Kite’s Yescarta yields positive results in ZUMA-1 trial in refractory large B-cell lymphoma

Kite, a Gilead Company announced new data from the ZUMA-1 trial of Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) in adult patients with refractory large B-cell lymphoma.

These results included updated overall survival data from the pivotal phase 2 study after three years following a single infusion of Yescarta, as well as an analysis from a separate safety management cohort of patients receiving early steroid intervention for cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurologic events.

With a minimum follow-up of three years after a single infusion of Yescarta (median follow-up of 39.1 months), approximately half (n=47/101; 47 percent) of patients with refractory large B-cell lymphoma in ZUMA-1 pivotal phase 2 cohorts were alive, and the median overall survival (OS) was 25.8 months. These updated three-year survival data were presented as part of a ZUMA-1 analysis evaluating mechanism of secondary treatment failure following treatment with Yescarta (Abstract #203).

"With approximately half of patients with refractory large B-cell lymphoma in our registrational trial alive three years following treatment with Yescarta, we are delivering towards our goal of potentially life-saving therapy for many patients who previously faced limited treatment options and a poor prognosis prior to the introduction of CAR T therapy," said Christi Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of Kite. "These results, coupled with an analysis that suggests a reduced risk of severe CRS and neurological events with earlier use of steroids, further support our ongoing leadership in cell therapy and commitment to patient care."

Yescarta was the first CAR T cell therapy to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified, primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, and high grade B-cell lymphoma and DLBCL arising from follicular lymphoma. Yescarta is not indicated for the treatment of patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma. The Yescarta U.S. Prescribing Information has a BOXED WARNING for the risks of CRS and neurologic toxicities, and Yescarta is approved with a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) due to these risks; see below for Important Safety Information.

Updated results from a separate ZUMA-1 safety management study (Cohort 4) were also presented at the meeting (Abstract #243). In this analysis, patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma treated with Yescarta received earlier steroid intervention, beginning when patients experienced Grade 1 neurologic events or experienced Grade 1 CRS with no improvement after three days of supportive care. Patients could receive optional bridging chemotherapy prior to Yescarta infusion.

In the analysis, 41 patients had received Yescarta, with a median follow-up of 8.7 months; 73 percent of patients received corticosteroids and 76 percent received tocilizumab. Earlier steroid use appeared to decrease the percentage of patients with Grade ≥3 CRS (2 percent) and neurologic events (17 percent), each of which were numerically lower than rates in the registrational cohorts of ZUMA-1 (13 percent CRS, 31 percent neurologic events). There were no Grade 4 or 5 CRS or neurologic events and no Grade 5 AEs related to Yescarta in Cohort 4.

Objective response rate per investigator assessment was 73 percent in Cohort 4, with 51 percent of patients achieving a complete response. The median duration of response was 8.9 months. Fifty-four percent of patients in this cohort remained in an ongoing response with at least six months of follow-up after Yescarta infusion. Median OS in Cohort 4 has not been reached.

"Results from ZUMA-1 Cohort 4 demonstrate that early steroid intervention has the potential to reduce the rate of severe CRS and neurologic events while appearing to maintain comparably impressive efficacy for Yescarta to the pivotal ZUMA-1 study cohorts," said Max S. Topp, MD, ZUMA-1 Cohort 4 investigator and Professor and Head of Hematology, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Germany. "Data from this cohort suggest this approach with earlier steroid use may further improve the benefit/risk profile of this CAR T therapy."

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