On September 11, 2022 Eisai (Headquarters: Tokyo, CEO: Haruo Naito, "Eisai") and Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA (known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada) reported the first presentation of results from the final analysis of the Phase 3 LEAP-002 trial investigating LENVIMA, the orally available multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor discovered by Eisai, plus KEYTRUDA, the anti-PD-1 therapy from Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA versus LENVIMA monotherapy, as a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) (Press release, Eisai, SEP 11, 2022, View Source [SID1234619389]). Results are being presented during a proffered paper session at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2022, being held in Paris, France and virtually from Sept. 9-13 (abstract #LBA34).
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!
In the final analysis of the trial, there was a trend toward improvement for one of the study’s dual primary endpoints, overall survival (OS), for patients treated with LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA versus LENVIMA monotherapy; however, the results did not meet statistical significance per the pre-specified statistical plan (HR=0.84 [95% CI: 0.71-1.00]; p=0.0227). The median OS was 21.2 months (95% CI: 19.0-23.6) for LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA and 19.0 months (95% CI: 17.2-21.7) for LENVIMA monotherapy. Additionally, treatment with LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA resulted in a trend toward improvement in the trial’s other dual primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) versus LENVIMA monotherapy; however, the results did not meet the pre-specified threshold at the first interim analysis for statistical significance (HR=0.87 [95% CI: 0.73-1.02]; p=0.0466).
"The LEAP-002 trial reflects our research strategy to build on evolving standards of care to further improve outcomes for more people with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma," said Dr. Gregory Lubiniecki, Vice President, Global Clinical Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA Research Laboratories. "The median overall survival of 21.2 months seen with KEYTRUDA plus LENVIMA provides critical insights for further research into the potential role of this combination."
"While the outcome is not what we had hoped, it is important for us to see that patients in the trial treated with LENVIMA monotherapy had a median overall survival of 19.0 months," said Corina Dutcus, M.D., Senior Vice President, Clinical Research, Oncology at Eisai Inc. "Findings from the LEAP-002 trial will not only help advance our understanding and application of LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA across our clinical development program but will also provide physicians with additional information on LENVIMA monotherapy’s use in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, where it is currently approved as a treatment option in multiple regions around the world, including the U.S., the European Union (EU), Japan and China."
LENVIMA monotherapy is approved for the first-line treatment of patients with uHCC in the U.S., the EU and China and for patients with uHCC in Japan. The approval of LENVIMA was based on results of the Phase 3 REFLECT trial, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of LENVIMA versus sorafenib for the first-line treatment of patients with uHCC.
LENVIMA (marketed as KISPLYX for renal cell carcinoma [RCC] in the EU) plus KEYTRUDA is approved in the U.S., the EU and Japan for the treatment of certain types of advanced endometrial carcinoma and advanced RCC. Eisai and Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA are studying the LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA combination through the LEAP (LEnvatinib And Pembrolizumab) clinical program in multiple tumor types, including but not limited to endometrial carcinoma, HCC, melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, RCC, head and neck cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer and esophageal cancer, across more than 15 clinical trials.
LEAP-002 study design and final analysis results (abstract #LBA34)
LEAP-002 is a multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, active-controlled Phase 3 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03713593(New Window)) evaluating LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA versus LENVIMA monotherapy for the first-line treatment of adult patients with uHCC. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive LENVIMA (12 mg orally once daily [for patients with screening body weight of at least 60 kg] or 8 mg orally once daily [for patients with screening body weight less than 60 kg]) plus KEYTRUDA (200 mg intravenously [IV] on Day 1 of each three-week cycle); or LENVIMA (12 mg orally once daily [for patients with screening body weight of at least 60 kg] or 8 mg orally once daily [for patients with screening body weight less than 60 kg]) plus saline placebo (IV administered on Day 1 of each three-week cycle). LENVIMA was administered until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity. KEYTRUDA/placebo was administered for up to 35 cycles (approximately two years).
