After large B-cell lymphoma relapse, Gilead’s CAR T treatment hikes event-free survival by 60%

Reuters Health - 13/12/2021 - For patients with an early relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, the CAR T cell therapy sold under the brand name Yescarta improves event-free survival by 60% over conventional second-line therapy that includes stem cell transplantation, according to results formally published online Saturday by The New England Journal of Medicine and outlined at the American Society of Hematology's annual meeting.

The treatment, known as axicabtagene ciloleucel, is made by adding a gene for a special receptor called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) to the patient's T cells, multiplying them and infusing them into the patient. The cells then target the CD19 protein found on most B-cell lymphoma cells.

In the phase 3 test with 359 volunteers who had relapsed within 12 months after first-line chemoimmunotherapy, those given the CAR T treatment, also known as axi-cel, had a median event-free survival of 8.3 months versus 2.0 months among the patients who received two or three more cycles of chemoimmunotherapy followed by high-dose chemo with autologous stem-cell transplant.

The 24-month event-free survival rates were 41% and 16% respectively (P<0.001).

Estimated 2-year survival was 61% with axi-cel verus 52% with standard care.

Adverse events rated grade 3 or higher appeared in 83% of patients undergoing standard care, and that rate bumped up to 91% with axi-cel therapy.

Neurologic events of grade 3 or higher were seen in 21% of axi-cel recipients. Cytokine release syndrome of grade 3 or higher occurred in 6% of CAR T patients.

Kite, a Gilead Company, released topline results of the ZUMA-7 study June 28.

SOURCE: https://bit.ly/31BB6kh The New England Journal of Medicine, online December 11, 2021.

By Gene Emery



Posted on 13 December, 202114 December, 2021