (MRD)-negative following induction and intensification chemotherapy. These results were featured in a press briefing on Monday, Dec. 12 at 8:30 a.m. CT and presented on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 9 a.m. CT as a late breaking oral presentation (LBA1) at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in New Orleans.
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"Treatment with BLINCYTO in addition to consolidation chemotherapy reduced the risk of death by 58% compared to chemotherapy alone. We are pleased by this remarkable improvement in overall survival, and we look forward to sharing these data with regulatory authorities as soon as possible," said David M. Reese, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen. "Amgen continues to advance a robust development program for BLINCYTO, with a focus on minimizing chemotherapy and a subcutaneous formulation to help address remaining unmet needs for patients with B-ALL."
The Phase 3 randomized trial (E1910), activated in December 2013, evaluated the safety and efficacy of BLINCYTO added to standard of care consolidation chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone in patients with newly diagnosed B-ALL with no MRD after induction and intensification chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was OS and key secondary endpoints included relapse-free survival, MRD status, and incidence of adverse events. Based on a recommendation by the ECOG-ACRIN Data Safety Monitoring Committee and consistent with the pre-defined efficacy threshold, results from the planned interim analysis are now reported due to overwhelming efficacy reported in the BLINCYTO arm.
With a median follow up of 43 months, the study met its primary endpoint with a significant improvement in overall survival favoring the BLINCYTO arm; median OS was not reached vs. 71.4 months in the control arm (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.24 - 0.75; two-sided p=0.003). After about 3.5 years of follow-up, 83% of the patients who went on to receive additional standard consolidation chemotherapy plus experimental BLINCYTO were alive versus 65% of those who received chemotherapy only. No new safety signals were reported for the combination.
"Adults with newly diagnosed ALL can achieve a high rate of complete remission with chemotherapy, but frequently relapse and have disappointing survival rates.1,2 Historically, outcomes for newly diagnosed adults with ALL have been significantly worse than for children, where up to 90% of patients are cured with frontline therapy.3,4 In this study, survival rates for adults when blinatumomab was added to chemotherapy are significantly improved in patients with MRD-negative remission, approaching those we have seen in children," said Selina M. Luger, M.D., professor of hematology-oncology at the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine, chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Leukemia Committee and an investigator on the study. "Moreover, the data provide additional clinical evidence supporting the recent guideline updates for adult ALL recommending blinatumomab as consolidation in both MRD-positive and MRD-negative patients."
Data from the trial will be submitted to global regulatory authorities, including where BLINCYTO has been previously approved.
Study E1910 was designed and conducted independently from industry with public funding. The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group sponsored the trial with funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. Other NCI-funded network groups took part in the study. In addition, Amgen provided BLINCYTO and support through an NCI Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA).
E1910 Study Design
In the E1910 Phase 3 randomized trial, 488 patients aged 30-70 with newly diagnosed B-ALL were enrolled. All participants initially received 2.5 months of combination induction chemotherapy (step 1). After remission induction (step 1), if patients were in complete remission, they continued on-study and received an intensification course of high dose chemotherapy (step 2). Subsequently, their remission and MRD status were determined. All patients were then randomized/assigned to receive four cycles of consolidation chemotherapy with or without four 28-day cycles of BLINCYTO (step 3). Following FDA approval of blinatumomab for MRD-positive patients in March 2018, MRD-positive participants were assigned to the blinatumomab arm. MRD-negative patients continued to be randomized. After completion of consolidation chemo +/- BLINCYTO, patients were given 2.5 years of chemotherapy maintenance therapy timed from the start of the intensification cycle (step 4).
For more information, please visit ClinicalTrials.gov.
About BLINCYTO® (blinatumomab)
BLINCYTO is a BiTE® (bispecific T-cell engager) immuno-oncology therapy that targets CD19 surface antigens on B cells. BiTE molecules fight cancer by helping the body's immune system detect and target malignant cells by engaging T cells (a type of white blood cell capable of killing other cells perceived as threats) to cancer cells. By bringing T cells near cancer cells, the T cells can inject toxins and trigger cancer cell death (apoptosis). BiTE immuno-oncology therapies are currently being investigated for their potential to treat a wide variety of cancers.
