ImaginAb Announces First Patient Dosed in Australia in Phase IIb iPREDICT Trial

On October 25, 2022 ImaginAb Inc., a global biotechnology company developing 89Zr crefmirlimab berdoxam (CD8 ImmunoPET) imaging agent and next generation radiopharmaceutical therapies (RPT) products, reported that the first patient has been dosed at the Macquarie University Hospital in Sydney, Australia as part of its Phase IIb iPREDICT clinical trial (Press release, ImaginAb, OCT 25, 2022, View Source [SID1234622375]).

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ImaginAb announced the launch of its Phase IIb iPREDICT trial in January this year, which is a part of its clinical development to support marketing approval for CD8 ImmunoPET. iPREDICT is being conducted globally in the US, Australia, and Europe.

The Phase IIb trial aims to assess predictive performance with its primary objective to evaluate the performance of CD8 ImmunoPET positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for predicting patient response to immuno-oncology therapy targeting Melanoma, Merkel Call, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, and other selected solid tumors.

The Olivia Newton John Cancer Research Institute in Melbourne, which is also manufacturing doses for the iPREDICT trial in Australia, delivered the first clinical dose to the Macquarie University Hospital for use by Dr. Alison Zhang in the iPREDICT trial. Details of the study can be found on www.clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT05013099.

Commenting on the announcement, Ian Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of ImaginAb, said:

"We are delighted to have reached this important clinical development milestone for ImaginAb as we move one step closer to our goal of helping to transform cancer care for patients. We are actively enrolling the iPREDICT trial over 22 clinical sites across the US, Australia and Europe and would like to thank our local sponsor/CRO, Accelagen, who played a key role in the achievement of this milestone by facilitating smooth communication with our investigators and the sites across the two time zones."

RZNOMICS Inc. received FDA approval to initiate clinical development of trans-splicing ribozyme-based RNA editing technology in liver cancer patients

On October 25, 2022 Rznomics Inc., a South Korea based biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development of RNA-based gene therapeutics, reported that received Phase 1/2a IND approval from the U.S FDA in October 10th for its hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment called RZ-001 and thus has achieved an important milestone for the company and the RNA editing field (Press release, Rznomics, OCT 25, 2022, View Source [SID1234622374]). Being the first U.S. FDA-approved ribozyme-based RNA reprogramming approach to be evaluated in patients, RZ-001, a gene therapy approach utilizing the company’s proprietary trans-splicing ribozyme-based RNA reprogramming and editing technology, is a replication-incompetent adenoviral vector that expresses an hTERT targeting ribozyme with multiple additional MoA to treat HCC patients. Rznomics also received IND approval of RZ-001 from the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety this June and already initiated a phase 1/2a clinical trial in Korea. Therefore, U.S. FDA approval allows Rznomics to start an international clinical study in HCC patients treating them with RZ-001 and therapeutic RNA editing.

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The trans-splicing ribozyme is derived from the self-splicing Tetrahymena group I intron, which both recognizes and reprograms the target RNA into the therapeutic transcript of interest. Ribozyme-based RNA editing technology developed by Rznomics has unique features, differentiating it from other nucleic acid-based editing approaches, as follows: (1) A single RNA molecule is capable of both suppressing target RNA expression and simultaneously expressing a therapeutic RNA. Thus, no potentially antigenic proteins or cofactors are required. (2) Safety can be improved by selectively inducing therapeutic RNA expression only in cells/tissues where the target gene is expressed. (3) Therapeutic gene expression can be regulated proportionally to endogenous cellular target RNA levels. (4) Editing occurs at the RNA level, not the genomic level, thus eliminating concerns about genomic toxicity and eternal genome changes. (5) Indications with multiple mutation sites scattered throughout a target RNA can be edited with a single RNA designed to react upstream of all mutations and by replacing and editing large stretches of RNA. (6) Additional safety can be conferred by building control mechanisms into the ribozyme itself, without the need to modulate intrinsic cellular mechanisms or external proteins.

