Trodelvy® Improved Progression-Free Survival by 34% in Heavily Pre-Treated HR+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients

By: Gilead Sciences, Inc. via Business Wire

June 04, 2022 at 08:00 AM EDT

– At One Year, 3X as Many Patients Were Progression-Free Compared to Physicians’ Choice of Chemotherapy in Phase 3 TROPiCS-02 Study –

– At The First Interim Analysis, Overall Survival Demonstrated a Positive Trend, Patients Will Continue to be Followed –

– Analysis of Patient-Reported Outcomes Shows Trodelvy Also Improved Quality of Life over Physicians’ Choice of Chemotherapy –

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced positive results from the primary analysis of the Phase 3 TROPiCS-02 study of Trodelvy^® (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) versus physicians’ choice of chemotherapy (TPC) in heavily pre-treated HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer patients who received prior endocrine therapy, CDK4/6 inhibitors and two to four lines of chemotherapy. The study met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) with a statistically significant and clinically meaningful 34% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death (median PFS 5.5 vs. 4 months; HR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.53-0.83; P<0.0003). The first interim analysis of the key secondary endpoint of overall survival (OS) demonstrated a trend in improvement. These data are immature, and patients will be followed for subsequent OS analysis. These findings will be featured in both a press briefing and an oral session (Abstract #LBA1001) on Saturday, June 4, during the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

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The study demonstrated that at the one-year mark, three times as many patients were progression-free when treated with Trodelvy compared to those who received TPC (21% versus 7%). Improvements in PFS with Trodelvy were also consistent across key patient subgroups, including patients who had previously received three or more chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease (HR: 0.70; CI: 0.52-0.95), patients with visceral metastasis (HR: 0.66; CI: 0.53-0.83), and the elderly (≥65 years of age; HR: 0.59; CI: 0.38-0.93).

“For patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer, resistance to endocrine therapy is inevitable in almost all cases. The standard of care is then limited to sequential single agent chemotherapy, with declining response rates, disease control and quality of life,” said Dr. Hope Rugo, Professor of Medicine and Director, Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials Education at the University of California San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center, U.S. “In TROPiCS-02, we enrolled heavily pre-treated patients with metastatic breast cancer who had disease progression following multiple lines of chemotherapy. To observe a clinically meaningful reduction in the risk of disease progression or death in these patients with limited treatment options is remarkable. Sacituzumab govitecan-hziy will be an important potential future treatment option for these patients.”

A prespecified quality of life (QoL) analysis, one of the secondary endpoints using the EORTC QLQ-C30 instrument, also favored Trodelvy over TPC demonstrating meaningful benefit. In the evaluable population, improvements in global health status and fatigue with Trodelvy (n=234) compared with those who received TPC (n=207) were also observed.

“With Trodelvy, our bold ambition is that it will help transform care for people living with cancer, including in pre-treated HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer, where more options are needed,” said Bill Grossman, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President, Therapeutic Area Head, Gilead Oncology. “We look forward to continuing discussions with regulatory agencies to further understand how Trodelvy can impact this patient population with a high unmet need.”

The safety profile for Trodelvy was consistent with prior studies, with no new safety concerns identified in this patient population. The most frequent Grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse reactions for Trodelvy compared to TPC were neutropenia (51% versus 38%), diarrhea (9% versus 1%), leukopenia (9% versus 5%), anemia (6% versus 3%), fatigue (6% versus 2%) and febrile neutropenia (5% versus 4%).

Trodelvy has not been approved by any regulatory agency for the treatment of HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer. Its safety and efficacy have not been established for this indication. Trodelvy has a Boxed Warning for severe or life-threatening neutropenia and severe diarrhea; please see below for additional Important Safety Information.

About HR+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer

Hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) breast cancer is the most common type of breast cancer and accounts for approximately 70% of all new cases, or nearly 400,000 diagnoses worldwide each year. Almost one in three cases of early-stage breast cancer eventually become metastatic, and among patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic disease, the five-year relative survival rate is 30%. As patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer become resistant to endocrine-based therapy, their primary treatment option is limited to single-agent chemotherapy. In this setting, it is common to receive multiple lines of chemotherapy regimens over the course of treatment, and the prognosis remains poor.

About the TROPiCS-02 Study

The TROPiCS-02 study is a global, multicenter, open-label, Phase 3 study, randomized 1:1 to evaluate Trodelvy versus physicians’ choice of chemotherapy (eribulin, capecitabine, gemcitabine, or vinorelbine) in 543 patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer who were previously treated with endocrine therapy, CDK4/6 inhibitors and two to four lines of chemotherapy for metastatic disease. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1) as assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR) for participants treated with Trodelvy compared to those treated with chemotherapy. Secondary endpoints include overall survival, overall response rate, clinical benefit rate and duration of response, as well as assessment of safety and tolerability and quality of life measures. In the study, HER2 negativity was defined per American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) criteria as immunohistochemistry (IHC) score of 0, IHC 1+ or IHC 2+ with a negative in-situ hybridization (ISH) test. More information about TROPiCS-02 is available at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03901339.