BLINCYTO was granted breakthrough therapy and priority review designations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of:
In the European Union (EU), BLINCYTO is indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of:
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
WARNING: CYTOKINE RELEASE SYNDROME and NEUROLOGICAL TOXICITIES
Contraindications
BLINCYTO® is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to blinatumomab or to any component of the product formulation.
Warnings and Precautions
Adverse Reactions
Dosage and Administration Guidelines
Please see full Prescribing Information and medication guide for BLINCYTO at www.BLINCYTO.com.
About BiTE® Technology
BiTE® (bispecific T cell engager) technology is a targeted immuno-oncology platform that is designed to engage patient's own T cells to any tumor-specific antigen, activating the cytotoxic potential of T cells to eliminate detectable cancer. The BiTE immuno-oncology platform has the potential to treat different tumor types through tumor-specific antigens. The BiTE platform has a goal of leading to off-the-shelf solutions, which have the potential to make innovative T cell treatment available to all providers when their patients need it. Amgen is advancing more than a dozen BiTE molecules across a broad range of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, further investigating BiTE technology with the goal of enhancing patient experience and therapeutic potential. To learn more about BiTE technology, visit www.AmgenBiTETechnology.com.
About Amgen Oncology
At Amgen Oncology, our mission to serve patients drives all that we do. That's why we're relentlessly focused on accelerating the delivery of medicines that have the potential to empower all angles of care and transform lives of people with cancer.
For the last four decades, we have been dedicated to discovering the firsts that matter in oncology and to finding ways to reduce the burden of cancer. Building on our heritage, Amgen continues to advance the largest pipeline in the Company's history, moving with great speed to advance those innovations for the patients who need them.
For more information, follow us on www.twitter.com/amgenoncology.
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.
Amgen is one of the 30 companies that comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is also part of the Nasdaq-100 index. In 2022, Amgen was named one of the "World's Best Employers" by Forbes and one of "America's 100 Most Sustainable Companies" by Barron's.
For more information, visit Amgen.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the current expectations and beliefs of Amgen. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements on the outcome, benefits and synergies of collaborations, or potential collaborations, with any other company (including BeiGene, Ltd., Kyowa-Kirin Co., Ltd., or any collaboration to manufacture therapeutic antibodies against COVID-19), the performance of Otezla® (apremilast) (including anticipated Otezla sales growth and the timing of non-GAAP EPS accretion), the Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc. acquisition, the Teneobio, Inc. acquisition, the ChemoCentryx, Inc. acquisition, or the proposed acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics plc, as well as estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial metrics, expected legal, arbitration, political, regulatory or clinical results or practices, customer and prescriber patterns or practices, reimbursement activities and outcomes, effects of pandemics or other widespread health problems such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on our business, and other such estimates and results. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, including those discussed below and more fully described in the Securities and Exchange Commission reports filed by Amgen, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent periodic reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Unless otherwise noted, Amgen is providing this information as of the date of this news release and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may differ materially from those we project. Discovery or identification of new product candidates or development of new indications for existing products cannot be guaranteed and movement from concept to product is uncertain; consequently, there can be no guarantee that any particular product candidate or development of a new indication for an existing product will be successful and become a commercial product. Further, preclinical results do not guarantee safe and effective performance of product candidates in humans. The complexity of the human body cannot be perfectly, or sometimes, even adequately modeled by computer or cell culture systems or animal models. The length of time that it takes for us to complete clinical trials and obtain regulatory approval for product marketing has in the past varied and we expect similar variability in the future. Even when clinical trials are successful, regulatory authorities may question the sufficiency for approval of the trial endpoints we have selected. We develop product candidates internally and through licensing collaborations, partnerships and joint ventures. Product candidates that are derived from relationships may be subject to disputes between the parties or may prove to be not as effective or as safe as we may have believed at the time of entering into such relationship. Also, we or others could identify safety, side effects or manufacturing problems with our products, including our devices, after they are on the market.