More specifically, RZ-001 engenders effective anti-HCC activity by suppressing hTERT expression selectively in cancer cells, which over-express hTERT, and simultaneously inducing a cytotoxic effect by trans ligating an HSVtk-encoding sequence into the reprogrammed hTERT mRNA. Moreover, the result of such editing efficiently induces immune cell infiltrations into HCC tumors in preclinical animal models. (View Source). The Phase 1/2a clinical trial will be a dose escalation/expansion study to assess the safety and tolerability of RZ-001 and to determine the most effective dose with the least toxicities of RZ-001 in HCC patients with no extrahepatic metastasis.

"The translation of the first trans-splicing-based RNA editing approach into an FDA-approved phase 1/2a clinical trial is an exciting achievement and a critical milestone for the RNA editing field. I am very excited about Rznomics’ preclinical progress on ribozyme design and gene delivery optimization. The advances have allowed them to create and now translate a promising therapy, RZ-001, into the clinic. I and the entire editing field are eager to learn if RZ-001 and mRNA reprogramming is safe and able to combat hepatocellular carcinoma in patients. Rznomics is clearly a leader at bringing novel editing strategies to cancer patients that desperately need innovative, breakthrough therapies," said Dr. Bruce Sullenger, Joseph, and Dorothy Beard Professor of Surgery at Duke University. Dr. Sullenger is a scientific advisory board member of Rznomics and the initial pioneer developing approaches to therapeutically edit RNA and DNA using RNA guided endonucleases (RGENs) such as the group trans-splicing I ribozyme..

"It’s a monumental achievement of Rznomics that RZ-001, the first trans-splicing ribozyme therapy at the front of our therapeutic pipeline, has successfully received the IND approval in both Korea and the United States. I am really grateful that RZ-001 earned the opportunity to potentially fulfill the unmet needs of HCC patients. Through the advanced development phase, I hope Rznomics can provide more new therapeutic options to patients suffering from intractable diseases. Rznomics will further expand our pipeline by targeting indications with highly unmet medical needs for which the unique characteristics of our platform technology may be the most competitively applied." said Dr. Seong-Wook Lee, CEO and founder of Rznomics.

In addition to the HCC, Rznomics is expanding the indication of RZ-001 to glioblastoma multiforme and planning to submit the IND this year. Also under development are ribozyme-based RNA editing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (RZ-003) and inherited retinal dystrophies, called Retinitis pigmentosa (RZ-004).

PreludeDx™ Presents DCISionRT® Data in Oral Presentation at the American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting

On October 25, 2022 Prelude Corporation (PreludeDx), a leader in molecular diagnostics and precision medicine for early-stage breast cancer, reported study results demonstrating that DCISionRT provides patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) superior risk and RT benefit prediction compared to common clinicopathologic features. The data was presented in an oral presentation at the 64th Annual American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Meeting, held on October 23 – 26, 2022 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX (Press release, Prelude Therapeutics, OCT 25, 2022, View Source [SID1234622373]).

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This study, titled ‘Re-thinking clinicopathologic risk assessment in DCIS: Pooled data from validation studies comparing a 7-gene DCIS assay to clinicopathologic features alone’, highlighted that clinicopathologic criteria were poor predictors of 10-year ipsilateral breast recurrence (IBR) rates and radiation therapy (RT) benefit in 926 women from four international cohorts.

"With DCISionRT, clinicians can now identify which DCIS patients, despite having low-risk clinicopathologic features, who can decrease their risk of recurrence by 70% or more with RT after breast conserving surgery. Utilizing this genomic tool, we can also confidently identify a truly Low Risk group of patients who can safely forego RT, even if they have high risk clinicopathologic factors," said Chirag Shah, MD, Co-Director of Comprehensive Breast Program and Director of Clinical Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH. "It is important to follow the clinical evidence when making the best treatment decisions with our patients. As clinicians, we should not rely on clinicopathologic factors alone, which are inadequate to personalize radiation treatment decisions, especially when compared to the DCISionRT predictive test."

"DCISionRT provides unique game-changing information to enable physicians and DCIS patients to confidently make a personalized treatment decision," said Dan Forche, President and CEO of PreludeDx. "We are honored by the overwhelming recognition of this latest data with oral presentations at three national medical conferences and the recent publication of validation data in ASTRO’s prestigious Red Journal."

