Novartis stops LEE011 trial due to positive efficacy in HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer

MONALEESA-2 is a pivotal Phase III trial of LEE011 (ribociclib), a cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor (CDK4/6), in combination with letrozole, compared to letrozole alone in postmenopausal women who had received no prior therapy for their hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced breast cancer.

"We are excited that these results validate our belief that LEE011 in combination with letrozole can be a beneficial treatment option for women diagnosed with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer," said Alessandro Riva, Global Head, Oncology Development and Medical Affairs, Novartis Oncology.

"Novartis is dedicated to continuing to discover and develop innovative targeted therapies that help improve and extend the lives of women living with this disease."

As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to addressing the needs of patients living with advanced breast cancer, Novartis will be evaluating possible expanded access programs in some regions to help ensure women who may benefit from LEE011 have access to it.

The adverse events observed with LEE011 in combination with letrozole in MONALEESA-2 were generally consistent with their respective known adverse event profiles.

The MONALEESA-2 trial will continue to assess overall survival data. Detailed efficacy and safety data will be submitted for presentation at a major medical congress and Novartis will begin discussions with global health authorities about regulatory filings.

About MONALEESA-2

MONALEESA-2 (Mammary ONcology Assessment of LEE011’s Efficacy and SAfety-2) is a Phase III randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, multicenter global registration trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of LEE011 in combination with letrozole compared to letrozole alone in postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer who received no prior therapy for their advanced breast cancer.

The trial was conducted at 294 clinical trial sites globally and randomized 668 patients in a 1:1 ratio stratified by the presence of liver and/or lung metastases.

Patients received LEE011 600 mg/daily (three weeks on and one week off), or placebo, in combination with letrozole 2.5 mg/daily per the approved label.

The primary endpoint of the trial was PFS[1]. Secondary endpoints included: overall survival, overall response rate, clinical benefit rate, health-related quality of life, safety and tolerability.

About LEE011 (ribociclib)

LEE011 (ribociclib) is a cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKi), a new class of drugs that help slow the progression of cancer by inhibiting two proteins called cyclin dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6). These proteins, when over-activated in a cell, can enable cancer cells to grow and divide too quickly.

LEE011 has been studied in non-clinical models and is currently being evaluated in combination with additional endocrine agents as part of the MONALEESA clinical trial program. LEE011 is not approved for any indication in any market at this time.

The MONALEESA-3 trial is evaluating LEE011 in combination with fulvestrant compared to fulvestrant alone in men and post-menopausal women with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer who have received no or a maximum of one prior endocrine therapy. The MONALEESA-7 trial is investigating LEE011 in combination with endocrine therapy and goserelin compared to endocrine therapy and goserelin alone in pre-menopausal women with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer who have not previously received endocrine therapy. Both Phase III programs, MONALEESA-3 and MONALEESA-7 are recruiting patients worldwide.

LEE011 was developed by Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) under a research collaboration with Astex Pharmaceuticals.