June 12, 2022: “Novartis announced long-term results from the ELIANA pivotal clinical trial of Kymriah® (tisagenlecleucel), the first-ever approved CAR-T cell therapy, in children and young adult patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), with a maximum survival follow-up of 5.9 years.
For the 79 patients treated with Kymriah in this study, the five-year overall survival (OS) rate was 55% (95% CI, 43-66), while the median event-free survival (EFS) for patients in remission within three months of infusion (n=65) was 43.8 months.
These findings demonstrate the curative potential of Kymriah, the only CAR-T cell therapy available for these patients who previously had limited treatment options.
These data were presented as an oral presentation during the 2022 European Hematology Association (EHA) Hybrid Congress (Abstract #S112)1.
“These data mark a moment of profound hope for children, young adults and their families with relapsed or refractory B-cell ALL, as relapse after five years is rare,” said Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD, Section Chief of the Cellular Therapy and Transplant Section, and Inaugural Director of the Susan S. and Stephen P. Kelly Center for Cancer Immunotherapy at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
“Since the approval of Kymriah nearly five years ago, we have been able to offer a truly game-changing option to patients who previously faced a five-year survival rate of less than 10 percent.”
This long-term follow up of ELIANA demonstrated the potential for Kymriah to transform cancer treatment in pediatric and young adult patients with r/r B-cell ALL, significantly improving outcomes with durable responses and a consistent safety profile in this patient population:
- Eighty-two percent of patients experienced remission (either complete remission [CR] or CR with incomplete hematologic recovery within three months after infusion) (95% CI, 72-90)
- For patients in remission, the five-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rate was 44% (95% CI, 31-56) and the median RFS was 43 months
- No new or unexpected adverse events were reported during long-term follow-up
“At Novartis, we strive for cures. With nearly six-year follow-up data in these pediatric and young adults treated for B-cell ALL, we have our strongest evidence yet that one-time treatment with Kymriah has curative potential,” said Jeff Legos, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Oncology & Hematology Development.
“These results strengthen our confidence in CAR-T cell therapies as a truly transformative and paradigm-shifting advance in cancer care, as well as our commitment to continue developing this technology with next-generation platforms.”
Additional updates on the Novartis CAR-T program presented at the 2022 EHA Congress include new data from more patients and longer follow-up from the first-in-human dose-escalation trials with YTB323 in adults with r/r diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and PHE885 in adults with r/r multiple myeloma, the first Novartis CAR-T cell therapies developed using the Novartis T-Charge™ platform.
Visit https://www.hcp.novartis.com/virtual-congress/eha-2022/ to learn more about these data and our ongoing commitment to reimagining cancer care with CAR-T cell therapies.
About Kymriah®
Kymriah is the first-ever FDA-approved CAR-T cell therapy.
It is a one-time treatment designed to empower patients’ immune systems to fight their cancer.
Kymriah is currently approved for the treatment of r/r pediatric and young adult (up to and including 25 years of age) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), r/r adult diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and r/r adult follicular lymphoma.”