About DCISionRT for Breast DCIS
DCISionRT is the only risk assessment test for patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) that predicts radiation therapy benefit. Patients with DCIS have cancerous cells lining the milk ducts of the breast, but they have not spread into surrounding breast tissue. In the US, over 60,000 women are newly diagnosed with DCIS each year. DCISionRT, developed by PreludeDx on technology licensed from the University of California San Francisco, and built on research that began with funding from the National Cancer Institute, enables physicians to better understand the biology of DCIS. DCISionRT combines the latest innovations in molecular biology with risk-based assessment scores to assess a woman’s individual tumor biology along with other pathologic risk factors and provide a personalized recurrence risk. The test provides a Decision Score that identifies a woman’s risk as low or elevated. Unlike other risk assessment tools, the DCISionRT test combines protein expression from seven biomarkers and four clinicopathologic factors, using a non-linear algorithm to account for multiple interactions between individual factors in order to better interpret complex biological information. DCISionRT’s intelligent reporting provides a woman’s recurrence risk after breast conserving surgery alone and with the addition of radiation therapy. In turn, this new information may help patients and their physicians to make more informed treatment decisions.

Quadriga BioSciences Announces Completion of Enrollment in Phase 1 Study of QBS72S for Solid Tumors

On October 25, 2022 Quadriga BioSciences, a clinical-stage oncology company developing QBS10072S (QBS72S) for the targeted treatment of cancer, reported the completion of enrollment for a Phase 1 dose escalation study investigating QBS72S in patients with advanced or metastatic solid cancers (Press release, Quadriga BioSciences, OCT 25, 2022, View Source [SID1234622372]).

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"Completing the enrollment of our dose-ranging Phase 1 study is an important milestone in the development of QBS72S," said Gordon Ringold, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Quadriga BioSciences. "With the study complete, Quadriga is able to launch two Phase 2 studies investigating QBS72S for brain malignancies, each of which is supported by funding from an SBIR grant. We are fortunate for the support of all involved as we continue to advance QBS72S development."

The Phase 1, multi-center, open-label, dose-escalation study [NCT04430842] was designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of QBS72S in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors. Results of the Phase 1 study have informed the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) for two imminent Phase 2 studies: one investigating QBS72S for the potential treatment of brain metastases of triple negative breast cancer at Stanford University [NCT05305365] and one investigating QBS72S for the potential treatment of glioblastoma at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute [NCT02977780]. Each of the studies is funded by a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant; the two grants were awarded to Quadriga by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the development of QBS72S. The studies are expected to launch in Q4’2022.

About QBS72S

QBS72S is a novel, first-in-class chemotherapeutic agent that mimics an aromatic amino acid for cellular uptake by the amino acid transporter LAT1 (L-type amino acid transporter 1) thereby enabling the drug to cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) as well as to selectively target numerous types of rapidly growing cancer cells. Once inside the cell QBS72S causes double-stranded DNA breaks resulting in cell death. Most aggressive cancers express high LAT1, which is commonly associated with poor prognoses.1

U.S. FDA Approves TECVAYLI™ (teclistamab-cqyv), the First Bispecific T-cell Engager Antibody for the Treatment of Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma

On October 25, 2022 The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved TECVAYLI (teclistamab-cqyv) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, who previously received four or more prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, immunomodulatory drug and anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody (Press release, Johnson & Johnson, OCT 25, 2022, View Source [SID1234622371]).1 TECVAYLI is a first-in-class, bispecific T-cell engager antibody that is administered as a subcutaneous treatment.1 This off-the-shelf (or ready to use) therapy uses innovative science to activate the immune system by binding to the CD3 receptor expressed on the surface of T-cells and to the B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) expressed on the surface of multiple myeloma cells and some healthy B-lineage cells.1

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This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trial(s).1

TECVAYLI is Janssen’s fourth approved treatment for multiple myeloma, further diversifying the company’s industry-leading oncology portfolio and deepening its commitment to discovering and developing therapies for this rare blood cancer.