About Trodelvy

Trodelvy^® (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) is a first-in-class Trop-2 directed antibody-drug conjugate. Trop-2 is a cell surface antigen highly expressed in multiple tumor types, including in more than 90% of breast and bladder cancers. Trodelvy is intentionally designed with a proprietary hydrolyzable linker attached to SN-38, a topoisomerase I inhibitor payload. This unique combination delivers potent activity to both Trop-2 expressing cells and the microenvironment.

Trodelvy is approved in more than 35 countries, with multiple additional regulatory reviews underway worldwide, for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who have received two or more prior systemic therapies, at least one of them for metastatic disease. Trodelvy is also approved in the U.S. under the accelerated approval pathway for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer (UC) who have previously received a platinum-containing chemotherapy and either programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor.

Trodelvy is also being developed for potential investigational use in other TNBC and metastatic UC populations, as well as a range of tumor types where Trop-2 is highly expressed, including hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) metastatic breast cancer, metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC), head and neck cancer, and endometrial cancer.

U.S. Indication for Trodelvy

In the United States, Trodelvy is indicated for the treatment of:

Adult patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic TNBC who have received two or more prior systemic therapies, at least one of them for metastatic disease.
Adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC who have previously received a platinum-containing chemotherapy and either programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.

U.S. Important Safety Information for Trodelvy

BOXED WARNING: NEUTROPENIA AND DIARRHEA

Severe or life-threatening neutropenia may occur. Withhold Trodelvy for absolute neutrophil count below 1500/mm³ or neutropenic fever. Monitor blood cell counts periodically during treatment. Consider G-CSF for secondary prophylaxis. Initiate anti-infective treatment in patients with febrile neutropenia without delay.
Severe diarrhea may occur. Monitor patients with diarrhea and give fluid and electrolytes as needed. Administer atropine, if not contraindicated, for early diarrhea of any severity. At the onset of late diarrhea, evaluate for infectious causes and, if negative, promptly initiate loperamide. If severe diarrhea occurs, withhold Trodelvy until resolved to ≤Grade 1 and reduce subsequent doses.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Severe hypersensitivity reaction to Trodelvy.

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Neutropenia: Severe, life-threatening, or fatal neutropenia can occur and may require dose modification. Neutropenia occurred in 61% of patients treated with Trodelvy. Grade 3-4 neutropenia occurred in 47% of patients. Febrile neutropenia occurred in 7%. Withhold Trodelvy for absolute neutrophil count below 1500/mm³ on Day 1 of any cycle or neutrophil count below 1000/mm³ on Day 8 of any cycle. Withhold Trodelvy for neutropenic fever.

Diarrhea: Diarrhea occurred in 65% of all patients treated with Trodelvy. Grade 3-4 diarrhea occurred in 12% of patients. One patient had intestinal perforation following diarrhea. Neutropenic colitis occurred in 0.5% of patients. Withhold Trodelvy for Grade 3-4 diarrhea and resume when resolved to ≤Grade 1. At onset, evaluate for infectious causes and if negative, promptly initiate loperamide, 4 mg initially followed by 2 mg with every episode of diarrhea for a maximum of 16 mg daily. Discontinue loperamide 12 hours after diarrhea resolves. Additional supportive measures (e.g., fluid and electrolyte substitution) may also be employed as clinically indicated. Patients who exhibit an excessive cholinergic response to treatment can receive appropriate premedication (e.g., atropine) for subsequent treatments.

Hypersensitivity and Infusion-Related Reactions: Serious hypersensitivity reactions including life-threatening anaphylactic reactions have occurred with Trodelvy. Severe signs and symptoms included cardiac arrest, hypotension, wheezing, angioedema, swelling, pneumonitis, and skin reactions. Hypersensitivity reactions within 24 hours of dosing occurred in 37% of patients. Grade 3-4 hypersensitivity occurred in 2% of patients. The incidence of hypersensitivity reactions leading to permanent discontinuation of Trodelvy was 0.3%. The incidence of anaphylactic reactions was 0.3%. Pre-infusion medication is recommended. Observe patients closely for hypersensitivity and infusion-related reactions during each infusion and for at least 30 minutes after completion of each infusion. Medication to treat such reactions, as well as emergency equipment, should be available for immediate use. Permanently discontinue Trodelvy for Grade 4 infusion-related reactions.

