Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. announced the publication of naxitamab-based chemoimmunotherapy in patients with chemoresistant high-risk neuroblastoma (?HR-NB?) in the journal Cancers. Approximately 50% of HR-NB patients are unable to achieve a complete response (?CR?) or very good partial response (?VGPR?) at the end of induction (?EOI?) and have poor long term outcomes. This analysis investigated the combination of humanized anti-GD2 mAb naxitamab (?Hu3F8?), irinotecan (?I?), temozolomide (?T?), and sargramostim (GM-CSF)?HITS?in patients with HR-NB who did not achieve a CR/VGPR to induction. Cycles were administered 3-5 weeks apart and the primary endpoint was overall response rate (CR + partial response (?PR?)).
Patients who received HITS immediately after induction had higher response rates (47% versus 18%) and superior estimated 3-year overall survival (85% vs. 29%) compared with those who received the same combination regimen later in the course of treatment. Safety results showed that the findings were consistent with previous studies for naxitamab and HITS. The HITS combination did not appear to exacerbate the rate nor the intensity of infusion-related toxicities of naxitamab when observed as a stand-alone treatment. Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) developed DANYELZA® (naxitamab-gqgk), which is exclusively licensed by MSK to Y-mAbs. MSK has institutional financial interests in the compound and Y-mAbs. DANYELZA® (naxitamab-gqgk) is indicated, in combination with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (?GM-CSF?), for the treatment of pediatric patients 1 year of age and older and adult patients with relapsed or refractory high-risk neuroblastoma in the bone or bone marrow who have demonstrated a partial response, minor response, or stable disease to prior therapy. This indication was approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefits in a confirmatory trial. DANYELZA® includes a Boxed Warning for serious infusion-related reactions, such as cardiac arrest and anaphylaxis, and neurotoxicity, such as severe neuropathic pain and transverse myelitis. See full Prescribing Information for complete Boxed Warning and other important safety information. Y-mAbs is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, antibody-based therapeutic cancer products. In addition to conventional antibodies, the Company?s technologies include bispecific antibodies generated using the Y-BiClone platform and the SADA platform. The Company?s broad and advanced product pipeline includes one FDA-approved product, DANYELZA® (naxitamab-gqgk), which targets tumors that express GD2, and one product candidate, OMBLASTYS® (omburtamab), which targets tumors that express B7-H3.