"We are greatly encouraged by the FDA’s approval of teclistamab and Janssen’s commitment to the multiple myeloma community," said Michael Andreini, President and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. "Multiple myeloma is a life-threatening disease with considerable unmet need, and teclistamab is an important new treatment option for patients who have faced multiple relapses."

The pivotal Phase 2 MajesTEC-1 clinical trial included patients who had received a median of five prior lines of therapy (n=110).1 An overall response rate (ORR) of 61.8 percent (95 percent Confidence Interval [CI]: 52.1 percent, 70.9 percent) was achieved, notably with 28.2 percent of patients achieving a complete response (CR) or better (CR or stringent complete response [sCR]).1 The median time to first response was 1.2 months (range 0.2 to 5.5 months). With a median follow-up of 7.4 months, the estimated duration of response (DOR) rate was 90.6 percent (95 percent CI: 80.3 percent, 95.7 percent) at six months and 66.5 percent (95 percent CI: 38.8 percent, 83.9 percent) at nine months.1 The study included heavily pretreated patients, and 78 percent of patients received four or more prior lines of therapy.1 All patients were triple-class exposed (to a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody), and 76 percent were triple-class refractory (to a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody).1

"Today’s achievement, which marks an important addition to our diverse and growing oncology portfolio, strengthens our resolve to discover and develop much-needed cancer treatments for patients and physicians," said Peter Lebowitz, M.D., Ph.D., Global Therapeutic Area Head, Oncology, Janssen Research & Development, LLC. "The approval of TECVAYLI, which demonstrated an overall response rate of more than 60 percent in heavily pretreated patients, underscores our commitment to translate science into medicines as we strive toward our goal of one day eliminating this disease."

The Safety Information for TECVAYLI includes a boxed warning for Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) and Neurologic Toxicity including immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome in addition to warnings and precautions for hepatotoxicity, infections, neutropenia, hypersensitivity and other administrative reactions and embryo-fetal toxicity.1 The most common adverse reactions (>20%) in the safety population of MajesTEC-1 (n=165) were pyrexia, CRS, musculoskeletal pain, injection site reaction, fatigue, upper respiratory tract infection, nausea, headache, pneumonia, and diarrhea.1 The most common Grade 3 to 4 laboratory abnormalities (>20%) were decreased lymphocytes, decreased neutrophils, decreased white blood cells, decreased hemoglobin and decreased platelets.1 TECVAYLI is available only through a restricted program called the TECVAYLI Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy.1 Details of the Important Safety Information are included below. TECVAYLI is supplied as 30mg/3mL and 153mg/1.7mL single-dose vials.1

"In the pivotal teclistamab study, we have continued to observe positive results in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma," said Ajai Chari, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and study investigator.‡ "As a clinician and researcher, I see first-hand the human toll of this incurable disease. The approval of teclistamab, as the first bispecific antibody in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, is a meaningful step in helping many of these hard-to-treat patients."

About the MajesTEC-1 Study 1
MajesTEC-1 (NCT04557098, NCT03145181), is a Phase 1/2 single-arm, open-label, multicohort, multicenter dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of TECVAYLI in adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who received three or more prior lines of therapy.

Phase 1 of the study (NCT03145181) was conducted in two parts: dose escalation (Part 1) and dose expansion (Part 2). It evaluated safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and preliminary efficacy of TECVAYLI in adult participants with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Study criteria excluded patients who had stroke, seizure, allogenic stem cell transplantation within the past six months, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score of 2 or higher, known active CNS involvement or clinical signs of meningeal involvement of multiple myeloma, or active or documented history of autoimmune disease, with the exception of vitiligo, Type 1 diabetes, and prior autoimmune thyroiditis.

Phase 2 of the study (NCT04557098) evaluated the efficacy of TECVAYLI at the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D), established at subcutaneous 1.5 mg/kg weekly, as measured by ORR. During week one, participants received step-up doses of TECVAYLI subcutaneous (0.06 and 0.3 mg/kg). Subsequently, participants received weekly treatment doses of TECVAYLI subcutaneous 1.5 mg/kg until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Efficacy was established based on ORR as determined by the Independent Review Committee (IRC) assessment using International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) 2016 criteria.

