- CARVYKTI™ marks the first product approved by a health authority for Legend Biotech
- Approval is primarily based on the pivotal phase 1b/2 CARTITUDE-1 study, which demonstrated an overall response rate (ORR) of 98 percent in patients with refractory or relapsed multiple myeloma after four or more prior lines of therapy including proteasome inhibitor, immunomodulatory agent and anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody1
SOMERSET, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2022-- Legend Biotech Corporation (NASDAQ: LEGN) (Legend Biotech), a global biotechnology company developing, manufacturing and commercializing novel therapies to treat life-threatening diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its first product, CARVYKTI™ (ciltacabtagene autoleucel; cilta-cel), for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who have received four or more prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. Legend Biotech entered into an exclusive worldwide license and collaboration agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc. (Janssen) to develop and commercialize cilta-cel in December 2017.
CARVYKTI™ is a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy with two B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeting single domain antibodies and given as a one-time infusion with a recommended dose range of 0.5 to 1.0 x 106 CAR-positive viable T cells per kg of body weight. In the pivotal CARTITUDE-1 study, deep and durable responses were seen in patients with RRMM (n=97), with a high overall response rate (ORR) of 98 percent (95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 92.7-99.7) including 78 percent of the patients achieving stringent complete response (sCR, 95 percent CI: 68.8-86.1).1 At a median of 18 months follow-up, the median duration of response (DOR) was 21.8 months (95 percent CI 21.8-not estimable).1
CARVYKTI™ is available only through a restricted program under a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) called the CARVYKTI™ REMS Program.1 The Safety Information for CARVYKTI™ includes a Boxed Warning regarding Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS), Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS), Parkinsonism and Guillain-Barré syndrome, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis/macrophage activation syndrome (HLH/MAS), and prolonged and/or recurrent cytopenia.1 Warnings and Precautions include prolonged and recurrent cytopenias, infections, hypogammaglobulinemia, hypersensitivity reactions, secondary malignancies and effects on ability to drive and use machines.1 The most common adverse reactions (≥20 percent) are pyrexia, CRS, hypogammaglobulinemia, hypotension, musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, infections-pathogen unspecified, cough, chills, diarrhea, nausea, encephalopathy, decreased appetite, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, tachycardia, dizziness, dyspnea, edema, viral infections, coagulopathy, constipation, and vomiting.1
“Multiple myeloma remains an incurable disease with heavily pretreated patients facing poor prognoses with limited treatment options,” said Ying Huang, PhD, CEO and CFO of Legend Biotech. “Today’s approval of CARVYKTI is a pivotal moment for Legend Biotech because it is our first-ever marketing approval, but what really excites us is the drug’s potential to become an impactful therapy option for patients in need of long, treatment-free intervals. This is the first of many cell therapies we plan to bring to patients as we continue advancing our pipeline across disease states.”
Multiple myeloma affects a type of white blood cell called plasma cells, which are found in the bone marrow.2 The majority of patients relapse after undergoing initial treatment and face poor prognoses after treatment with three major drug classes, including immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor and anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.3,4,5
“The treatment journey for the majority of patients living with multiple myeloma is a relentless cycle of remission and relapse with fewer patients achieving a deep response as they progress through later lines of therapy,” said Dr. Sundar Jagannath, MBBS, Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology at Mount Sinai, and principal study investigator. “This is why I have been really excited about the results from the CARTITUDE-1 study, which has demonstrated that cilta-cel can provide deep and durable responses and long-term treatment-free intervals, even in this heavily pretreated multiple myeloma patient population. Today’s approval of CARVYKTI helps address a great unmet need for these patients.”
As a personalized medicine, CARVYKTI™’s administration requires extensive training, preparation, and certification to ensure a seamless experience for patients. Through a phased approach, Legend and Janssen will activate a limited network of certified treatment centers as they work to scale production capacity and increase the availability of CARVYKTI™ throughout the U.S. in 2022 and beyond, ensuring that the CARVYKTI™ treatment can be provided to oncologists and their patients in a reliable and timely manner.