Our results may be affected by our ability to successfully market both new and existing products domestically and internationally, clinical and regulatory developments involving current and future products, sales growth of recently launched products, competition from other products including biosimilars, difficulties or delays in manufacturing our products and global economic conditions. In addition, sales of our products are affected by pricing pressure, political and public scrutiny and reimbursement policies imposed by third-party payers, including governments, private insurance plans and managed care providers and may be affected by regulatory, clinical and guideline developments and domestic and international trends toward managed care and healthcare cost containment. Furthermore, our research, testing, pricing, marketing and other operations are subject to extensive regulation by domestic and foreign government regulatory authorities. Our business may be impacted by government investigations, litigation and product liability claims. In addition, our business may be impacted by the adoption of new tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities. If we fail to meet the compliance obligations in the corporate integrity agreement between us and the U.S. government, we could become subject to significant sanctions. Further, while we routinely obtain patents for our products and technology, the protection offered by our patents and patent applications may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by our competitors, or we may fail to prevail in present and future intellectual property litigation. We perform a substantial amount of our commercial manufacturing activities at a few key facilities, including in Puerto Rico, and also depend on third parties for a portion of our manufacturing activities, and limits on supply may constrain sales of certain of our current products and product candidate development. An outbreak of disease or similar public health threat, such as COVID-19, and the public and governmental effort to mitigate against the spread of such disease, could have a significant adverse effect on the supply of materials for our manufacturing activities, the distribution of our products, the commercialization of our product candidates, and our clinical trial operations, and any such events may have a material adverse effect on our product development, product sales, business and results of operations. We rely on collaborations with third parties for the development of some of our product candidates and for the commercialization and sales of some of our commercial products. In addition, we compete with other companies with respect to many of our marketed products as well as for the discovery and development of new products. Further, some raw materials, medical devices and component parts for our products are supplied by sole third-party suppliers. Certain of our distributors, customers and payers have substantial purchasing leverage in their dealings with us. The discovery of significant problems with a product similar to one of our products that implicate an entire class of products could have a material adverse effect on sales of the affected products and on our business and results of operations. Our efforts to collaborate with or acquire other companies, products or technology, and to integrate the operations of companies or to support the products or technology we have acquired, may not be successful. A breakdown, cyberattack or information security breach could compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our systems and our data. Our stock price is volatile and may be affected by a number of events. Our business and operations may be negatively affected by the failure, or perceived failure, of achieving our environmental, social and governance objectives. The effects of global climate change and related natural disasters could negatively affect our business and operations. Global economic conditions may magnify certain risks that affect our business. Our business performance could affect or limit the ability of our Board of Directors to declare a dividend or our ability to pay a dividend or repurchase our common stock. We may not be able to access the capital and credit markets on terms that are favorable to us, or at all.
The scientific information discussed in this news release related to our product candidates is preliminary and investigative. Such product candidates are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and no conclusions can or should be drawn regarding the safety or effectiveness of the product candidates. Further, any scientific information discussed in this news release relating to new indications for our products is preliminary and investigative and is not part of the labeling approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the products. The products are not approved for the investigational use(s) discussed in this news release, and no conclusions can or should be drawn regarding the safety or effectiveness of the products for these uses.
CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand Oaks
Megan Fox, 805-447-1423 (media)
Jessica Akopyan, 805-440-5721 (media)
Arvind Sood, 805-447-1060 (investors)
1 Maffini E., et al. Clin Hematol Int. 2019; 1(2):85-93.
2 Jabbour E., et al. Cancer. 2015; 121:2517-2528.
3 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Available at: https://www.lls.org/research/acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-all. Accessed on November 29, 2022.
4 National Cancer Institute. Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/hp/child-all-treatment-pdq#:~:text=%5B74%2D78%5D-,Overall%20Prognosis,patients%20alive%20at%205%20years. Accessed on November 29, 2022.
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