On August 27, 2024 JW Therapeutics (HKEx: 2126), an independent and innovative biotechnology company focusing on developing, manufacturing and commercializing cell immunotherapy products, reported that the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China has approved the supplemental Biological License Application (sBLA) for its anti-CD19 autologous chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell immunotherapy product Carteyva (relmacabtagene autoleucel injection) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma (r/r MCL) (Press release, JW Therapeutics, AUG 27, 2024, View Source [SID1234646134]). This is the third marketing approval on Carteyva submitted by JW Therapeutics, and is the first cell therapy product approved in China for the treatment of patients with r/r MCL. Carteyva was granted, by NMPA, Breakthrough Therapy Designation in Mar 2022, as well as Priority Review in Dec 2023.
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MCL is a heterogeneous B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma which is currently incurable with existing therapies[1]. MCL, associated with a poor prognosis, mainly occurs in elderly men who were not diagnosed until advanced stage[2]. Significant progress has been made in the last decade as the treatment paradigm has shifted from traditional chemoimmunotherapy toward targeted therapies such as bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi). Despite the use of BTKi in r/r MCL has improved their survival outcomes, many patients will ultimately relapse with shortened remission durations (6~10 months) [3]. Notwithstanding the above, there are still unmet medical needs for a safe, effective novel approach to overcome the limitations of current treatments of r/r MCL.
The sBLA was supported by the clinical results from a single-arm, multi-center, pivotal study on Carteyva in adult patients with r/r MCL in China. In the study, patients with r/r MCL who had been treated with a CD20-targeting antibody, anthracycline or bendamustine, or BTKis were included. After being treated with lymphodepleting chemotherapy, patients received Carteyva (100×106 CAR+ T cells). As of August 7th, 2023, a total of 59 patients received Carteyva infusion. Of 59 efficacy evaluable patients, Carteyva demonstrated remarkable clinical responses achieving high rates of objective response rate (ORR) and complete response rate (CRR) (best ORR 81.36%, best CRR 67.80%) and the incidence of severe (grade ≥ 3) cytokine release syndrome (CRS) was 6.8%, the incidence of severe (grade ≥ 3) neurotoxicity (NT) was 6.8%.
Sophia Yang, Senior Vice President and Head of Regulatory, Research & Development of JW Therapeutics, noted: "We are delighted to have a product that can deliver meaningful efficacy in this disease, nearly 70% of patients with r/r MCL have achieved complete remission after treatment with Carteyva, and the overall safety data demonstrated that the treatment was generally well-tolerated. Carteyva becomes the first commercial CAR-T cell product for the treatment of r/r MCL in China."
References
The consensus of the diagnosis and treatment of mantle cell lymphoma in China (2016 version). Chin J Hematol.2016, 37(9):735-741.
Herrmann A, Hoster E, Zwingers T, et al. Improvement of Overall Survival in Advanced Stage Mantle Cell Lymphoma[J]. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2009, 27(4):511-518.
Burkart M, Karmali R. Relapsed/Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Beyond BTK Inhibitors. J Pers Med. 2022 Mar 1;12(3):376.
About Relmacabtagene Autoleucel Injection
Relmacabtagene autoleucel injection (abbreviated as relma-cel, trade name for oncology indications: Carteyva) is an autologous anti-CD19 CAR-T cell immunotherapy product independently developed by JW Therapeutics based on a CAR-T cell process platform of Juno Therapeutics (a Bristol Myers Squibb company). Being the first product of JW Therapeutics, Carteyva has been approved by the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for three indications, including the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (r/r LBLC) after two or more lines of systemic therapy, the treatment of adult patients with follicular lymphoma that is refractory or that relapses within 24 months of second-line or above systemic treatment (r/r FL), and the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma ("r/r MCL") after two or more lines of systemic therapy including bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors ("BTKi"), making it the first CAR-T product approved as a Category 1 biologics product in China. Currently, it is the only CAR-T product in China that has been simultaneously included in the National Significant New Drug Development Program, priority review and breakthrough therapy designations.