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European Commission Approves Bavencio (avelumab) for Metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Usa (ots/PRNewswire)

Not intended for US, Canadian and UK-based media

- First approved immunotherapy for rare and aggressive skin cancer in
  the European Union, with initial launches planned in Germany and 
  the UK    
- Builds on Bavencio's previous accelerated approvals in the US and 
  recent approval in Switzerland    
- Approval is based on data from the Javelin Merkel 200 study 
  including durable tumor response rate and duration of response     

Merck and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for BAVENCIO® (avelumab) as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (mMCC), a rare and aggressive skin cancer.[1] BAVENCIO will have marketing authorization in the 28 countries of the European Union (EU) in addition to Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. BAVENCIO is expected to become commercially available to patients in Europe by prescription within the coming months, with initial launches in Germany and UK expected as early as October 2017.

"The EC's decision is significant for BAVENCIO and more importantly, for European patients living with this very challenging skin cancer," said Luciano Rossetti, M.D., Executive Vice President, Global Head of Research & Development at the biopharma business of Merck. "Our alliance with Pfizer continues to demonstrate the power of working together, and we are grateful to everyone who has helped to bring the first and only approved immunotherapy for mMCC to European patients."

"This European approval further establishes our continued momentum, building on the accelerated approvals BAVENCIO received in the US earlier this year," said Liz Barrett, Global President, Pfizer Oncology. "Importantly, we are now one step closer to our goal of making BAVENCIO available to patients around the world."

Approximately 2,500 Europeans are affected by MCC each year, with metastatic disease diagnosed in 5-12% of patients with MCC. Fewer than 20% of patients with metastatic MCC survive beyond 5 years.[2]-[6]

"Merkel cell carcinoma is a particularly aggressive form of skin cancer with very poor outcomes, especially for those with metastatic disease," said Dirk Schadendorf, MD, Director of Dermatology, University Hospital Essen, Germany. "This approval is a meaningful development for patients and their families suffering from this devastating disease."

The EC approval is based on data from JAVELIN Merkel 200, an international, multicenter, single-arm, open-label, Phase II study; with two parts:[1]

- Part A included 88 patients with mMCC whose disease had progressed 
  after at least one chemotherapy treatment. The objective response 
  rate was 33%, with 11% of patients experiencing a complete response
  and 22% of patients experiencing a partial response. At the time of
  analysis, tumor responses were durable, with 93% of responses 
  lasting at least 6 months (n=25) and 71% of responses lasting at 
  least 12 months (n=13). Duration of response (DOR) ranged from 2.8 
  to more than 24.9 months.
- Part B, at the time of the data cut-off, included 39 patients with 
  histologically confirmed mMCC who were treatment-naïve to systemic 
  therapy in the metastatic setting. The objective response rate was 
  62%, with 14% of patients experiencing a complete response (CR) and
  48% of patients experiencing a partial response (PR). Sixty-seven 
  percent of patients experienced a progression-free survival (PFS) 
  rate of 3 months.

The safety of avelumab has been evaluated in 1,738 patients with solid tumours including metastatic MCC (N=88) receiving 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks of avelumab in clinical studies:[1]

- 1,738 patients with solid tumors received 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks. 
  In this patient population, the most common adverse reactions were 
  fatigue (32.4%), nausea (25.1%), diarrhea (18.9%), decreased 
  appetite (18.4%), constipation (18.4%), infusion-related reactions 
  (17.1%), weight decreased (16.6%), and vomiting (16.2%). The most 
  common Grade >= 3 adverse reactions were anaemia (6.0%), dyspnoea 
  (3.9%), and abdominal pain (3.0%). Serious adverse reactions were 
  immune-related adverse reactions and infusion-related reaction.

The EC's decision follows the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) accelerated approval* for BAVENCIO earlier this year for the treatment of mMCC and patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy. BAVENCIO was also granted marketing authorization by Swissmedic on September 05, 2017, for the treatment of patients with mMCC, whose disease has progressed after at least one chemotherapy treatment.

