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FDA COMMENTARY |
Division of Oncology Drug Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Maryland, USA
Correspondence: Martin H. Cohen, M.D., U.S. Food and Drug Administration, HFD-150, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, USA. Fax: 301-594-0499; e-mail: cohenma{at}cder.fda.gov
| ABSTRACT |
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Other submitted data included the results of two large trials conducted in chemotherapy-naive, stage III and IV NSCLC patients. Patients were randomized to receive gefitinib (250 mg or 500 mg daily) or placebo, in combination with either gemcitabine plus cisplatin (n = 1,093) or carboplatin plus paclitaxel (n = 1,037). Results from those studies showed no benefit (response rate, time to progression, or survival) from adding gefitinib to chemotherapy. Consequently, gefinitib is only recommended for use as monotherapy. Common adverse events associated with gefitinib treatment included diarrhea, rash, acne, dry skin, nausea, and vomiting. Most toxicities were Common Toxicity Criteria grade 1 or 2. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) has been observed in patients receiving gefitinib. Worldwide, the incidence of ILD is about 1% (2% in the Japanese postmarketing experience and about 0.3% in a U.S. expanded access program). Approximately one-third of the cases were fatal. Physicians should promptly evaluate new or worsening pulmonary symptoms. If ILD is confirmed, appropriate management includes discontinuation of gefitinib. Gefitinib was approved under accelerated approval regulations on the basis of a surrogate end point response rate. No controlled gefitinib trials, to date, demonstrate a clinical benefit, such as improvement in disease-related symptoms or greater survival. Accelerated approval regulations require the sponsor to conduct further studies to verify that gefitinib therapy produces such a benefit.
Key Words. Gefitinib • Iressa® • Non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic • Third-line treatment
| INTRODUCTION |
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In preclinical studies, the antiproliferative activity of gefitinib, alone or in combination with cytotoxic drugs, was investigated in human ovarian (OVCAR-3), breast (MCF- 10A ras; ZR-75-1), and colon (GEO) cancer cell lines, which express EGFR and transforming growth factor alpha. Gefitinib inhibited colony-forming ability in a concentration-dependent manner. Combining gefitinib with platins (cisplatin, oxaliplatin, carboplatin), taxanes (paclitaxel, docetaxel), topoisomerase inhibitors (doxorubicin, etoposide, topotecan), or the antimetabolite raltitrexed resulted in a markedly greater apoptotic cell death than that induced by single-agent treatment. In studies with colon cancer (GEO) xenografts, combined treatment with gefitinib and cytotoxic agents produced tumor growth arrest and extended the survival of tumor-bearing animals.
The submitted new drug application (NDA) sought accelerated approval for gefitinib as monotherapy for patients receiving third-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). At present, there are four cisplatin-containing doublets (docetaxel, gemcitabine, paclitaxel, vinorelbine) and single-agent vinorelbine approved for the first-line treatment of this patient population. Docetaxel is approved for second-line therapy. Third-line treatment is an unmet need.
| STUDY DESIGN |
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Patient demographics and disease characteristics of the eligible treatment population are summarized in Table 1
. Approximately 75% of the eligible study patients had adenocarcinoma histology (either alone or mixed with squamous cell histology). Thirty-two percent of patients receiving gefitinib 250 mg/day had never smoked. The median time from lung cancer diagnosis to study randomization was 19.6 months.
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| SAFETY |
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5% in either the 250-mg or 500-mg dose group are summarized in Table 4
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| PULMONARY TOXICITY |
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ILD occurred in patients who received prior radiation therapy (31% of reported cases), prior chemotherapy (57% of reported cases), and no previous therapy. Patients with concurrent idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis whose condition worsened while receiving gefitinib have been observed to have a greater rate of mortality. In the randomized studies of gefitinib combined with chemotherapy, the ILD rate was about 1%, but the rate was similar in the gefitinib and control (chemotherapy plus placebo) arms. In the event of pulmonary symptoms (dyspnea, cough, fever), gefitinib therapy should be interrupted, and a prompt investigation of these symptoms should occur. If interstitial lung disease is confirmed, gefitinib should be discontinued and the patient treated appropriately.
Asymptomatic increases in liver transaminases have been observed in gefitinib-treated patients; therefore, periodic liver function testing (transaminases, bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase) should be considered. Discontinuation of gefitinib should be considered if changes are severe.
| CONCLUSIONS |
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The views expressed herein are the result of independent work and do not necessarily represent the views and findings of the U.S. FDA.
Received May 19, 2003; accepted for publication June 20, 2003.
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