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European Commission approves Roche’s Polivy for people with previously treated aggressive lymphoma

2020-01-21

  • Novel combination regimen includes first-in-class antibody-drug conjugate that specifically targets CD79b
  • Targeted off-the-shelf treatment provides much-needed new option for people with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
  • Polivy approval is based on a phase Ib/II study, the first and only study showing improved response rates and overall survival in patients with this aggressive lymphoma who are not candidates for a haematopoietic stem cell transplant, compared to a commonly used regimen

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that the European Commission has granted conditional marketing authorisation for Polivy® (polatuzumab vedotin), in combination with bendamustine plus MabThera® (rituximab) (BR), for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who are not candidates for a haematopoietic stem cell transplant.

“With this approval, people in the EU with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma will have the opportunity to benefit from this new Polivy combination,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “For patients battling this aggressive disease, the prognosis is poor and few treatments are available. We are proud to bring this first-in-class treatment option to those who need it most.”

The conditional approval is based on the results from the phase Ib/II GO29365 study, the first and only clinical trial to show higher response rates and improved overall survival (OS) compared to BR, a commonly used regimen, in people with R/R DLBCL who are not candidates for a haematopoietic stem cell transplant. Results of the study showed that 40% of people treated with Polivy plus BR achieved a complete response (n=16/40), meaning no cancer could be detected at the time of assessment, compared to 17.5% (n=7/40) with BR alone. Complete response rates were assessed by an independent review committee. The study also showed that OS more than doubled, with a median of 12.4 months in the Polivy arm vs. 4.7 months in the BR alone arm (HR=0.42). Furthermore, patients treated with Polivy plus BR showed a longer time between first response to treatment and disease worsening than those receiving BR alone (investigator assessed median duration of response: 10.3 months vs. 4.1 months; HR=0.44). The most commonly reported adverse events in people treated with Polivy in combination with BR included anaemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, fatigue, diarrhoea, nausea, and pyrexia.

Conditional approval is granted to a medicinal product that fulfils an unmet medical need where the benefit of immediate availability outweighs the risk of less comprehensive data than normally required.

Today’s conditional EU approval follows the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) accelerated approval of Polivy in combination with BR for the treatment of people with R/R DLBCL who have received at least two prior therapies, in June 2019. Polivy was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA and PRIME (PRIority MEdicines) designation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of people with R/R DLBCL in 2017, the first PRIME designation for a Roche medicine. Additional submissions of the GO29365 data to health authorities around the world are ongoing with the goal of bringing this new treatment option to more patients as soon as possible.

About the GO29365 study

GO29365 is a global, phase Ib/II study evaluating the safety, tolerability and activity of Polivy (polatuzumab vedotin) in combination with bendamustine and MabThera (rituximab) (BR) or Gazyvaro (obinutuzumab) in relapsed or refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Eligible patients were not candidates for a haematopoietic stem cell transplant at study entry. The phase II part of the study randomised 80 patients with heavily pre-treated R/R DLBCL to receive either BR, or BR in combination with Polivy for a fixed duration of six 21-day cycles. Of the patients enrolled, 80% had refractory disease. The primary endpoint was complete response (CR) at the end of treatment, as measured by positron emission tomography and assessed by an independent review committee (IRC). Secondary endpoints included overall response rate (ORR; CR and partial response) by investigator assessment and best ORR at the end of treatment by investigator and IRC assessment. Exploratory endpoints included duration of response, progression-free survival, event-free survival and overall survival.

About Polivy (polatuzumab vedotin)

Polivy is a first-in-class anti-CD79b antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). The CD79b protein is expressed specifically in the majority of B-cells (an immune cell impacted in some types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)), making it a promising target for the development of new therapies.1,2 Polivy binds to CD79b and destroys these B-cells through the delivery of an anti-cancer agent, which is thought to minimise the effects on normal cells.3,4 Polivy is being developed by Roche using Seattle Genetics ADC technology and is currently being investigated for the treatment of NHL. Polivy is marketed in the US by Genentech as Polivy (polatuzumab vedotin-piiq), with piiq as the suffix designated in accordance with Nonproprietary Naming of Biological Products Guidance for Industry issued by the US Food and Drug Administration.

About diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), accounting for about one in three cases of NHL.5 DLBCL is an aggressive (fast-growing) type of NHL, which is generally responsive to treatment in the frontline.6 However, as many as 40% of patients will relapse, at which time salvage therapy options are limited and survival is short.6 Approximately 150,000 people worldwide are estimated to be diagnosed with DLBCL each year.7

About Roche in haematology

Roche has been developing medicines for people with malignant and non-malignant blood diseases for over 20 years; our experience and knowledge in this therapeutic area runs deep. Today, we are investing more than ever in our effort to bring innovative treatment options to patients across a wide range of haematologic diseases. Our approved medicines include MabThera®/Rituxan® (rituximab), Gazyva®/Gazyvaro® (obinutuzumab), Polivy® (polatuzumab vedotin), Venclexta®/Venclyxto® (venetoclax) in collaboration with AbbVie, and Hemlibra® (emicizumab). Our pipeline of investigational haematology medicines includes idasanutlin, a small molecule which inhibits the interaction of MDM2 with p53; T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies targeting both CD20 and CD3, Tecentriq® (atezolizumab), a monoclonal antibody designed to bind with PD-L1; and crovalimab, an anti-C5 antibody engineered to optimise complement inhibition. Our scientific expertise, combined with the breadth of our portfolio and pipeline, also provides a unique opportunity to develop combination regimens that aim to improve the lives of patients even further.ounced that

About Roche

Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics under one roof have made Roche the leader in personalised healthcare – a strategy that aims to fit the right treatment to each patient in the best way possible.
Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management.
Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. More than thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Moreover, for the eleventh consecutive year, Roche has been recognised as one of the most sustainable companies in the Pharmaceuticals Industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).
The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2018 employed about 94,000 people worldwide. In 2018, Roche invested CHF 11 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 56.8 billion. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com.

All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.

References

  1. Dornan D, et al. Therapeutic potential of an anti-CD79b antibody-drug conjugate, anti-CD79b-vc-MMAE, for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Blood 2009; 114:2721-2729.
  2. Pfeifer M, et al. Anti-CD22 and anti-CD79B antibody drug conjugates are active in different molecular diffuse large B-cell lymphoma subtypes. Leukemia 2015; 29:1578-1586.
  3. Ducry L, Stump B. Antibody-drug conjugates: linking cytotoxic payloads to monoclonal antibodies. Bioconjug Chem. 2010; 21:5-13.
  4. ADC Review. What are antibody-drug conjugates? [Internet; cited December 2019]. Available from: https://adcreview.com/adc-university/adcs-101/antibody-drug-conjugates-adcs/.
  5. Lyon, France. World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues. IARC Press; 2008.
  6. Maurer, JM et al. Event-free survival at 24 months is a robust end point for disease-related outcome in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with immunochemotherapy. J Clin Oncol 2014; 32:1066-73.
  7. Numbers derived from GLOBOCAN 2018: Estimated cancer incidence, mortality and prevalence worldwide in 2018. [Internet; cited December 2019]. Available from: http://globocan.iarc.fr.

Additional Information

A haematologist's perspective

Dr Otavio Baiocchi from the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, speaks about treatment goals for people with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

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