The clinical development program for BAVENCIO, known as JAVELIN, involves at least 30 clinical programs and more than 6,300 patients evaluated across more than 15 different tumor types. In addition to mMCC, these cancers include breast, gastric/gastro-esophageal junction, head and neck, Hodgkin's lymphoma, melanoma, mesothelioma, non-small cell lung, ovarian, renal cell carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma.

About Metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Metastatic MCC is a rare and aggressive disease in which cancer cells form in the top layer of the skin, close to nerve endings.[7]-[8] MCC, which is also known as neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin or trabecular cancer, often starts in those areas of skin that are most often exposed to the sun, including the head and neck, and arms.[7],[9] Risk factors for MCC include sun exposure and infection with Merkel cell polyomavirus. Caucasian males older than 50 are at increased risk.[7],[9] MCC is often misdiagnosed as other skin cancers and grows at an exponential rate on chronically sun-damaged skin.[9-11] Current treatment options for MCC in Europe include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.[8] Treatment for metastatic or Stage IV MCC is generally palliative.[8]

About JAVELIN Merkel 200

The efficacy and safety of BAVENCIO was demonstrated in the JAVELIN Merkel 200 trial, a Phase II, open-label, single-arm, multicenter study, split into two parts:[1]

- Part A was conducted in 88 patients with histologically confirmed 
  mMCC whose disease had progressed on or after chemotherapy 
  administered for distant metastatic disease, with life expectancy 
  of more than 3 months, and a minimum follow-up of 18 months. 
  Overall in Part A, 59% of patients were reported to have had one 
  prior anti-cancer therapy for mMCC and 41% had two or more prior 
  therapies. The major efficacy outcome measures for Part A were 
  confirmed best overall response (BOR) and DOR, according to 
  Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1, as 
  assessed by a blinded independent endpoint review committee (IERC).
- Part B, at the time of the data cut-off, included 39 patients with 
  histologically confirmed mMCC who were treatment-naïve to systemic 
  therapy, 29 of whom had at least 13 weeks of follow-up. Enrollment 
  in Part B of the study is ongoing and is planned to include 112 
  treatment-naïve patients. For Part B, the major efficacy outcome 
  measure is durable response, defined as objective response (CR or 
  PR) with a duration of at least 6 months; secondary outcome 
  measures include BOR, DOR, PFS and overall survival (OS).

The trial excluded patients with active or a history of central nervous system (CNS) metastasis, prior treatment with anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-CTLA-4 antibodies, active or a history of autoimmune disease, a history of other malignancies within the last 5 years, organ transplant, and conditions requiring therapeutic immune suppression or active infection with HIV, or hepatitis B or C. Patients received BAVENCIO 10 mg/kg as an intravenous infusion over 60 minutes every 2 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

About BAVENCIO

BAVENCIO® (avelumab) is a human antibody specific for a protein called PD-L1, or programmed death ligand-1. BAVENCIO is designed to potentially engage both the adaptive and innate immune systems. By binding to PD-L1, BAVENCIO is thought to prevent tumor cells from using PD-L1 for protection against white blood cells, such as T cells, exposing them to anti-tumor responses. BAVENCIO has been shown to induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) in vitro. In November 2014, Merck and Pfizer announced a strategic alliance to co-develop and co-commercialize BAVENCIO.

*Indications in the US[12]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for BAVENCIO for the treatment of (i) mMCC in adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older and (ii) patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy, or who have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. These indications were approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for these indications may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

Important Safety Information from the US FDA Approved Label

The warnings and precautions for BAVENCIO include immune-mediated adverse reactions (such as pneumonitis, hepatitis, colitis, endocrinopathies, nephritis and renal dysfunction and other adverse reactions), infusion-related reactions and embryo-fetal toxicity.

Common adverse reactions (reported in at least 20% of patients) in patients treated with BAVENCIO for mMCC and patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC include fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, diarrhea, nausea, infusion-related reaction, peripheral edema, decreased appetite/hypophagia, urinary tract infection and rash.

About Merck-Pfizer Alliance  

Immuno-oncology is a top priority for Merck and Pfizer. The global 
strategic alliance between Merck and Pfizer enables the companies to 
benefit from each other's strengths and capabilities and further 
explore the therapeutic potential of BAVENCIO, an investigational 
anti-PD-L1 antibody initially discovered and developed by Merck. The 
immuno-oncology alliance will jointly develop and commercialize 
BAVENCIO and advance Pfizer's PD-1 antibody.

