On January 27, 2021 BeiGene, Ltd. (NASDAQ: BGNE; HKEX: 06160), a commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing innovative medicines worldwide, reported that the global Phase 3 RATIONALE 302 trial of its anti-PD-1 antibody tislelizumab versus investigator’s choice chemotherapy in patients with advanced unresectable or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who have received prior systemic treatment met its primary endpoint of overall survival (OS) (Press release, BeiGene, JAN 27, 2021, View Source [SID1234574354]). In the trial results, tislelizumab demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in OS in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, when compared to chemotherapy. The safety profile of tislelizumab was consistent with its known risks, with no new safety signals identified.

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"With our ongoing evaluation of tislelizumab across multiple tumor types, we are working to provide clinical evidence and bring this potentially differentiated anti-PD-1 antibody to far more patients around the world."

"We are excited to announce the improved overall survival observed in another Phase 3 trial for tislelizumab when compared to chemotherapy standard of care. This is our fourth positive Phase 3 readout for tislelizumab and the first from our large Phase 3 program in gastrointestinal cancers that also include liver, stomach cancers as well as esophageal cancer," commented Yong (Ben) Ben, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Immuno-Oncology at BeiGene. "With our ongoing evaluation of tislelizumab across multiple tumor types, we are working to provide clinical evidence and bring this potentially differentiated anti-PD-1 antibody to far more patients around the world."

BeiGene plans to discuss the RATIONALE 302 data with health authorities globally and present data at an upcoming medical conference.

"Esophageal cancer represents a significant unmet medical need with rapid progression and high mortality. Recent years have seen a paradigm-shift in advanced ESCC treatment from chemotherapy and radiation to immunotherapy. The positive topline results from the RATIONALE 302 trial demonstrated that tislelizumab may offer a new treatment option for those living with this devastating disease and bring hope to patients and their families," said Lin Shen, M.D., Vice President of Clinical Oncology at Beijing Cancer Hospital and lead investigator for the trial.

RATIONALE 302 Trial of Tislelizumab Versus Chemotherapy in Advanced ESCC

RATIONALE 302 is a randomized, open-label, multicenter global Phase 3 trial (NCT03430843) designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tislelizumab when compared to investigator’s choice chemotherapy in patients with advanced unresectable or metastatic ESCC who have received prior systemic treatment.

The primary endpoint of the trial is OS in the ITT population. A total of 512 patients enrolled in the trial in 11 countries across Asia, Europe, and North America, randomized 1:1 to either the tislelizumab arm or the chemotherapy arm (investigator’s choice of paclitaxel, docetaxel, or irinotecan).

About Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC)

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common subtype of esophageal cancer globally, the sixth leading cause of cancer-related death in the world.i In 2020, there were more than 600,000 new cases of esophageal cancer and approximately 550,000 deaths worldwide.ii Esophageal cancer is a rapidly fatal disease and more than two-thirds of the patients have advanced or metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, with a median survival of eight to 10 months and an expected five-year survival rate of less than five percent.iii

About Tislelizumab

Tislelizumab (BGB-A317) is a humanized IgG4 anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody specifically designed to minimize binding to FcγR on macrophages. In pre-clinical studies, binding to FcγR on macrophages has been shown to compromise the anti-tumor activity of PD-1 antibodies through activation of antibody-dependent macrophage-mediated killing of T effector cells. Tislelizumab is the first drug from BeiGene’s immuno-oncology biologics program and is being developed internationally as a monotherapy and in combination with other therapies for the treatment of a broad array of both solid tumor and hematologic cancers.

The China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has granted tislelizumab full approval for first-line treatment of patients with advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in combination with chemotherapy. Tislelizumab has also received conditional approval from the NMPA for the treatment of patients with classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma who received at least two prior therapies and for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma with PD-L1 high expression whose disease progressed during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy or within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. Full approval for these indications is contingent upon results from ongoing randomized, controlled confirmatory clinical trials.

In addition, two supplemental new drug applications for tislelizumab have been accepted by the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the NMPA and are under review for first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC in combination with chemotherapy, and for previously treated unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Currently, 15 potentially registration-enabling clinical trials are being conducted in China and globally, including 13 Phase 3 trials and two pivotal Phase 2 trials.

In January 2021, BeiGene and Novartis entered into a collaboration and license agreement to develop, manufacture, and commercialize tislelizumab in North America, Europe, and Japan, and the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to expiration or early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.

Tislelizumab is not approved for use outside of China.

About Tislelizumab Clinical Program

Clinical trials of tislelizumab include:

Phase 3 trial comparing tislelizumab to salvage chemotherapy in patients with relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (NCT04486391);
Phase 3 trial in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (NCT03967977);
Phase 3 trial comparing tislelizumab with docetaxel in the second- or third-line setting in patients with NSCLC (NCT03358875);
Phase 3 trial of tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with advanced squamous NSCLC (NCT03594747);
Phase 3 trial of tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC (NCT03663205);
Phase 3 trial of tislelizumab in combination with platinum-based doublet chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment for patients with NSCLC (NCT04379635);
Phase 3 trial of tislelizumab combined with platinum and etoposide versus placebo combined with platinum and etoposide in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (NCT04005716);
Phase 3 trial comparing tislelizumab with sorafenib as first-line treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; NCT03412773);
Phase 2 trial in patients with previously treated unresectable HCC (NCT03419897);
Phase 3 trial comparing tislelizumab with chemotherapy as second-line treatment for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC; NCT03430843);
Phase 3 trial of tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with ESCC (NCT03783442);
Phase 3 trial of tislelizumab versus placebo in combination with chemoradiotherapy in patients with localized ESCC (NCT03957590);
Phase 3 trial of tislelizumab combined with chemotherapy versus placebo combined with chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with gastric cancer (NCT03777657);
Phase 2 trial in patients with MSI-H/dMMR solid tumors (NCT03736889); and
Phase 3 trial of tislelizumab combined with chemotherapy versus placebo combined with chemotherapy as first-line treatment in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer (NCT03924986).