Nausea and Vomiting: Nausea occurred in 66% of all patients treated with Trodelvy and Grade 3 nausea occurred in 4% of these patients. Vomiting occurred in 39% of patients and Grade 3-4 vomiting occurred in 3% of these patients. Premedicate with a two or three drug combination regimen (e.g., dexamethasone with either a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist or an NK1 receptor antagonist as well as other drugs as indicated) for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Withhold Trodelvy doses for Grade 3 nausea or Grade 3-4 vomiting and resume with additional supportive measures when resolved to Grade ≤1. Additional antiemetics and other supportive measures may also be employed as clinically indicated. All patients should be given take-home medications with clear instructions for prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting.

Increased Risk of Adverse Reactions in Patients with Reduced UGT1A1 Activity: Patients homozygous for the uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyl transferase 1A1 (UGT1A1)*28 allele are at increased risk for neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and anemia and may be at increased risk for other adverse reactions with Trodelvy. The incidence of Grade 3-4 neutropenia was 67% in patients homozygous for the UGT1A1*28, 46% in patients heterozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele and 46% in patients homozygous for the wild-type allele. The incidence of Grade 3-4 anemia was 25% in patients homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele, 10% in patients heterozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele, and 11% in patients homozygous for the wild-type allele. Closely monitor patients with known reduced UGT1A1 activity for adverse reactions. Withhold or permanently discontinue Trodelvy based on clinical assessment of the onset, duration and severity of the observed adverse reactions in patients with evidence of acute early-onset or unusually severe adverse reactions, which may indicate reduced UGT1A1 function.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: Based on its mechanism of action, Trodelvy can cause teratogenicity and/or embryo-fetal lethality when administered to a pregnant woman. Trodelvy contains a genotoxic component, SN-38, and targets rapidly dividing cells. Advise pregnant women and females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with Trodelvy and for 6 months after the last dose. Advise male patients with female partners of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with Trodelvy and for 3 months after the last dose.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

In the ASCENT study (IMMU-132-05), the most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥25%) were fatigue, neutropenia, diarrhea, nausea, alopecia, anemia, constipation, vomiting, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite. The most frequent serious adverse reactions (SAR) (>1%) were neutropenia (7%), diarrhea (4%), and pneumonia (3%). SAR were reported in 27% of patients, and 5% discontinued therapy due to adverse reactions. The most common Grade 3-4 lab abnormalities (incidence ≥25%) in the ASCENT study were reduced neutrophils, leukocytes, and lymphocytes.

In the TROPHY study (IMMU-132-06), the most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥25%) were diarrhea, fatigue, neutropenia, nausea, any infection, alopecia, anemia, decreased appetite, constipation, vomiting, abdominal pain, and rash. The most frequent serious adverse reactions (SAR) (≥5%) were infection (18%), neutropenia (12%, including febrile neutropenia in 10%), acute kidney injury (6%), urinary tract infection (6%), and sepsis or bacteremia (5%). SAR were reported in 44% of patients, and 10% discontinued due to adverse reactions. The most common Grade 3-4 lab abnormalities (incidence ≥25%) in the TROPHY study were reduced neutrophils, leukocytes, and lymphocytes.

DRUG INTERACTIONS

UGT1A1 Inhibitors: Concomitant administration of Trodelvy with inhibitors of UGT1A1 may increase the incidence of adverse reactions due to potential increase in systemic exposure to SN-38. Avoid administering UGT1A1 inhibitors with Trodelvy.

UGT1A1 Inducers: Exposure to SN-38 may be substantially reduced in patients concomitantly receiving UGT1A1 enzyme inducers. Avoid administering UGT1A1 inducers with Trodelvy.

Please see full Prescribing Information, including BOXED WARNING.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, including Gilead’s ability to initiate, progress or complete clinical trials involving Trodelvy within currently anticipated timelines or at all; the possibility of unfavorable results from ongoing or additional clinical trials involving Trodelvy; uncertainties relating to regulatory applications for Trodelvy and related filing and approval timelines, including for the treatment of HR+/HER2- breast cancer, metastatic TNBC, mUC, NSCLC, SCLC, head and neck cancer, and endometrial cancer, in the currently anticipated timelines or at all; Gilead’s ability to receive regulatory approvals for such indications in a timely manner or at all, and the risk that any such approvals may be subject to significant limitations on use; the possibility that Gilead may make a strategic decision to discontinue development of Trodelvy for such indications and as a result, Trodelvy may never be commercialized for these indications; and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These and other risks, uncertainties and other factors are described in detail in Gilead’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and is cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Gilead, and Gilead assumes no obligation and disclaims any intent to update any such forward-looking statements.

U.S. Prescribing Information for Trodelvy including BOXED WARNING, is available at www.gilead.com.

Trodelvy, Gilead and the Gilead logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

For more information about Gilead, please visit the company’s website at www.gilead.com, follow Gilead on Twitter (@GileadSciences) or call Gilead Public Affairs at 1-800-GILEAD-5 or 1-650-574-3000.