FDA Accepts for Priority Review Libtayo® (cemiplimab-rwlc) for Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer with PD-L1 Expression of ≥50%

Rhea-AI Summary

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: REGN) announced that the FDA has accepted the supplemental Biologics License Application for its PD-1 inhibitor, Libtayo (cemiplimab-rwlc), for treating first-line locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with ≥50% PD-L1 expression. The FDA's target decision date is February 28, 2021. This application is based on a Phase 3 trial comparing Libtayo to chemotherapy. The EMA is also reviewing Libtayo, with a decision expected in Q2 2021.

Positive

• FDA acceptance for priority review of Libtayo for advanced NSCLC, indicating potential market expansion.
• Positive Phase 3 trial results compared to chemotherapy, supporting efficacy of Libtayo.
• Libtayo is the first systemic treatment approved for metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, establishing a strong market presence.

Negative

• Libtayo's use in NSCLC remains investigational, lacking full regulatory approval.
• Potential delays in the EMA decision may impact market entry timelines.

TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Oct. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for priority review the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo^® (cemiplimab-rwlc) to treat patients with first-line locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with ≥50% PD-L1 expression. The target action date for the FDA decision is February 28, 2021.

The sBLA is supported by results from a Phase 3 open-label, randomized, multi-center trial that investigated the first-line treatment of Libtayo monotherapy compared to platinum-doublet chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC whose tumor cells expressed PD-L1, including those whose cancers had confirmed PD-L1 expression of ≥50% using the PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx kit. Results were recently presented at the 2020 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Virtual Congress in September.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is also assessing Libtayo in advanced NSCLC with ≥50% PD-L1 expression and a decision is expected in the second quarter of 2021. Libtayo is the first systemic treatment approved in the U.S. and European Union (EU) for adults with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) or locally advanced CSCC who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation.

Libtayo is being jointly developed and commercialized by Regeneron and Sanofi under a global collaboration agreement. The use of Libtayo to treat advanced NSCLC is investigational and has not been fully evaluated by any regulatory authority.

About Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with more than 2.2 million new cases expected globally, and 228,000 new cases expected in the U.S. in 2020. Approximately 85% of all lung cancers are NSCLC, and an estimated 25% to 30% of these cases are expected to test positive for PD-L1 in ≥50% of tumor cells. While immunotherapies have transformed advanced NSCLC treatment in recent years, there remains an unmet need to optimize the identification and treatment of patients with high PD-L1 expression and offer additional treatment options.

About Libtayo
Libtayo is a fully-human monoclonal antibody targeting the immune checkpoint receptor PD-1 on T-cells. By binding to PD-1, Libtayo has been shown to block cancer cells from using the PD-1 pathway to suppress T-cell activation.

Libtayo was invented using Regeneron's proprietary VelocImmune^®  technology that utilizes a genetically-engineered mouse platform endowed with a genetically-humanized immune system to produce optimized fully-human antibodies. VelocImmune technology has been used to create multiple antibodies including Dupixent^® (dupilumab), Praluent^® (alirocumab) and Kevzara^® (sarilumab), which are approved in multiple countries around the world. Regeneron previously used these technologies to rapidly develop a treatment for Zaire ebolavirus infection, which is approved by the FDA, and to create a potentially preventative and therapeutic investigational medicine for COVID-19 that was recently submitted to the FDA for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

The extensive clinical program for Libtayo is focused on difficult-to-treat cancers. In skin cancer, this includes trials in adjuvant and neoadjuvant CSCC in addition to a pivotal trial in advanced basal cell carcinoma. Libtayo is also being investigated in pivotal trials in NSCLC (in combination with chemotherapy) and cervical cancer, as well as in trials combining Libtayo with either conventional or novel therapeutic approaches for both solid tumors and blood cancers. These potential uses are investigational, and their safety and efficacy have not been evaluated by any regulatory authority.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND INDICATION FOR U.S. PATIENTS

What is Libtayo?
Libtayo is a prescription medicine used to treat people with a type of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) that has spread or cannot be cured by surgery or radiation.

It is not known if Libtayo is safe and effective in children.

What is the most important information I should know about Libtayo?
Libtayo is a medicine that may treat a type of skin cancer by working with your immune system. Libtayo can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in any area of your body and can affect the way they work. These problems can sometimes become severe or life-threatening and can lead to death. You can have more than one problem at the same time. These problems may happen anytime during treatment or even after your treatment has ended.

