FDA approves Roche’s Alecensa as the first adjuvant treatment for people with ALK-positive early-stage lung cancer

2024-04-19

Approval based on Phase III ALINA study showing Alecensa reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death by an unprecedented 76% in people with ALK-positive early-stage resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)¹
This approval helps address an urgent unmet need, with about half of people living with early-stage NSCLC experiencing disease recurrence following surgery, despite adjuvant chemotherapy²
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Guidelines recommend routine testing for ALK, EGFR and PD-L1 biomarkers in people with early-stage NSCLC to inform adjuvant therapy selection

Basel, 19 April 2024 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Alecensa® (alectinib) for adjuvant treatment following tumour resection for patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (tumours ≥ 4 cm or node positive), as detected by an FDA-approved test. Alecensa is now the first and only ALK inhibitor approved for people with ALK-positive early-stage NSCLC who have undergone surgery to remove their tumour.

“With an unprecedented 76% reduction in the risk of disease recurrence or death versus chemotherapy, Alecensa significantly improves upon the standard of care for people with early-stage ALK-positive lung cancer,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “At Roche, our goal is to give patients the best chance of cure by bringing effective, targeted treatments to early-stage disease before their cancer has spread. This approval brings us one step closer to achieving that mission.”

“The approval of Alecensa marks a pivotal moment for people newly diagnosed with early-stage ALK-positive lung cancer, who until now, were not able to receive ALK-specific therapy,” said Ken Culver, Director of Research and Clinical Affairs at ALK Positive, Inc. "These patients, who are typically diagnosed at a younger age, often face recurrence and have a higher risk of developing brain metastases than those with other types of NSCLC. Now, with this significant advance, it is more important than ever that all people diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer undergo testing for ALK and other recommended biomarkers to receive the treatment most appropriate for them.”

The approval is based on positive results from the Phase III ALINA study that demonstrated Alecensa reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death by 76% (hazard ratio [HR]=0.24, 95% CI: 0.13-0.43, p<0.001) compared with platinum-based chemotherapy in people with completely resected IB (tumour ≥ 4 cm) to IIIA (UICC/AJCC 7th edition) ALK-positive NSCLC.¹ In an exploratory analysis, an improvement of central nervous system (CNS) disease-free survival was observed (HR=0.22; 95% CI: 0.08-0.58).¹ The safety and tolerability of Alecensa in this trial were generally consistent with previous trials in the metastatic setting and no unexpected safety findings were observed.¹ These data were presented as a late-breaking oral at the European Society of Medical Oncology Congress 2023 Presidential Symposium in October 2023 and were also recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April 2024.

Alecensa is a kinase inhibitor currently approved as first- and second-line treatment for ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC. It has demonstrated significant efficacy in patients, including those with CNS metastases, and now with this approval, these benefits could extend to people with early-stage disease. Routine testing of resected surgical tissue or biopsy for ALK, EGFR and PD-L1 biomarkers in patients with stage IB to IIIA and select IIIB (UICC/AJCC 8th edition) NSCLC, in addition to in the advanced setting, is recommended by international guidelines, including the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®), to support clinicians’ decision-making. About 5% of people with NSCLC are ALK-positive, equating to approximately 90,000 people worldwide diagnosed each year.^3-5

The review of this application was conducted under the FDA’s Project Orbis initiative, which provides a framework for concurrent submission and review of oncology medicines among international partners. According to the FDA, collaboration among international regulators may allow patients with cancer to receive earlier access to products in other countries where there may be significant delays in regulatory submissions. For this review, FDA collaborated with the Australian Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA), Health Canada (HC), Israel’s Ministry of Health (IMoH) Pharmaceutical Administration, Switzerland’s Swissmedic, and the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (UK MHRA). Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) and Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) will also be participating as Type C Project Orbis Partners. Additionally, the FDA reviewed and approved the supplemental application under its Real-Time Oncology Review pilot programme, which aims to explore a more efficient review process to ensure safe and effective treatments are available to patients as early as possible. Data from the Phase III ALINA study will also be used for filing submissions to additional global health authorities, including the European Medicines Agency

