Seattle Genetics, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced today that the phase 3 ECHELON-2 clinical trial met its primary endpoint. The trial demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) of ADCETRIS (brentuximab vedotin) in combination with CHP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, prednisone) versus the control arm, CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone). ECHELON-2 is a global, randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial evaluating ADCETRIS as part of a frontline combination chemotherapy regimen in patients with previously untreated CD30-expressing peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), also known as mature T-cell lymphoma (MTCL). ADCETRIS is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) directed to CD30, which is expressed on the surface of several types of PTCL. ADCETRIS is currently not approved for the frontline treatment of PTCL.
Patients in ECHELON-2 were randomized to receive either a combination of ADCETRIS plus CHP or CHOP, a recognized standard of care for frontline PTCL. Results from the trial demonstrated that combination treatment with ADCETRIS plus CHP was superior to the control arm for PFS as assessed by an Independent Review Facility (IRF; hazard ratio=0.71; p-value=0.0110). The ADCETRIS plus CHP arm also demonstrated superior overall survival (OS), a key secondary endpoint, compared to CHOP (hazard ratio=0.66; p-value=0.0244). All other key secondary endpoints, including PFS in patients with systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL), complete remission rate and objective response rate were statistically significant in favor of the ADCETRIS plus CHP arm. The safety profile of ADCETRIS plus CHP in the ECHELON-2 trial was comparable to CHOP and consistent with the established safety profile of ADCETRIS in combination with chemotherapy. Additional data will be presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2018 annual meeting, December 1-4, 2018, in San Diego, California.
"Peripheral T-cell lymphoma is an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma with approximately 4,000 CD30-expressing patients diagnosed every year in the United States," said Clay Siegall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Seattle Genetics. "We are excited about the groundbreaking results of the phase 3 ECHELON-2 clinical trial, which demonstrated ADCETRIS in combination with chemotherapy significantly improved treatment outcomes for adult patients with previously untreated CD30-expressing PTCL compared with the current standard of care (CHOP). We'd like to thank the many investigators and patients who participated in this study and contributed to this significant milestone for the PTCL community. We look forward to presenting results at the ASH annual meeting in December and intend to submit a supplemental Biologics License Application to the FDA for approval in this setting in the near future."
"These clinically meaningful results from ECHELON-2 represent a significant step in the development of a potential frontline treatment in this disease. This trial is the largest randomized, double-blind, phase 3 trial in PTCL," said Jesús Gomez-Navarro, M.D., Vice President, Head of Oncology Clinical Research and Development, Takeda. "Standard of care in PTCL has not changed in several decades and there remains an unmet need for patients. These data showed a significant improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival and all key secondary endpoints, including overall survival, along with a manageable safety profile. We look forward to sharing these data with regulatory authorities globally."
Takeda and Seattle Genetics plan to submit these results to regulatory authorities for approval in their respective territories.
ECHELON-2 Phase 3 Clinical Trial Design
The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial is investigating ADCETRIS plus CHP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, prednisone) versus CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) as frontline therapy in patients with CD30-expressing peripheral T-cell lymphoma, also known as mature T-cell lymphoma. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival (PFS) per Independent Review Facility assessment, with events defined as progression, death, or receipt of chemotherapy for residual or progressive disease. Secondary endpoints include PFS in patients with systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL), complete remission rate, overall survival and objective response rate, in addition to safety. The multi-center trial was conducted at sites across North America, Europe and Asia and was designed to enroll 450 patients, approximately 75 percent of whom were to be diagnosed with sALCL. The ECHELON-2 trial is being conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the trial also received European Medicines Agency (EMA) scientific advice.
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