FDA approves Poteligeo for mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome, the two most common types of Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.- Kyowa Hakko Kirin.

Poteligeo (mogamulizumab-kpkc) injection for intravenous use from Kyowa Hakko Kirin, has been approved for the treatment of the two most common types of Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in previously treated patients .The FDA approval is for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory mycosis fungoides (MF) or Sézary syndrome (SS) after at least one prior systemic therapy. This approval provides a new treatment option for patients with MF and is the first FDA approval of a drug specifically for SS. The approval was based on the MAVORIC (Mogamulizumab anti-CCR4 Antibody Versus ComparatOR In CTCL) study, which is the largest randomized trial in MF and SS and the first pivotal trial in CTCL to use PFS as a primary endpoint. This was a clinical trial of 372 patients with relapsed MF or SS who received either Poteligeo or a type of chemotherapy called vorinostat. Progression-free survival (the amount of time a patient stays alive without the cancer growing) was longer for patients taking Poteligeo (median 7.6 months) compared to patients taking vorinostat (median 3.1 months). The most common side effects of treatment with Poteligeo included rash, infusion-related reactions, fatigue, diarrhea, musculoskeletal pain and upper respiratory tract infection. Serious warnings of treatment with Poteligeo include the risk of dermatologic toxicity, infusion reactions, infections, autoimmune problems (a condition where the immune cells in the body attack other cells or organs in the body), and complications of stem cell transplantation that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic) after treatment with the drug.

Comment: Because CTCL manifests itself in skin lesions, it is often mistaken for other non-critical skin conditions, which can delay conclusive diagnosis and treatment options. MF and SS are the two most common subtypes of CTCL. MF is the most common subtype, accounting for 50-70% of cases. It is a slow progressing form of lymphoma that can involve the skin, blood, lymph nodes and organs, and may be associated with severe infections. SS accounts for approximately 3% of CTCL cases and is a more aggressive, leukemic form of CTCL.