The primary endpoint was overall response rate or unacceptable toxicity. Secondary endpoints included duration of response, very good partial response, complete response, stringent complete response, time to response, minimal residual disease status, progression-free survival, overall survival, safety, pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity and patient-reported outcomes.

TECVAYLI Important Safety Information
WARNING: CYTOKINE RELEASE SYNDROME and NEUROLOGIC TOXICITY including IMMUNE EFFECTOR CELL-ASSOCIATED NEUROTOXICITY SYNDROME
Cytokine release syndrome (CRS), including life-threatening or fatal reactions, can occur in patients receiving TECVAYLI. Initiate treatment with TECVAYLI step-up dosing schedule to reduce risk of CRS. Withhold TECVAYLI until CRS resolves or permanently discontinue based on severity.
Neurologic toxicity, including Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS) and serious and life-threatening reactions, can occur in patients receiving TECVAYLI. Monitor patients for signs or symptoms of neurologic toxicity, including ICANS, during treatment and treat promptly. Withhold TECVAYLI until neurologic toxicity resolves or permanently discontinue based on severity.
TECVAYLI is available only through a restricted program called the TECVAYLI Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS).
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
Cytokine Release Syndrome – TECVAYLI can cause cytokine release syndrome (CRS), including life-threatening or fatal reactions. In the clinical trial, CRS occurred in 72% of patients who received TECVAYLI at the recommended dose, with Grade 1 CRS occurring in 50% of patients, Grade 2 in 21%, and Grade 3 in 0.6%. Recurrent CRS occurred in 33% of patients. Most patients experienced CRS following step-up dose 1 (42%), step-up dose 2 (35%), or the initial treatment dose (24%). Less than 3% of patients developed first occurrence of CRS following subsequent doses of TECVAYLI. The median time to onset of CRS was 2 (range: 1 to 6) days after the most recent dose with a median duration of 2 (range: 1 to 9) days. Clinical signs and symptoms of CRS included, but were not limited to, fever, hypoxia, chills, hypotension, sinus tachycardia, headache, and elevated liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase elevation).

Initiate therapy according to TECVAYLI step-up dosing schedule to reduce risk of CRS. Administer pretreatment medications to reduce risk of CRS and monitor patients following administration of TECVAYLI accordingly. At the first sign of CRS, immediately evaluate patient for hospitalization. Administer supportive care based on severity and consider further management per current practice guidelines. Withhold or permanently discontinue TECVAYLI based on severity.

TECVAYLI is available only through a restricted program under a REMS.

Neurologic Toxicity including ICANS – TECVAYLI can cause serious or life-threatening neurologic toxicity, including Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS)

In the clinical trial, neurologic toxicity occurred in 57% of patients who received TECVAYLI at the recommended dose, with Grade 3 or 4 neurologic toxicity occurring in 2.4% of patients. The most frequent neurologic toxicities were headache (25%), motor dysfunction (16%), sensory neuropathy (15%), and encephalopathy (13%). With longer follow-up, Grade 4 seizure and fatal Guillain-Barré syndrome (one patient each) occurred in patients who received TECVAYLI.

In the clinical trial, ICANS was reported in 6% of patients who received TECVAYLI at the recommended dose. Recurrent ICANS occurred in 1.8% of patients. Most patients experienced ICANS following step-up dose 1 (1.2%), step-up dose 2 (0.6%), or the initial treatment dose (1.8%). Less than 3% of patients developed first occurrence of ICANS following subsequent doses of TECVAYLI. The median time to onset of ICANS was 4 (range: 2 to 8) days after the most recent dose with a median duration of 3 (range: 1 to 20) days. The most frequent clinical manifestations of ICANS reported were confusional state and dysgraphia. The onset of ICANS can be concurrent with CRS, following resolution of CRS, or in the absence of CRS.

Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of neurologic toxicity during treatment. At the first sign of neurologic toxicity, including ICANS, immediately evaluate patient and provide supportive therapy based on severity. Withhold or permanently discontinue TECVAYLI based on severity per management recommendations and consider further management per current practice guidelines.