About CARVYKTI™ (Ciltacabtagene autoleucel; cilta-cel)
CARVYKTI™ is a BCMA-directed, genetically modified autologous T-cell immunotherapy, which involves reprogramming a patient’s own T-cells with a transgene encoding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that identifies and eliminates cells that express BCMA. BCMA is primarily expressed on the surface of malignant multiple myeloma B-lineage cells, as well as late-stage B-cells and plasma cells. The CARVYKTI™ CAR protein features two BCMA-targeting single domain antibodies designed to confer high avidity against human BCMA. Upon binding to BCMA-expressing cells, the CAR promotes T-cell activation, expansion, and elimination of target cells.1
In December 2017, Legend Biotech Corporation entered into an exclusive worldwide license and collaboration agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc. to develop and commercialize cilta-cel.
In April 2021, Legend announced the submission of a Marketing Authorisation Application to the European Medicines Agency seeking approval of cilta-cel for the treatment of patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma. In addition to U.S. Breakthrough Therapy Designation granted in December 2019, cilta-cel received a Breakthrough Therapy Designation in China in August 2020. Cilta-cel also received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. FDA in February 2019, and from the European Commission in February 2020.
About the CARTITUDE-1 Study
CARTITUDE-1 (NCT03548207) is an ongoing Phase 1b/2, open-label, single arm, multi-center trial evaluating cilta-cel for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, who previously received at least three prior lines of therapy including a proteasome inhibitor (PI), an immunomodulatory agent (IMiD) and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. Of the 97 patients enrolled in the trial, 99 percent were refractory to the last line of treatment and 88 percent were triple-class refractory, meaning their cancer did not respond, or no longer responds, to an IMiD, a PI and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.1
The longer-term efficacy and safety profile of cilta-cel is being assessed in the ongoing CARTITUDE-1 study, with two-year follow-up results recently presented at ASH 2021.6
About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is an incurable blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow and is characterized by an excessive proliferation of plasma cells.2 In 2022, it is estimated that more than 34,000 people will be diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and more than 12,000 people will die from the disease in the U.S.7 While some patients with multiple myeloma have no symptoms at all, most patients are diagnosed due to symptoms that can include bone problems, low blood counts, calcium elevation, kidney problems or infections.8 Although treatment may result in remission, unfortunately, patients will most likely relapse.3 Patients who relapse after treatment with standard therapies, including protease inhibitors, immunomodulatory agents, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, have poor prognoses and few treatment options available.4,5
About Legend Biotech
Legend Biotech is a global biotechnology company dedicated to treating, and one day curing, life-threatening diseases. Headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, we are developing advanced cell therapies across a diverse array of technology platforms, including autologous and allogenic chimeric antigen receptor T-cell, T-cell receptor (TCR-T), and natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapy. From our three R&D sites around the world, we apply these innovative technologies to pursue the discovery of safe, efficacious and cutting-edge therapeutics for patients worldwide.
We are currently engaged in a strategic collaboration to commercialize ciltacabtagene autoleucel, a BCMA-directed, genetically modified autologous T-cell immunotherapy. Applications seeking approval of cilta-cel for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma are currently under regulatory review by several health authorities around the world.
Learn more at www.legendbiotech.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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1 CARVYKTI™ Prescribing Information. Horsham, PA: Janssen Biotech, Inc.
2 American Society of Clinical Oncology. Multiple myeloma: introduction. Available at: https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/multiple-myeloma/introduction. Accessed February 2022.
3 Rajkumar SV. Multiple myeloma: 2020 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification and management. Am J Hematol. 2020;95(5),548-567. doi:10.1002/ajh.25791.
4 Kumar SK, Dimopoulos MA, Kastritis E, et al. Natural history of relapsed myeloma, refractory to immunomodulatory drugs and proteasome inhibitors: a multicenter IMWG study. Leukemia. 2017;31(11):2443-2448.
5 Gandhi UH, Cornell RF, Lakshman A, et al. Outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma refractory to CD38-targeted monoclonal antibody therapy. Leukemia. 2019;33(9):2266-2275.
6 Martin, T. Updated Results From CARTITUDE-1: Phase 1b/2 Study of Ciltacabtagene Autoleucel, a B-cell Maturation Antigen–Directed Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy, in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma. Abstract #549 [Oral]. Presented at the 2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.
7 American Cancer Society. "Key Statistics About Multiple Myeloma." Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/multiple-myeloma/about/key-statistics.html. Accessed February 2022.
8 American Cancer Society. Multiple myeloma: early detection, diagnosis and staging. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/CRC/PDF/Public/8740.00.pdf. Accessed February 2022.
Source: Legend Biotech
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