EU approves variation of authorization for Kyprolis (carfilzomib) + dexamethasone to treat multiple myeloma- Amgen

Amgen has announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved a variation to the marketing authorization for Kyprolis (carfilzomib) to include use in combination with dexamethasone alone for adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy. The extended indication marks the second approval for Kyprolis by the EC in less than a year.

The EC approved the extended indication for Kyprolis (Kd) based on data from the Phase III head-to-head ENDEAVOR trial in which patients with multiple myeloma treated with Kyprolis plus dexamethasone achieved superior progression-free survival (PFS) of 18.7 months compared to 9.4 months in those receiving bortezomib plus dexamethasone (Vd) (HR=0.53; 95 percent CI: 0.44, 0.65; p <0.0001). kd also demonstrated improvement over vd for secondary endpoints including rates of complete response or better which were double in patients treated with kd compared to those treated with vd 12.5 percent vs. 6.2 percent p><0.0001). the tolerability profile was similar in the two arms however patients treated with kd experienced a significantly lower rate of grade2 or higher neuropathy events than those treated with vd a frequent dose-limiting toxicity in patients receiving bortezomib 6 percent 95 percent ci: 4 8 vs. 32 percent 95 percent ci: 28 36 respectively.>

Comment: In the Phase III head-to-head trial, Kyprolis in combination with dexamethasone doubled the time patients lived without their cancer progressing, as well as the rates of complete response compared to bortezomib and dexamethasone.

Comment: Kyprolis was first approved by the EC in November 2015 for use in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy based on results of the ASPIRE study. The new approval by the EC follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of a supplemental New Drug Application based on the ENDEAVOR results in January 2016 .