Due to the potential for neurologic toxicity, patients are at risk of depressed level of consciousness. Advise patients to refrain from driving or operating heavy or potentially dangerous machinery during and for 48 hours after completion of TECVAYLI step-up dosing schedule and in the event of new onset of any neurologic toxicity symptoms until neurologic toxicity resolves.

TECVAYLI is available only through a restricted program under a REMS.

TECVAYLI REMS – TECVAYLI is available only through a restricted program under a REMS called the TECVAYLI REMS because of the risks of CRS and neurologic toxicity, including ICANS.

Hepatotoxicity – TECVAYLI can cause hepatoxicity, including fatalities. In patients who received TECVAYLI at the recommended dose in the clinical trial, there was one fatal case of hepatic failure. Elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) occurred in 34% of patients, with Grade 3 or 4 elevations in 1.2%. Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) occurred in 28% of patients, with Grade 3 or 4 elevations in 1.8%. Elevated total bilirubin occurred in 6% of patients with Grade 3 or 4 elevations in 0.6%. Liver enzyme elevation can occur with or without concurrent CRS.

Monitor liver enzymes and bilirubin at baseline and during treatment as clinically indicated. Withhold TECVAYLI or consider permanent discontinuation of TECVAYLI based on severity.

Infections – TECVAYLI can cause severe, life-threatening, or fatal infections. In patients who received TECVAYLI at the recommended dose in the clinical trial, serious infections, including opportunistic infections, occurred in 30% of patients, with Grade 3 or 4 infections in 35%, and fatal infections in 4.2%. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of infection prior to and during treatment with TECVAYLI and treat appropriately. Administer prophylactic antimicrobials according to guidelines. Withhold TECVAYLI or consider permanent discontinuation of TECVAYLI based on severity.

Monitor immunoglobulin levels during treatment with TECVAYLI and treat according to guidelines, including infection precautions and antibiotic or antiviral prophylaxis.

Neutropenia – TECVAYLI can cause neutropenia and febrile neutropenia. In patients who received TECVAYLI at the recommended dose in the clinical trial, decreased neutrophils occurred in 84% of patients, with Grade 3 or 4 decreased neutrophils in 56%. Febrile neutropenia occurred in 3% of patients.

Monitor complete blood cell counts at baseline and periodically during treatment and provide supportive care per local institutional guidelines.

Monitor patients with neutropenia for signs of infection.

Withhold TECVAYLI based on severity.

Hypersensitivity and Other Administration Reactions – TECVAYLI can cause both systemic administration-related and local injection-site reactions. Systemic Reactions – In patients who received TECVAYLI at the recommended dose in the clinical trial, 1.2% of patients experienced systemic-administration reactions, which included Grade 1 recurrent pyrexia and Grade 1 swollen tongue. Local Reactions – In patients who received TECVAYLI at the recommended dose in the clinical trial, injection-site reactions occurred in 35% of patients with Grade 1 injection-site reactions in 30% and Grade 2 in 4.8%. Withhold TECVAYLI or consider permanent discontinuation of TECVAYLI based on severity.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity – Based on its mechanism of action, TECVAYLI may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to the fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with TECVAYLI and for 5 months after the last dose.

Adverse Reactions – The most common adverse reactions (≥20%) were pyrexia, CRS, musculoskeletal pain, injection site reaction, fatigue, upper respiratory tract infection, nausea, headache, pneumonia, and diarrhea. The most common Grade 3 to 4 laboratory abnormalities (≥20%) were decreased lymphocytes, decreased neutrophils, decreased white blood cells, decreased hemoglobin and decreased platelets.

Please read full Prescribing Information including Boxed Warning for TECVAYLI.

About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is an incurable blood cancer that affects a type of white blood cell called plasma cells, which are found in the bone marrow.2 In multiple myeloma, these plasma cells change, spread rapidly and replace normal cells in the bone marrow with tumors.3 In 2022, it is estimated that more than 34,000 people will be diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and more than 12,000 people will die from the disease in the U.S.4 While some people diagnosed with multiple myeloma initially have no symptoms, most patients are diagnosed due to symptoms that can include bone fracture or pain, low red blood cell counts, tiredness, high calcium levels, kidney problems or infections.5