INDIANAPOLIS, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX, Telix, the Company) today announces that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplementary New Drug Application (sNDA) for Illuccix® (kit for the preparation of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide injection) to enable its use for the selection of patients with metastatic prostate cancer, for whom 177Lu 177 PSMA-directed therapy is indicated.[1]
The label expansion means Illuccix is now approved in the U.S. to select patients who are candidates for the only FDA-approved prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)- directed radioligand therapy (Pluvicto®),[2] providing doctors with critical information to help optimize and guide treatment decisions. To qualify for radioligand therapy, patients must be imaged with an approved gallium-based PSMA-PET agent.[3]
As the only diagnostic agent for suspected metastatic and recurrent prostate cancer that combines the accuracy of gallium imaging with the reliability and flexibility of Telix's distribution network, the expanded indication for Illuccix has the potential to improve access to imaging for patients who are candidates for radioligand therapy.
Kevin Richardson, Chief Executive Officer for Telix Americas said, "We welcome the FDA's decision to expand the label indication for Illuccix. This additional indication further demonstrates our continued commitment to support patients fighting prostate cancer and to empower the doctors who treat them. Clinicians now have the ability to use Illuccix in more stages of the patient journey, to confidently and accurately detect and help manage this disease."
Use of Illuccix in the VISION Phase III study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03511664)[4] helped doctors detect prostate cancer and identify the appropriate patients for PSMA-based radioligand therapy. Telix wishes to acknowledge collaboration with Novartis to deliver this outcome to patients.
Dr Oliver Sartor, Medical Director at Tulane Cancer Center, added, "As radioligand therapy for prostate cancer becomes more prevalent, it is critical for doctors to understand who may or may not respond to those treatments. There's no doubt that appropriate selection of patients for PSMA targeted radioligand therapy is dependent on appropriate imaging. Ga-68 PSMA-11 PET was used in the VISION trial and, when used in combination with contrast-enhanced CT, represents a powerful tool for detecting prostate cancer and helping guide patient management."
It is estimated that 32,000 patients per year in the U.S. may be considered for PSMA-directed radioligand therapy.[5]
INDICATIONS AND USAGE
ILLUCCIX, after radiolabeling with Ga 68, is for positron emission tomography (PET) of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positive lesions in men with prostate cancer:
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
Risk for Misinterpretation
Image interpretation errors can occur with ILLUCCIX PET. A negative image does not rule out the presence of prostate cancer, and a positive image does not confirm the presence of prostate cancer. Gallium Ga 68 gozetotide uptake is not specific for prostate cancer and may occur with other types of cancer as well as non-malignant processes such as Paget's disease, fibrous dysplasia, and osteophytosis. Clinical correlation, which may include histopathological evaluation of the suspected prostate cancer site, is recommended.
Imaging Prior to Initial Definitive or Suspected Recurrence Therapy
The performance of ILLUCCIX for imaging of biochemically recurrent prostate cancer seems to be affected by serum PSA levels and by site of disease. The performance of ILLUCCIX for imaging of metastatic pelvic lymph nodes prior to initial definitive therapy seems to be affected by Gleason score.
Imaging to Select Patients for Lutetium Lu 177 Vipivotide Tetraxetan Therapy
The interpretation of ILLUCCIX PET may differ depending on imaging readers. ILLUCCIX PET interpretations to select patients for lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan therapy may be more consistent when judging gallium Ga 68 gozetotide uptake in any one tumor lesion compared to judging uptake for all lesions larger than size criteria. Multidisciplinary consultation to select patients for lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan therapy is recommended, particularly for ILLUCCIX imaging that a single reader finds borderline or difficult to interpret, or when patient eligibility hinges only on judgment of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide uptake for all lesions larger than size criteria.
Radiation Risks
Gallium Ga 68 gozetotide contributes to a patient's overall long-term cumulative radiation exposure. Long-term cumulative radiation exposure is associated with an increased risk for cancer. Ensure safe handling to minimize radiation exposure to the patient and healthcare providers. Advise patients to hydrate before and after administration and to void frequently after administration.