Call or see your healthcare provider right away if you develop any symptoms of the following problems or these symptoms get worse:

• Lung problems (pneumonitis). Signs and symptoms of pneumonitis may include new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain.
• Intestinal problems (colitis) that can lead to tears or holes in your intestine. Signs and symptoms of colitis may include diarrhea (loose stools) or more frequent bowel movements than usual; stools that are black, tarry, sticky or that have blood or mucus; and severe stomach-area (abdomen) pain or tenderness.
• Liver problems (hepatitis). Signs and symptoms of hepatitis may include yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes, severe nausea or vomiting, pain on the right side of your stomach area (abdomen), drowsiness, dark urine (tea colored), bleeding or bruising more easily than normal, and feeling less hungry than usual.
• Hormone gland problems (especially the adrenal glands, pituitary, thyroid and pancreas). Signs and symptoms that your hormone glands are not working properly may include headaches that will not go away or unusual headaches, rapid heartbeat, increased sweating, extreme tiredness, weight gain or weight loss, dizziness or fainting, feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual, hair loss, feeling cold, constipation, deeper voice, very low blood pressure, urinating more often than usual, nausea or vomiting, stomach-area (abdomen) pain, and changes in mood or behavior, such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulness.
• Kidney problems, including nephritis and kidney failure. Signs of these problems may include decrease in your amount of urine, blood in your urine, swelling in your ankles, and loss of appetite.
• Skin problems. Signs of these problems may include rash, itching, skin blistering, and painful sores or ulcers in the mouth, nose, throat, or genital area.
• Problems in other organs. Signs of these problems may include headache, tiredness or weakness, sleepiness, changes in heartbeat (such as beating fast, seeming to skip a beat, or a pounding sensation), confusion, fever, muscle weakness, balance problems, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, memory problems, seizures (encephalitis), swollen lymph nodes, rash or tender lumps on skin, cough, shortness of breath, vision changes, or eye pain (sarcoidosis), seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations), severe or persistent muscle pain, severe muscle weakness, low red blood cells (anemia), bruises on the skin or bleeding, and changes in eyesight.
• Rejection of a transplanted organ. Your doctor should tell you what signs and symptoms you should report and monitor you, depending on the type of organ transplant that you have had.
• Infusion (IV) reactions that can sometimes be severe and life-threatening. Signs of these problems may include chills or shaking, itching or rash, flushing, shortness of breath or wheezing, dizziness, fever, feeling of passing out, back or neck pain, and facial swelling.

Getting medical treatment right away may help keep these problems from becoming more serious.

Your healthcare provider will check you for these problems during your treatment with Libtayo. Your healthcare provider may treat you with corticosteroid or hormone replacement medicines. Your healthcare provider may delay or completely stop treatment if you have severe side effects.

Before you receive Libtayo, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:

• have immune system problems such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or lupus;
• have had an organ transplant;
• have lung or breathing problems;
• have liver or kidney problems;
• have diabetes;
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant; Libtayo can harm your unborn baby
  Females who are able to become pregnant:
• Your healthcare provider will give you a pregnancy test before you start treatment.
• You should use an effective method of birth control during your treatment and for at least 4 months after your last dose of Libtayo. Talk with your healthcare provider about birth control methods that you can use during this time.
• Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant during treatment with Libtayo.
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Libtayo passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment and for at least 4 months after the last dose of Libtayo.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over- the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

The most common side effects of Libtayo include tiredness, rash, diarrhea, muscle or bone pain, and nausea. These are not all the possible side effects of Libtayo. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report side effects to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi at 1-877-542-8296.

Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide.

About Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading biotechnology company that invents life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led for over 30 years by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to eight FDA-approved treatments and numerous product candidates in development, all of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, pain, infectious diseases and rare diseases.

Regeneron is accelerating and improving the traditional drug development process through our proprietary VelociSuite^® technologies, such as VelocImmune which uses unique genetically-humanized mice to produce optimized fully-human antibodies and bispecific antibodies, and through ambitious research initiatives such as the Regeneron Genetics Center, which is conducting one of the largest genetics sequencing efforts in the world.

For additional information about the company, please visit www.regeneron.com or follow @Regeneron on Twitter.

