EC grants marketing authorization for Amgen's XGEVA to prevent skeletal-related events

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for XGEVA® (denosumab) for the prevention of skeletal-related events (SREs) (pathological fracture, radiation to bone, spinal cord compression or surgery to bone) in adults with bone metastases from solid tumors. This approval of XGEVA applies to all 27 European Union (EU) member states. The EC also granted XGEVA an additional year of data and market exclusivity in the EU since the indication was considered new for denosumab and based on the significant clinical benefit of XGEVA in comparison with existing therapies.

Bone metastases, the spread of cancer to the bones, are a common and serious concern for patients with advanced cancer and present a burden to the healthcare system. Weakened bones due to metastases can lead to SREs. The primary goal of treatment for bone metastases is to prevent the occurrence of these debilitating and costly SREs.

"Skeletal-related events associated with bone metastases are truly devastating and painful for patients living with cancer, and today's approval of XGEVA marks a real advance," said Professor Ingo J. Diel, M.D., Institute for Gynecological Oncology, SPGO, Mannheim, Germany. "In clinical trials XGEVA demonstrated sustained protection from SREs and also delayed the progression of pain. These factors will make a genuine difference in the lives of patients living with advanced cancer."

The marketing authorization for XGEVA is based on three pivotal, Phase 3 head-to-head trials that evaluated the effectiveness of XGEVA versus zoledronic acid at delaying SREs. The SRE clinical program for XGEVA spanned more than 50 tumor types in over 5,700 patients. In the SRE trials, XGEVA demonstrated a clinically meaningful improvement in preventing SREs compared to zoledronic acid. In these trials, XGEVA was administered every four weeks as a 120 mg subcutaneous injection, versus zoledronic acid delivered every four weeks via a 15-minute intravenous infusion, with adjustments for kidney function per the requirements of the zoledronic acid prescribing information.

In patients with breast or prostate cancer and bone metastases, XGEVA was superior to zoledronic acid in reducing the risk of SREs. In patients with bone metastases due to other solid tumors or multiple myeloma, XGEVA was non-inferior to zoledronic acid in reducing the risk of SREs. In an integrated analysis of all three studies XGEVA was superior to zoledronic acid in delaying time to first on-study SRE by 17 percent or 8.2 months (median time to first skeletal related event of 27.6 months for XGEVA and 19.4 months for zoledronic acid, (p<0.0001)). In this analysis, XGEVA was also superior to zoledronic acid in delaying time to first-and-subsequent on-study SRE by 18 percent (p<0.0001).

In patients with mild or no pain at baseline, time to worsening pain was delayed for XGEVA compared to zoledronic acid (198 versus 143 days).

Overall rates of adverse events and serious adverse events were generally similar between XGEVA and zoledronic acid. Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) was seen in approximately 1-2 percent of patients, with no statistically significant difference between treatment arms. Hypocalcemia was more frequent in the XGEVA treatment group. Overall survival and progression-free survival were similar between arms in all three trials.

"Today's approval of XGEVA marks the culmination of many years of research and innovation by Amgen scientists, beginning with the discovery of the RANK Ligand pathway and the understanding of its role in bone biology to the development of the denosumab oncology clinical program," said Willard H. Dere, M.D., senior vice president and international chief medical officer at Amgen. "XGEVA promises to make a real difference for patients with cancer whose daily lives are affected by the consequences of bone metastases."