The alliance is focused on developing high-priority international 
clinical programs to investigate BAVENCIO, as a monotherapy, as well 
as combination regimens, and is striving to find new ways to treat 
cancer.

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Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the "Merck" name and brand except in the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.

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Pfizer Disclosure Notice

The information contained in this release is as of September 21, 2017. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments.

This release contains forward-looking information about BAVENCIO (avelumab), including a new indication in Europe as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma, the Merck-Pfizer Alliance involving anti-PD-L1 and anti-PD-1 therapies, and clinical development plans, including their potential benefits, that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, uncertainties regarding the commercial success of BAVENCIO; the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical study commencement and completion dates and regulatory submission dates, as well as the possibility of unfavorable study results, including unfavorable new clinical data and additional analyses of existing clinical data; risks associated with interim data; the risk that clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations, and, even when we view data as sufficient to support the safety and/or effectiveness of a product candidate, regulatory authorities may not share our views and may require additional data or may deny approval altogether; whether and when any other drug applications may be filed in any jurisdictions for potential indications for BAVENCIO, combination therapies or other product candidates; whether and when regulatory authorities in any other jurisdictions where applications are pending or may be submitted for BAVENCIO, combination therapies or other product candidates may approve any such applications, which will depend on the assessment by such regulatory authorities of the benefit-risk profile suggested by the totality of the efficacy and safety information submitted; decisions by regulatory authorities regarding labeling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of BAVENCIO, combination therapies or other product candidates; and competitive developments.

A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Pfizer's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof captioned "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results", as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available at http://www.sec.gov and www.pfizer.com.

References

 1. BAVENCIO® (avelumab) EU SmPC. Available from: 
    http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/: Accessed September 2017.
 2. Fitzgerald T et al. Dramatic increase in the incidence and 
    mortality from Merkel cell carcinoma in the United States. Am 
    Surg 2015;81(8):802-6.
 3. Stokes JB et al. Patients with Merkel cell carcinoma tumors < or 
    = 1.0 cm in diameter are unlikely to harbor regional lymph node 
    metastasis. J Clin Oncol 2009;27(23):3772-7.
 4. Allen PJ et al. Merkel cell carcinoma: prognosis and treatment of
    Patients from a single institution. J Clin Oncol 
    2005;23(10):2300-9.
 5. IMMOMEC (European Commission). Merkel Cell Carcinoma. Available 
    from: http://www.immomec.eu/project/objectives/background/merkel-
    cell-carcinoma. Accessed September 2017.
 6. Lemos B et al. Pathologic Nodal Evaluation Improves Prognostic 
    Accuracy in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Analysis of 5,823 Cases as the
    Basis of the First Consensus Staging System for this Cancer. 
    Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2010;63:751-761.
 7. Schadendorf D et al. Merkel cell carcinoma: epidemiology, 
    prognosis, therapy and unmet medical needs. European Journal of 
    Cancer 2017;71;53-69
 8. American Cancer Society. What is Merkel cell carcinoma? Available
    from: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/skincancer-merkelcell/detailed
    guide/skin-cancer-merkel-cell-carcinoma-what-is-merkel-cell-carci
    noma. Accessed September 2017.
 9. Nghiem P. Systematic literature review of efficacy, safety and 
    tolerability outcomes of chemotherapy regimens in patients with 
    metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. Future Oncology 
    2017;13(14):1263-1279.
10. Heath M, Jaimes N and Lemos B. Clinical characteristics of Merkel
    cell carcinoma at diagnosis in 195 patients: the AEIOU features. 
    Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 2008;58:375-81. 
    http://www.pnlab.org/clinical/documents/ClinCharacteristics.pdf. 
    Accessed September 2017.
11. NCCN Merkel Cell Carcinoma Guidelines version I. 2017. 
 www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/mcc.pdf. Last 
    accessed June 2017.
12. BAVENCIO Prescribing Information. 2017. Rockland, MA: EMD Serono 
    Inc.

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