Regeneron Forward-Looking Statements and Use of Digital Media
This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties relating to future events and the future performance of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Regeneron" or the "Company"), and actual events or results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "believe," "seek," "estimate," variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.  These statements concern, and these risks and uncertainties include, among others, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic) on Regeneron's business and its employees, collaborators, and suppliers and other third parties on which Regeneron relies, Regeneron's and its collaborators' ability to continue to conduct research and clinical programs, Regeneron's ability to manage its supply chain, net product sales of products marketed by Regeneron and/or its collaborators (collectively, "Regeneron's Products"), and the global economy; the nature, timing, and possible success and therapeutic applications of Regeneron's Products and Regeneron's product candidates and research and clinical programs now underway or planned, including without limitation Libtayo^® (cemiplimab) for the treatment of patients with first-line locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with ≥50% PD-L1 expression; the likelihood, timing, and scope of possible regulatory approval and commercial launch of Regeneron's product candidates and new indications for Regeneron's Products, such as Libtayo (as a monotherapy or in combination with conventional or novel therapeutic approaches, as applicable) for the treatment of NSCLC, basal cell carcinoma, adjuvant and neoadjuvant cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, cervical cancer, and other potential indications; uncertainty of market acceptance and commercial success of Regeneron's Products and product candidates and the impact of studies (whether conducted by Regeneron or others and whether mandated or voluntary) on the commercial success of Regeneron's Products (including without limitation Libtayo) and product candidates; safety issues resulting from the administration of Regeneron's Products (such as Libtayo) and product candidates in patients, including serious complications or side effects in connection with the use of Regeneron's Products and product candidates in clinical trials; determinations by regulatory and administrative governmental authorities which may delay or restrict Regeneron's ability to continue to develop or commercialize Regeneron's Products and product candidates; ongoing regulatory obligations and oversight impacting Regeneron's Products, research and clinical programs, and business, including those relating to patient privacy; the availability and extent of reimbursement of Regeneron's Products from third-party payers, including private payer healthcare and insurance programs, health maintenance organizations, pharmacy benefit management companies, and government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid; coverage and reimbursement determinations by such payers and new policies and procedures adopted by such payers; competing drugs and product candidates that may be superior to, or more cost effective than, Regeneron's Products and product candidates; the extent to which the results from the research and development programs conducted by Regeneron and/or its collaborators may be replicated in other studies and/or lead to advancement of product candidates to clinical trials, therapeutic applications, or regulatory approval; the ability of Regeneron to manufacture and manage supply chains for multiple products and product candidates; the ability of Regeneron's collaborators, suppliers, or other third parties (as applicable) to perform manufacturing, filling, finishing, packaging, labeling, distribution, and other steps related to Regeneron's Products and product candidates; unanticipated expenses; the costs of developing, producing, and selling products; the ability of Regeneron to meet any of its financial projections or guidance and changes to the assumptions underlying those projections or guidance; the potential for any license or collaboration agreement, including Regeneron's agreements with Sanofi, Bayer, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (or their respective affiliated companies, as applicable), to be cancelled or terminated; and risks associated with intellectual property of other parties and pending or future litigation relating thereto (including without limitation the patent litigation and other related proceedings relating to EYLEA^® (aflibercept) Injection, Dupixent^® (dupilumab), and Praluent^® (alirocumab)), other litigation and other proceedings and government investigations relating to the Company and/or its operations, the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings and investigations, and the impact any of the foregoing may have on Regeneron's business, prospects, operating results, and financial condition. A more complete description of these and other material risks can be found in Regeneron's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and its Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2020.  Any forward-looking statements are made based on management's current beliefs and judgment, and the reader is cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements made by Regeneron. Regeneron does not undertake any obligation to update (publicly or otherwise) any forward-looking statement, including without limitation any financial projection or guidance, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Regeneron uses its media and investor relations website and social media outlets to publish important information about the Company, including information that may be deemed material to investors. Financial and other information about Regeneron is routinely posted and is accessible on Regeneron's media and investor relations website (http://newsroom.regeneron.com) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/regeneron).

Regeneron Contacts:|

Media Relations
Daren Kwok
Tel: +1 (914) 847-1328
daren.kwok@regeneron.com

Investor Relations
Vesna Tosic
Tel: +1 (914) 847-5443
vesna.tosic@regeneron.com

 

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SOURCE Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

FAQ

What is the FDA decision date for Regeneron's Libtayo for NSCLC?

The FDA's target decision date is February 28, 2021.

What type of cancer is Libtayo being reviewed for?

Libtayo is under review for first-line locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with ≥50% PD-L1 expression.

What were the results of the Phase 3 trial for Libtayo?

The Phase 3 trial showed positive results, indicating Libtayo's efficacy compared to platinum-doublet chemotherapy.

Is Libtayo approved for advanced NSCLC?

Libtayo's use for advanced NSCLC is still investigational and has not yet received full regulatory approval.

What other regulatory body is reviewing Libtayo?

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is also assessing Libtayo, with a decision expected in the second quarter of 2021.