ADVERSE REACTIONS
The safety of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide was evaluated in 960 patients in the PSMA-PreRP and PSMA-BCR studies, each receiving one dose of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide. The average injected activity was 188.7 ± 40.7 MBq (5.1 ± 1.1 mCi). The most commonly reported adverse reactions were nausea, diarrhea, and dizziness, occurring at a rate of <1%.
In the VISION study, 1003 patients received one dose of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide intravenously with the amount of radioactivity 167.1 ± 23.1 MBq (4.52 ± 0.62 mCi). Adverse reactions occurring at ≥0.5% in patients with metastatic prostate cancer who received gallium Ga 68 gozetotide injection in the clinical study were fatigue (1.2%), nausea (0.8%), constipation (0.5%), and vomiting (0.5%).
Adverse reactions occurring at a rate of < 0.5% in the VISION study were diarrhea, dry mouth, injection site reactions, including injection site hematoma and injection site warmth and chills.
DRUG INTERACTIONS
Androgen deprivation therapy and other therapies targeting the androgen pathway
Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and other therapies targeting the androgen pathway, such as androgen receptor antagonists, can result in changes in uptake of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide in prostate cancer. The effect of these therapies on performance of gallium Ga 68 gozetotide PET has not been established.
Please note that this information is not comprehensive.
Please see the Full Prescribing Information at illuccix.com/prescribinginformation
You are encouraged to report suspected adverse reactions of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report adverse reactions to Telix by calling 1-844-455-8638 or emailing pharmacovigilance@telixpharma.com.
About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
Telix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialisation of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Telix is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with international operations in the United States, Europe (Belgium and Switzerland), and Japan. Telix is developing a portfolio of clinical-stage products that aims to address significant unmet medical need in oncology and rare diseases. Telix is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: TLX). For more information visit www.telixpharma.com and follow Telix on Twitter (@TelixPharma) and LinkedIn.
Telix's lead product, Illuccix, has been approved by the FDA,[6] and by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA),[7] and by Health Canada.[8]
Telix Investor Relations
Ms. Kyahn Williamson
Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
SVP Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
Email: kyahn.williamson@telixpharma.com
Legal Notices
This announcement is not intended as promotion or advertising directed to any healthcare professional or other audience in any country worldwide (including Australia, United States and the United Kingdom). This announcement may include forward-looking statements that relate to anticipated future events, financial performance, plans, strategies or business developments. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "outlook", "forecast" and "guidance", or other similar words. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company's good-faith assumptions as to the financial, market, regulatory and other risks and considerations that exist and affect the Company's business and operations in the future and there can be no assurance that any of the assumptions will prove to be correct. In the context of Telix's business, forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about: the initiation, timing, progress and results of Telix's preclinical and clinical studies, and Telix's research and development programs; Telix's ability to advance product candidates into, enrol and successfully complete, clinical studies, including multi-national clinical trials; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, manufacturing activities and product marketing activities; the commercialisation of Telix's product candidates, if or when they have been approved; estimates of Telix's expenses, future revenues and capital requirements; Telix's financial performance; developments relating to Telix's competitors and industry; and the pricing and reimbursement of Telix's product candidates, if and after they have been approved. Telix's actual results, performance or achievements may be materially different from those which may be expressed or implied by such statements, and the differences may be adverse. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
Except as required by applicable laws or regulations, Telix does not undertake to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements. Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance. Readers should read this announcement together with our material risks, as disclosed in our most recently filed reports with the ASX and on our website.
©2023 Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited. The Telix Pharmaceuticals and Illuccix name and logo are trademarks of Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited and its affiliates (all rights reserved). US-ILL-2300021 03/2023.
[1] Specifically, lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan PSMA-directed therapy. |
[2] Pluvicto® is a registered trademark of Novartis AG and/or its affiliates. |
[3] Per the Pluvicto® package insert. |
[4] VISION study sponsored by Endocyte, a Novartis company. Telix provided Illuccix (TLX591-CDx) for 68Ga-PSMA-11 Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Computed Tomography (CT) imaging. |
[5] American Cancer Society (ACS). Key Statistics for Prostate Cancer | Prostate Cancer Facts. 2023. |
[6] ASX disclosure 20 December 2021. |
[7] ASX disclosure 2 November 2021. |
[8] ASX disclosure 14 October 2022. |