Press Release
Press Release
Exelixis Announces European Medicines Agency Acceptance of Marketing Authorization Application for Cabozantinib as a Treatment for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
The EMA’s
The MAA is based on the results of METEOR, a phase 3 pivotal trial
comparing cabozantinib to everolimus in patients with advanced RCC who
experienced disease progression following treatment with a VEGF receptor
tyrosine kinase inhibitor. In
In
Cabozantinib is currently marketed in capsule form under the brand name
COMETRIQ® in
About Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
The American Cancer Society’s 2015 statistics cite kidney cancer as among the top ten most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer among both men and women in the U.S.1 Clear cell RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults.2 If detected in its early stages, the five-year survival rate for RCC is high; however, the five-year survival rate for patients with advanced or late-stage metastatic RCC is under 10 percent, with no identified cure for the disease.3
Until the introduction of targeted therapies into the RCC setting a decade ago, treatments for metastatic RCC had historically been limited to cytokine therapy (e.g., interleukin-2 and interferon). In the second and later-line settings, which encompass approximately 17,000 drug-eligible patients in the U.S. and 37,000 globally,4 two small-molecule therapies and an immune checkpoint inhibitor have been approved for the treatment of patients with advanced RCC who have received prior systemic therapy. The currently approved small-molecule agents have shown little differentiation in terms of efficacy and have demonstrated only modest progression-free survival benefit in patients refractory to sunitinib, a commonly-used first-line therapy.
The majority of clear cell RCC tumors exhibit down-regulation of
About Cabozantinib
Cabozantinib inhibits the activity of tyrosine kinases including MET, VEGF receptors, AXL and RET. These receptor tyrosine kinases are involved in both normal cellular function and in pathologic processes such as oncogenesis, metastasis, tumor angiogenesis and maintenance of the tumor microenvironment.
Cabozantinib, marketed under the brand name COMETRIQ®, is
currently approved by the
Important Safety Information, including Boxed WARNINGS
WARNING: PERFORATIONS AND FISTULAS, and HEMORRHAGE
- Serious and sometimes fatal gastrointestinal perforations and fistulas occur in COMETRIQ-treated patients.
- Severe and sometimes fatal hemorrhage occurs in COMETRIQ-treated patients.
- COMETRIQ treatment results in an increase in thrombotic events, such as heart attacks.
- Wound complications have been reported with COMETRIQ.
- COMETRIQ treatment results in an increase in hypertension.
- Osteonecrosis of the jaw has been observed in COMETRIQ-treated patients.
- Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia Syndrome (PPES) occurs in patients treated with COMETRIQ.
- The kidneys can be adversely affected by COMETRIQ. Proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome have been reported in patients receiving COMETRIQ.
- Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome has been observed with COMETRIQ.
- Avoid administration of COMETRIQ with agents that are strong CYP3A4 inducers or inhibitors.
- COMETRIQ is not recommended for use in patients with moderate or severe hepatic impairment.
- COMETRIQ can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman.
Adverse Reactions – The most commonly reported adverse drug reactions (≥25%) are diarrhea, stomatitis, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (PPES), decreased weight, decreased appetite, nausea, fatigue, oral pain, hair color changes, dysgeusia, hypertension, abdominal pain, and constipation. The most common laboratory abnormalities (≥25%) are increased AST, increased ALT, lymphopenia, increased alkaline phosphatase, hypocalcemia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, hypophosphatemia, and hyperbilirubinemia.
Please see full U.S. prescribing information, including Boxed WARNINGS, at www.COMETRIQ.com/downloads/Cometriq_Full_Prescribing_Information.pdf.
Please refer to the full European Summary of Product Characteristics for
full
About
Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including,
without limitation, statements related to: the eligibility for an
expedited review of the MAA by the EMA; the timing for when the NDA will
be considered officially filed; and the potential of cabozantinib as a
treatment for patients with advanced RCC. Words such as “will,”
“potential” or other similar expressions identify forward-looking
statements, but the absence of these words does not necessarily mean
that a statement is not forward-looking. In addition, any statements
that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of
future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements are based upon Exelixis’ current plans,
assumptions, beliefs, expectations, estimates and projections.
Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual
results and the timing of events could differ materially from those
anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks
and uncertainties, which include, without limitation: risks and
uncertainties related to regulatory review and approval processes and
1Cancer Facts & Figures 2015.
2Jonasch et al., BMJ (2014) vol. 349, g4797.
3http://www.cancer.org/cancer/kidneycancer/detailedguide/kidney-cancer-adult-survival-rates
4ACS Cancer Facts and Figures 2015; Heng et al., Ann
Oncol (2012) vol. 23 no. 6; internal data on file; Motzer et al., N Engl
J Med (2007) vol. 356 no. 2; NCIN (
5Harschman and Choueiri, Cancer J. 2013 v19 316-323; Rankin et al., PNAS, 2014.
6Bommy-Reddi et al., PNAS, 2008; Gibney et al., Ann. Oncol. 2013 v24 343-349; Koochekpour et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 1999, v19 5902-5912; Rankin et al., PNAS, 2014.
7Ciamporcero et al., MolCancerTher, 2014; Rankin et al., PNAS, 2014.
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Source:
Investors Contact:
Exelixis, Inc.
Susan
Hubbard, 650-837-8194
Investor Relations and Corporate
Communications
shubbard@exelixis.com
or
Media
Contact:
For Exelixis, Inc.
Hal Mackins,
415-994-0040
hal@torchcommunications.com