European Commission Approves Kyprolis for Multiple Myeloma

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on email
Share on print

The European Commission approved a variation to the marketing authorization for Kyprolis (carfilzomib) to include use in combination with dexamethasone alone for adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy. The extended indication marks the second approval for Amgen’s Kyprolis by the EC in less than a year.

“In the phase III head-to-head trial, Kyprolis in combination with dexamethasone doubled the time patients lived without their cancer progressing, as well as the rates of complete response compared to bortezomib and dexamethasone,” said Sean Harper, executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen.

The EC approved the extended indication for Kyprolis based on data from the ENDEAVOR trial: patients with multiple myeloma treated with Kyprolis plus dexamethasone achieved superior progression-free survival of 18.7 months compared to 9.4 months in those receiving bortezomib plus dexamethasone (HR=0.53; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.65; p <0.0001). Kyprolis also demonstrated improvement in secondary endpoints, including rates of complete response or better, which were double in patients treated with Kyprolis, at 12.5 vs. 6.2 percent (p <0.0001).

The most common adverse reactions that occurred in greater than 20 percent of patients treated with Kyprolis were anemia, fatigue, diarrhea, thrombocytopenia, nausea, pyrexia, dyspnea, respiratory tract infection, cough and peripheral edema.

Kyprolis was first approved by the EC in November 2015 for use in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy based on results of the ASPIRE study. Today’s approval by the EC follows the FDA’s approval of a supplemental New Drug Application based on the ENDEAVOR results in January.

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

Shearwood McClelland III’s grandfather was a ditchdigger who dreamed that his six Black daughters would become doctors. McClelland’s mother did not disappoint—she became the first Black woman board-certified in maternal fetal medicine in the history of the United States.  Now, McClelland is the chief medical officer of Cancer Health Equity at the University of Oklahoma...

As oncology enters a new era of precision medicine, the Food and Drug Administration’s evolving biomarker strategy aims to ensure that life-saving therapies are tailored to individual patient needs, fostering safer and more effective treatments.  Historically, therapies were approved with broad indications based on overall efficacy, even when outcomes for biomarker-positive and -negative patients were...

In the evolving landscape of pediatric oncology, survivorship research has become an essential component of our mission to improve long-term patient outcomes. At City of Hope, we are focused on not only curing childhood cancers but also ensuring that survivors live the healthiest lives possible. A significant part of my research has been dedicated to mitigating the long-term toxicities of cancer therapy—particularly cardiovascular complications that can arise decades after treatment.

Never miss an issue!

Get alerts for our award-winning coverage in your inbox.

Login