The dual primary endpoints were PFS, as assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR) per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1 (RECIST v1.1; RECIST v1.1 has been modified for this study to follow a maximum of 10 target lesions in total and a maximum of five target lesions per organ), and OS. Objective response rate (ORR), as assessed by BICR per RECIST v1.1, was a key secondary endpoint. The trial was designed with two interim analyses and a final analysis for OS. Pre-specified efficacy boundaries were one-sided p=0.002 for PFS at interim analysis 1 and p=0.0185 for OS at the final analysis.
As of the data cut-off for the final analysis (June 21, 2022), a total of 794 patients were enrolled and treated, with a median follow-up of 32.1 months (range, 25.8-41.1). A total of 534 OS events had occurred, with 36 patients (9.1%) in the combination arm and 24 patients (6.1%) in the LENVIMA monotherapy arm remaining on study treatment.
The median OS was 21.2 months (95% CI: 19.0-23.6) for LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA versus 19.0 months (95% CI: 17.2-21.7) for LENVIMA monotherapy at the final analysis. The median PFS was 8.2 months (95% CI, 6.4-8.4) for LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA versus 8.0 months (95% CI: 6.3-8.2) for LENVIMA monotherapy at the first interim analysis and 8.2 months (95% CI: 6.3-8.3) versus 8.1 months (95% CI: 6.3-8.3), respectively, at the final analysis. The ORR was 26.1% (95% CI: 21.8-30.7) for LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA versus 17.5% (95% CI: 13.9-21.6) for LENVIMA monotherapy at the final analysis. Median duration of response was 16.6 months (range, 2.0+ to 33.6+) in the KEYTRUDA plus LENVIMA arm versus 10.4 months (range, 1.9 to 35.1+) in the LENVIMA monotherapy arm at the final analysis.
The safety profile of LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA was consistent with previously reported data on the combination. Grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 61.5% of patients treated with LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA versus 56.7% of patients treated with LENVIMA monotherapy. Grade 5 TRAEs occurred in 1.0% of patients treated with LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA versus 0.8% of patients treated with LENVIMA monotherapy. In patients treated with LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA, the five most common TRAEs of any grade were hypertension (43.3%), diarrhea (40.3%), hypothyroidism (40.0%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPE) syndrome (33.2%) and proteinuria (30.6%). In patients treated with LENVIMA monotherapy, the five most common TRAEs of any grade were hypertension (46.8%), hypothyroidism (35.7%), proteinuria (34.9%), diarrhea (33.9%) and PPE syndrome (30.6%). Post-study systematic anti-cancer treatments were given for 44.1% of patients receiving LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA versus 52.1% of those receiving LENVIMA monotherapy.
About hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of primary liver cancer1 and the most rapidly increasing cause of cancer deaths in the United States.2 Hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for approximately 90% of primary liver cancers.3 It is estimated there were more than 905,000 new cases of liver cancer and more than 830,000 deaths from the disease globally in 2020,4 making it the sixth most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide5 and one of the leading causes of cancer deaths around the world. In Japan, it is estimated there were more than 45,000 new cases of liver cancer diagnosed and more than 28,000 deaths from this disease in 2020.6 In the United States, it is estimated there will be over 41,000 new cases of liver cancer and over 30,000 deaths from this disease in 2022.5 Risk factors for liver cancer include gender, ethnicity, chronic viral hepatitis (Hep-B or Hep-C) infection, cirrhosis, alcohol use and metabolic syndrome.7 Hepatocellular carcinoma, which is often diagnosed at an advanced stage,8 has a five-year survival rate of approximately 20% in the United States.9
About LENVIMA (lenvatinib) Capsules
LENVIMA, discovered and developed by Eisai, is an orally available multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits the kinase activities of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors VEGFR1 (FLT1), VEGFR2 (KDR), and VEGFR3 (FLT4). LENVIMA inhibits other kinases that have been implicated in pathogenic angiogenesis, tumor growth, and cancer progression in addition to their normal cellular functions, including fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptors FGFR1-4, the platelet derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα), KIT, and RET. In syngeneic mouse tumor models, LENVIMA decreased tumor-associated macrophages, increased activated cytotoxic T cells, and demonstrated greater antitumor activity in combination with an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody compared to either treatment alone. LENVIMA has been approved for the indications below.
