On February 12, 2019 Genmab A/S (Nasdaq Copenhagen: GEN) reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) has approved a split dosing regimen for DARZALEX (daratumumab) (Press release, Genmab, FEB 12, 2019, View Source [SID1234533251]). The approval will be included in an update to the Prescribing Information in order to provide healthcare professionals the option to split the first infusion of DARZALEX over two consecutive days. The supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) was submitted by Genmab’s licensing partner, Janssen Biotech, Inc., in July, 2018. The split dosing option was previously approved in Europe by the European Commission in December 2018. In August 2012, Genmab granted Janssen an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab.
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"We are pleased that, with this change, patients in the U.S. receiving their first infusion of DARZALEX may now have this more flexible dosing option," said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab
This approval was supported by data from the Phase Ib EQUULEUS (MMY1001) clinical trial, which demonstrated DARZALEX pharmacokinetics (PK) concentrations were comparable regardless of whether the first dose was administered as a split infusion or as a single first infusion in patients with multiple myeloma. The safety profile of DARZALEX was comparable when administered initially as either a split or a single dose.
About the EQUULEUS (MMY1001) Study
The Phase Ib EQUULEUS open-label study includes up to 240 patients with the goal of evaluating the safety, tolerability and dose of daratumumab when administered in combination with various backbone treatment regimens for different settings of multiple myeloma.
About DARZALEX(daratumumab)
DARZALEX (daratumumab) injection for intravenous infusion is indicated in the United States in combination with bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant; in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy; in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior therapies, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor (PI); and as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least three prior lines of therapy, including a PI and an immunomodulatory agent, or who are double-refractory to a PI and an immunomodulatory agent.1 DARZALEX is the first monoclonal antibody (mAb) to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) approval to treat multiple myeloma. DARZALEX is indicated in Europe in combination with bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant; for use in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy; and as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma, whose prior therapy included a PI and an immunomodulatory agent and who have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy. The option to split the first infusion of DARZALEX over two consecutive days has been approved in both Europe and the U.S. In Japan, DARZALEX is approved in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. DARZALEX is the first human CD38 monoclonal antibody to reach the market in the United Stated, Europe and Japan. For more information, visit www.DARZALEX.com.
Daratumumab is a human IgG1k monoclonal antibody (mAb) that binds with high affinity to the CD38 molecule, which is highly expressed on the surface of multiple myeloma cells. Daratumumab triggers a person’s own immune system to attack the cancer cells, resulting in rapid tumor cell death through multiple immune-mediated mechanisms of action and through immunomodulatory effects, in addition to direct tumor cell death, via apoptosis (programmed cell death).1,2,3,4,5
Daratumumab is being developed by Janssen Biotech, Inc. under an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab from Genmab. A comprehensive clinical development program for daratumumab is ongoing, including multiple Phase III studies in smoldering, relapsed and frontline multiple myeloma settings and in amyloidosis. Additional studies are ongoing or planned to assess the potential of daratumumab in other malignant and pre-malignant diseases, such as NKT-cell lymphoma, B and T-ALL. Daratumumab has received two Breakthrough Therapy Designations from the U.S. FDA, for multiple myeloma, as both a monotherapy and in combination with other therapies.