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Nilotinib (Tasigna)
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the approved indication for nilotinib (Tasigna®) to include the treatment of children.
The drug is now approved to treat patients age 1 and older who have newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase.
Nilotinib is also approved to treat pediatric patients age 1 and older who have chronic phase, Ph+ CML that is resistant or intolerant to prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, as well as adults with Ph+ CML in chronic phase and accelerated phase that is resistant or intolerant to prior therapy including imatinib.
The new pediatric indications for nilotinib, granted under the FDA’s priority review designation, are based on results from 2 studies of the drug—a phase 1 and phase 2.
According to Novartis, the studies included 69 CML patients who ranged in age from 2 to 17. They had either newly diagnosed, chronic phase, Ph+ CML or chronic phase, Ph+ CML with resistance or intolerance to prior TKI therapy.
In the newly diagnosed patients, the major molecular response (MMR) rate was 60.0% at 12 cycles, with 15 patients achieving MMR.
In patients with resistance or intolerance to prior therapy, the MMR rate was 40.9% at 12 cycles, with 18 patients being in MMR.
In newly diagnosed patients, the cumulative MMR rate was 64.0% by cycle 12. In patients with resistance or intolerance to prior therapy, the cumulative MMR rate was 47.7% by cycle 12.
Adverse events were generally consistent with those observed in adults, with the exception of hyperbilirubinemia and transaminase elevation, which were reported at a higher frequency than in adults.
The rate of grade 3/4 hyperbilirubinemia was 13.0%, the rate of grade 3/4 AST elevation was 1.4%, and the rate of grade 3/4 ALT elevation was 8.7%.
There were no deaths on treatment or after treatment discontinuation.
There was 1 patient with resistant/intolerant CML who progressed to advance phase/blast crisis after about 10 months on nilotinib.