Thyroid cancer
・Indication as monotherapy
(Approved in over 80 countries including Japan, the United States, China, and countries in Europe and Asia)
Japan: Radically unresectable thyroid cancer
The United States: The treatment of patients with locally recurrent or metastatic, progressive, radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC)
Europe: The treatment of adult patients with progressive, locally advanced or metastatic, differentiated (papillary/follicular/Hürthle cell) thyroid carcinoma (DTC), refractory to radioactive iodine (RAI)
Hepatocellular carcinoma
・Indication as monotherapy
(Approved in over 80 countries including Japan, the United States, China, and countries in Europe and Asia)
Japan: Unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma
The United States: The first-line treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
Europe: The treatment of adult patients with advanced or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have received no prior systemic therapy
Thymic carcinoma
・Indication as monotherapy (Approved in Japan)
Japan: Unresectable thymic carcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma (In Europe, the agent was launched under the brand name Kisplyx)
・Indication in combination with everolimus
(Approved in over 65 countries including the United States, and countries in Europe and Asia)
The United States: The treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following one prior anti-angiogenic therapy
Europe: The treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma following one prior vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) targeted therapy
・Indication in combination with KEYTRUDA (generic name: pembrolizumab)
(Approved in over 40 countries including Japan, the United States, and countries in Europe and Asia)
Japan: Radically unresectable or metastatic renal cell carcinoma
The United States: The first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma
Europe: The first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma
Endometrial carcinoma
・Indication in combination with KEYTRUDA
(Approved [including conditional approval] in over 45 countries including Japan, the United States, and countries in Europe and Asia)
Japan: Unresectable, advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma that progressed after cancer chemotherapy
The United States: The treatment of patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma (EC) that is not microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) who have disease progression following prior systemic therapy in any setting and are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation.
Europe: The treatment of adult patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma (EC) who have disease progression on or following prior treatment with a platinum-containing therapy in any setting and are not candidates for curative surgery
About KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) Injection, 100mg
KEYTRUDA is an anti-programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) therapy that works by increasing the ability of the body’s immune system to help detect and fight tumor cells. KEYTRUDA is a humanized monoclonal antibody that blocks the interaction between PD-1 and its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, thereby activating T lymphocytes which may affect both tumor cells and healthy cells.
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA has the industry’s largest immuno-oncology clinical research program. There are currently more than 1,600 trials studying KEYTRUDA across a wide variety of cancers and treatment settings. The KEYTRUDA clinical program seeks to understand the role of KEYTRUDA across cancers and the factors that may predict a patient’s likelihood of benefitting from treatment with KEYTRUDA, including exploring several different biomarkers.
About Eisai and the Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA Collaboration
In March 2018, Eisai and Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, through an affiliate, entered into a strategic collaboration for the worldwide co-development and co-commercialization of LENVIMA. Under the agreement, the companies will jointly develop, manufacture and commercialize LENVIMA, both as monotherapy and in combination with KEYTRUDA, the anti-PD-1 therapy from Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.
In addition to ongoing clinical studies evaluating the LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA combination across several different tumor types, the companies have jointly initiated new clinical studies through the LEAP (LEnvatinib And Pembrolizumab) clinical program and are evaluating the combination in multiple tumor types across more than 15 clinical trials.
Eisai’s Focus on Cancer
Eisai focuses on the development of anticancer drugs, targeting the tumor microenvironment (with experience and knowledge from existing in-house discovered compounds) and the driver gene mutation and aberrant splicing (leveraging RNA Splicing Platform) as areas (Ricchi) where real patient needs are still unmet, and where Eisai can aim to become a frontrunner in oncology. Eisai aspires to discover innovative new drugs with new targets and mechanisms of action from these Ricchi, with the aim of contributing to the cure of cancers.