On October 9, 2017 Clovis Oncology (NASDAQ: CLVS) reported that the company has submitted a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for rucaparib as maintenance treatment of patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in a complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy (Press release, Clovis Oncology, OCT 9, 2017, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2305489 [SID1234520821]). The sNDA submission is based on data from the phase 3 ARIEL3 clinical trial, which found that rucaparib significantly improved progression-free survival in all ovarian cancer patient populations studied.
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"The submission of the sNDA for rucaparib in the ovarian cancer maintenance setting just four months after we reported topline results marks an important milestone that brings Clovis closer to our ultimate goal of making rucaparib available to a broader population of women with advanced ovarian cancer," said Patrick J. Mahaffy, President and CEO of Clovis Oncology. "We believe that the ARIEL3 results demonstrate the potential of rucaparib to provide a new, much-needed therapeutic option for women with advanced ovarian cancer."
The phase 3 ARIEL3 clinical trial forms the basis of the rucaparib sNDA. ARIEL3 is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of rucaparib that enrolled 564 women with platinum-sensitive, high-grade ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer. The primary efficacy analysis evaluated three prospectively defined molecular sub-groups in a step-down manner: 1) BRCA mutant; 2) HRD-positive; and finally, 3) the intent-to-treat population, or all patients treated in ARIEL3.
Clovis announced positive topline results from the ARIEL3 clinical trial in June 2017. The comprehensive dataset from the trial was presented at the 2017 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Annual Conference in Madrid, Spain,i and subsequently published in The Lancet.ii
Clovis intends to file a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) in Europe in early 2018 for the maintenance indication, upon receipt of a potential approval in Europe for the ovarian cancer treatment indication.
About the ARIEL3 Clinical Trial
The ARIEL3 pivotal study of rucaparib is a confirmatory randomized, double-blind study comparing the effects of rucaparib against placebo to evaluate whether rucaparib given as a maintenance treatment to platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer patients can extend the period of time for which the disease is controlled after a complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy. The study enrolled 564 patients with high-grade epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer. To be eligible for the study, participants had to have received at least two prior platinum-based treatment regimens, been sensitive to the penultimate platinum regimen, and achieved a complete or partial response to their most recent platinum-based regimen. There were no genomic selection criteria for this study. Trial participants were randomized 2:1 to receive 600 milligrams of rucaparib twice daily (BID) or placebo.
About Rucaparib
Rucaparib is an oral, small molecule inhibitor of PARP1, PARP2 and PARP3 being developed in ovarian cancer as well as several additional solid tumor indications. In December 2016, rucaparib became the first PARP inhibitor approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as monotherapy for treatment of patients with deleterious BRCA mutation (germline and/or somatic) associated advanced ovarian cancer who have been treated with two or more prior chemotherapies. During the fourth quarter of 2016, the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) submission in Europe for rucaparib in the same ovarian cancer treatment indication was submitted and accepted for review. In October 2017, Clovis Oncology submitted a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) in the U.S. for a second line or later maintenance treatment indication in ovarian cancer based on the ARIEL3 data, and in early 2018, plans to file an MAA in Europe for the maintenance treatment indication upon receipt of a potential approval for the treatment indication. Ongoing studies include the TRITON2 and TRITON3 (Trial of Rucaparib In Prostate Indications) studies in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), the ARIEL4 (Assessment of Rucaparib in Ovarian Cancer Trial) confirmatory study in relapsed ovarian cancer patient with BRCA mutations, and the ATHENA (A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled study of nivolumab and rucaparib Combination Switch Maintenance Following Front-Line Platinum-based Chemotherapy in Ovarian Cancer Patients) study is expected to begin before the end of 2017. Exploratory studies in other tumor types are also underway. Clovis holds worldwide rights for rucaparib.
About Ovarian Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 22,400 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2017. There are often no clearly identifiable initial symptoms, and in an estimated 80 to 85% of ovarian cancer cases, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body before a person is diagnosed and can be treated. Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths and causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.