On July 18, 2018 Novartis reported a new approval for Kisqali (ribociclib) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for women with hormone-receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced or metastatic breast cancer (Press release, Novartis, JUL 18, 2018, View Source [SID1234527768]). Kisqali is now the only CDK4/6 inhibitor indicated for use with an aromatase inhibitor for the treatment of pre-, peri- or postmenopausal women in the US, and also is indicated for use in combination with fulvestrant as both first- or second-line therapy in postmenopausal women[1]. FDA reviewed this supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) under its Real-Time Oncology Review and Assessment Aid pilot programs and approved the application in less than one month after submission.

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"Compelling data for Kisqali have led to the broadest first-line indications of any CDK4/6 inhibitor," said Liz Barrett, CEO, Novartis Oncology. "With this new approval Kisqali has the potential to help even more people in the US live a longer life without progression of disease from this incurable form of breast cancer."

This approval is based on the pivotal MONALEESA-7 and MONALEESA-3 Phase III clinical trials that demonstrated prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) and improvements as early as eight weeks for Kisqali-based regimens compared to endocrine therapy alone[1]. In MONALEESA-7, Kisqali plus an aromatase inhibitor and goserelin nearly doubled the median PFS compared to an aromatase inhibitor and goserelin alone (27.5 months compared to 13.8 months; HR=0.569; 95% CI: 0.436-0.743) in pre- or perimenopausal women[1]. In MONALEESA-3, Kisqali plus fulvestrant demonstrated a median PFS of 20.5 months compared to 12.8 months for fulvestrant alone (HR=0.593; 95% CI: 0.480-0.732) across the overall population of first-line and second-line postmenopausal women[1].

"These MONALEESA clinical trial program data add to the body of evidence that CDK 4/6 inhibition, in the case of these studies with ribociclib, gives women diagnosed with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer an important first-line treatment option," said Dennis J. Slamon, MD, Director of Clinical/Translational Research, University of California, Los Angeles Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Based on Phase III trial results that consistently showed clinical benefit, physicians should be encouraged to re-evaluate treatment for advanced breast cancer in the first-line setting."

Approximately 155,000 people in the US are living with metastatic breast cancer[2]. Up to one-third of patients with early-stage breast cancer will subsequently develop advanced disease, for which there is currently no cure[3]. Advanced breast cancer in premenopausal women is a biologically distinct and more aggressive disease, and it is the leading cause of cancer death in women 20-59 years old[4],[5].

"Premenopausal women diagnosed with advanced breast cancer often face unique social challenges and a poorer prognosis. For the first time in nearly 20 years, we have results from a dedicated clinical trial among these women," said Jennifer Merschdorf, CEO, Young Survival Coalition. "With this approval, some younger women now have a new therapy indicated specifically for them that may help extend their lives without progression of disease."

Novartis is committed to providing patients with access to medicines, as well as resources and support to address a range of needs. The Kisqali patient support program is available to help guide eligible patients through the various aspects of getting started on treatment, from providing educational information to helping them understand their insurance coverage and identify potential financial assistance options. For more information, patients and healthcare professionals can call 1-800-282-7630.

Discussions with global health authorities regarding the MONALEESA-3 and MONALEESA-7 data are ongoing.

About Kisqali Clinical Trial Programs
With more than 2,000 patients enrolled in current trials, the MONALEESA program is the largest industry sponsored Phase III clinical program researching a CDK4/6 inhibitor in HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer:

MONALEESA-7 is the only Phase III global registration trial investigating the efficacy and safety of a CDK4/6 inhibitor, Kisqali, in combination with an aromatase inhibitor plus goserelin versus an aromatase inhibitor plus goserelin, in pre- or perimenopausal women with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer who had not previously received endocrine therapy for advanced disease. Results from the pre-specified NSAI-only subgroup of 495 pre- or perimenopausal women with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer who received no prior endocrine therapy for advanced disease showed an estimated median progression-free survival (PFS, RECIST 1.1) of 27.5 months for patients on the Kisqali arm compared with 13.8 months for those on the placebo arm (HR 0.569; 95% CI: 0.436, 0.743). Kisqali is not indicated for concomitant use with tamoxifen[6].
MONALEESA-3 is a Phase III global registration trial evaluating Kisqali in combination with fulvestrant compared to fulvestrant alone in postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer who have received no or a maximum of one prior endocrine therapy. Nearly 70% of patients in MONALEESA-3 receiving Kisqali plus fulvestrant as initial therapy were estimated to remain progression-free at the median follow-up of 16.5 months (median PFS not reached vs.18.3 months; HR=0.577; 95% CI: 0.415-0.802)[1].
MONALEESA-2 is a Phase III global registration trial evaluating Kisqali in combination with letrozole compared to letrozole alone in postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer who received no prior therapy for advanced breast cancer that led to the initial FDA approval. MONALEESA-2 is ongoing to evaluate overall survival[1].
Across the pivotal trials (M2, M3, and M7), the most common adverse reactions (incidence >=20%) were neutropenia, nausea, infections, fatigue, diarrhea, leukopenia, vomiting, alopecia, headache, constipation, rash and cough[1].

CompLEEment-1 is an open-label, multicenter, Phase IIIb study evaluating the safety and efficacy of Kisqali plus letrozole in pre- or postmenopausal women and men with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer who have not received prior hormonal therapy for advanced disease[6].

More information about these studies can be found at www.ClinicalTrials.gov.

Novartis is continuing the development of Kisqali in early breast cancer (EBC) through a collaboration with Translational Research In Oncology (TRIO). The NATALEE study is a Phase III clinical trial of Kisqali with endocrine therapy in the adjuvant treatment of HR+/HER2- EBC[6].

About Kisqali (ribociclib)
Kisqali is a selective cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, a class of drugs that help slow the progression of cancer by inhibiting two proteins called cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6). These proteins, when over-activated, can enable cancer cells to grow and divide too quickly. Targeting CDK4/6 with enhanced precision may play a role in ensuring that cancer cells do not continue to replicate uncontrollably[6].

Kisqali was initially approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in March 2017 and by the European Commission in August 2017, as initial endocrine-based therapy for postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer in combination with an aromatase inhibitor based on findings from the pivotal MONALEESA-2 trial[6].

Kisqali is approved for use in more than 60 countries around the world, including the United States and European Union member states. Kisqali is not currently approved for use in combination with fulvestrant or in premenopausal women in Europe. Kisqali was developed by the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) under a research collaboration with Astex Pharmaceuticals[6].