About the ALINA study
The ALINA study [NCT03456076] is a Phase III, randomised, active-controlled, multicentre, open-label study evaluating the efficacy and safety of adjuvant Alecensa® (alectinib) compared with platinum-based chemotherapy in people with resected Stage IB (tumour ≥ 4 cm) to IIIA (UICC/AJCC 7th edition) anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer. The study included 257 patients who were randomly assigned to either the Alecensa or chemotherapy treatment arm. The primary endpoint is disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary outcome measures include overall survival, central nervous system-DFS, and percentage of patients with adverse events.

About lung cancer
Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death globally.⁶ Each year 1.8 million people die as a result of the disease; this translates into more than 4,900 deaths worldwide every day.⁶ Lung cancer can be broadly divided into two major types: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small-cell lung cancer. NSCLC is the most prevalent type, accounting for around 85% of all cases.⁷ Today, about half of all people with early lung cancer (45-76%, depending on disease stage) still experience a cancer recurrence following surgery, despite adjuvant chemotherapy.² Treating lung cancer early, before it has spread, may help prevent the disease from returning and provide people with the best opportunity for a cure.⁸

About Alecensa® (alectinib)
Alecensa is a highly selective, central nervous system-active, oral medicine created at Chugai, a member of the Roche Group, Kamakura Research Laboratories for people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumours are identified as anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive. Alecensa is already approved in over 100 countries as an initial (first-line) and second-line treatment for ALK-positive, metastatic NSCLC, including in the United States, Europe, Japan and China.

About Roche in lung cancer
Lung cancer is a major area of focus and investment for Roche, and we are committed to developing new approaches, medicines and tests that can help people with this deadly disease. Our goal is to provide an effective treatment option for every person diagnosed with lung cancer. We currently have six approved medicines to treat certain kinds of lung cancer and more than ten medicines being developed to target the most common genetic drivers of lung cancer or to boost the immune system to combat the disease. Roche is committed to improving treatment of early-stage lung cancers to help increase the chance of cure for more people.

About Roche
Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of branded medicines, Roche has grown into the world’s largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalised healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the clinical practice.

In recognising our endeavour to pursue a long-term perspective in all we do, Roche has been named one of the most sustainable companies in the pharmaceuticals industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the fifteenth consecutive year. This distinction also reflects our efforts to improve access to healthcare together with local partners in every country we work.

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.

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References
[1] Wu Y-L et al. Alectinib in Resected ALK-Positive Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer. NEJM. 2024;390:1265-1276.
[2] Pignon JP et al. Lung adjuvant cisplatin evaluation: a pooled analysis by the LACE collaborative group. J Clin Oncol 2008. 20;26(21):3552-9.
[3] Barlesi, et al. Routine molecular profiling of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: results of a 1-year nationwide programme of the French Cooperative Thoracic Intergroup (IFCT). Lancet 2016. 387(10026):1415-1426.
[4] Tian, et al. Clinical characteristics and sequence complexity of anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene fusions in Chinese lung cancer patients. Lung Cancer 2017. 114:90-95.
[5] Cancer.Net®. Lung Cancer - Non-Small Cell: Statistics. [Internet; cited April 2024]. Available from: https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/lung-cancer-non-small-cell/statistics.
[6] Thandra KC, et al. Epidemiology of lung cancer. Contemp Oncol. 2021;21(1):45-52.
[7] American Cancer Society: What Is Lung Cancer? [Internet; cited 2024 April] Available from: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/non-small-cell-lung-cancer/about/what-is-non-small-cell-lung-cancer.html.
[8] Hendricks LE, et al. Oncogene-addicted metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Ann Oncol. 2023;34(4): 339-357.

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