On February 27, 2024 BeiGene, Ltd. (NASDAQ: BGNE; HKEX: 06160; SSE: 688235), a global oncology company, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted a Biologics License Application (BLA) for TEVIMBRA (tislelizumab), in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, for the treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) adenocarcinoma (Press release, BeiGene, FEB 27, 2024, View Source [SID1234640508]). The FDA’s action date on the BLA is expected in December 2024.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
"There is an urgent need for new treatment options for gastric cancer, which is often diagnosed at the advanced or metastatic stage," said Mark Lanasa, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Solid Tumors at BeiGene. "In clinical trials, TEVIMBRA has demonstrated its potential to improve survival for patients with gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer. This FDA acceptance brings us one step closer to delivering on a new treatment option for patients who often face poor prognoses."
The filing is based on results from the global RATIONALE-305 trial. The study met its primary endpoint of overall survival of 15.0 months for patients treated with TEVIMBRA in combination with investigator’s choice of chemotherapy compared to 12.9 months for patients treated with placebo plus chemotherapy (n=997; HR: 0.80 [95% CI: 0.70, 0.92]; P=0.0011), demonstrating a 20% reduction in the risk of death. Additionally, TEVIMBRA plus chemotherapy was associated with a higher objective response rate (47.3% vs. 40.5%) and median duration of response (8.6 months vs. 7.2 months) compared to placebo plus chemotherapy. Median progression-free survival for TEVIMBRA plus chemotherapy was 6.9 months vs. 6.2 months respectively; (HR: 0.78 [95% CI: 0.67, 0.90]). The safety profile for TEVIMBRA in combination with chemotherapy was manageable and in line with the known safety profile of anti-PD-1 antibodies.
Grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 53.8% of patients in the TEVIMBRA plus chemotherapy arm and 49.8% of patients in the placebo plus chemotherapy arm. The most common TRAEs of any grade with an incidence ≥30% were nausea, decreased appetite, platelet count decreased, neutrophil count decreased, vomiting, and anaemia.
TEVIMBRA was recently approved by the European Commission for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after prior chemotherapy. The FDA is also reviewing a BLA for TEVIMBRA as a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable, recurrent, locally advanced, or metastatic ESCC with a target action date in July 2024. A BLA for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic ESCC after prior chemotherapy is also under review by the FDA.
BeiGene has launched more than 17 potentially registration-enabling trials with TEVIMBRA, of which 11 Phase 3 randomized trials and 4 Phase 2 trials have already had positive readouts. Through these trials, TEVIMBRA has demonstrated its ability to safely deliver clinically meaningful improvements in survival benefits and quality of life for hundreds of thousands of cancer patients across a range of tumor types – in many cases, regardless of PD-(L)1 status – both as monotherapy and in combination with other regimens. More than 900,000 patients have been prescribed TEVIMBRA globally to date.
About RATIONALE-305
RATIONALE-305 (NCT03777657) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, global Phase 3 that enrolled 997 patients with advanced unresectable or metastatic G/GEJ adenocarcinoma. The primary endpoint was OS, with prespecified hierarchy testing for the PD-L1 high population followed by the intent-to-treat (ITT) population. Results of the final analysis of the ITT population were presented as a late-breaking oral presentation during the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2023.
About Gastric and Gastroesophageal Junction (G/GEJ) Adenocarcinoma
Gastric (stomach) cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the fifth highest leading cause of cancer mortality.1 Nearly 1 million new patients were diagnosed with gastric cancer in 2022, and 660,000 deaths were reported globally. In the U.S., it is estimated there were approximately 27,000 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer and 11,000 deaths from the disease in 2024.2 The five-year survival rate for gastric cancer in the U.S. is 36%.3 Gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma occurs at the area where the esophagus joins the stomach, which is just beneath the diaphragm (the thin sheet of breathing muscle under the lungs).4
About TEVIMBRA (tislelizumab)
Tislelizumab is a uniquely designed humanized immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody with high affinity and binding specificity against PD-1. It is designed to minimize binding to Fc-gamma (Fcγ) receptors on macrophages, helping to aid the body’s immune cells to detect and fight tumors.