BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced two oral presentations at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition from the global pivotal trials of CASGEVY™ (exagamglogene autotemcel [exa-cel]).
Data from 96 patients (44 sickle cell disease [SCD], 52 transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia [TDT]) treated with CASGEVY in pivotal studies, with the longest follow-up of more than four years, continue to reinforce the consistent and durable response to treatment. In addition, new data illustrating improvements in patient-reported outcomes after treatment with CASGEVY were featured in poster presentations at ASH.
“We are excited to share this comprehensive data set with the broader community today, just days after FDA approval of CASGEVY for the treatment of severe sickle cell disease,” said Carmen Bozic, M.D., Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development and Medical Affairs, and Chief Medical Officer at Vertex. “These data demonstrate the consistent and durable efficacy of CASGEVY in eliminating severe vaso-occlusive crises in patients with SCD and conferring transfusion independence in patients with TDT.”
CASGEVY is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of sickle cell disease in patients 12 years of age and older with recurrent vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs). The use of CASGEVY for the treatment of TDT in the U.S. remains investigational. Vertex has submitted a BLA to the U.S. FDA for the potential use of CASGEVY for patients 12 years and older with TDT and has been assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of March 30, 2024.
In addition to the two oral presentations, there are additional poster presentations by Vertex at ASH.
- Oral presentation, Abstract #1052, entitled “Exagamglogene Autotemcel for Severe Sickle Cell Disease”
- Oral presentation, Abstract #1053, entitled “Exagamglogene Autotemcel for Transfusion-Dependent Βeta-Thalassemia”
- Poster Presentation, Abstract #4997, entitled “Improvements In Health-Related Quality of Life After Exagamglogene Autotemcel in Patients with Transfusion-Dependent Beta Thalassemia”
- Poster Presentation, Abstract #4999, entitled “Improvements In Health-Related Quality of Life After Exagamglogene Autotemcel in Patients With Severe Sickle Cell Disease”
- Poster Presentation, Abstract #3674, entitled “VOC-free Status Among Patients with Sickle Cell Disease Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: A Cohort Study of Medicaid Enrollees”
- Poster Presentation, Abstract #3678, entitled “The Impact of Recent Vaso-Occlusive Crisis on Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease”
- Poster Presentation, Abstract #3900, entitled “Estimating Sickle Cell Disease Prevalence by State: A Model Using US-born and Foreign-born State-specific Population Data”
About Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)
SCD is a debilitating, progressive, life-shortening genetic disease. SCD patients report health-related quality of life scores well below the general population, and the lifetime health care costs in the U.S. of managing SCD for patients with recurrent VOCs is estimated between $4 and $6 million. SCD affects the red blood cells, which are essential for carrying oxygen to all organs and tissues of the body. SCD causes severe pain, organ damage and shortened life span due to misshapen or “sickled” red blood cells. The clinical hallmark of SCD is VOCs, which are caused by blockages of blood vessels by sickled red blood cells and result in severe and debilitating pain that can happen anywhere in the body at any time. SCD requires lifelong treatment and significant use of health care resources, and ultimately results in reduced life expectancy, decreased quality of life and reduced lifetime earnings and productivity. In the U.S., the median age of death for patients living with SCD is 45 years. Stem cell transplant from a matched donor is a curative option but is only available to a small fraction of patients living with SCD because of the lack of available donors.
About Transfusion-Dependent Beta Thalassemia (TDT)
TDT is a serious, life-threatening genetic disease. TDT patients report health-related quality of life scores below the general population, and the lifetime health care costs in the U.S. of managing TDT are estimated between $5 and $5.7 million. TDT requires frequent blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy throughout a person’s life. Due to anemia, patients living with TDT may experience fatigue and shortness of breath, and infants may develop failure to thrive, jaundice and feeding problems. Complications of TDT can also include an enlarged spleen, liver and/or heart, misshapen bones and delayed puberty. TDT requires lifelong treatment and significant use of health care resources, and ultimately results in reduced life expectancy, decreased quality of life and reduced lifetime earnings and productivity. In the U.S., the median age of death for patients living with TDT is 37 years. Stem cell transplant from a matched donor is a curative option but is only available to a small fraction of patients living with TDT because of the lack of available donors.
About CASGEVY™ (exagamglogene autotemcel [exa-cel])
CASGEVY is a genome-edited cellular therapy consisting of autologous CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) edited by CRISPR/Cas9 technology at the erythroid-specific enhancer region of the BCL11A gene. CASGEVY is intended for one time administration via a hematopoietic stem cell transplant procedure where the patient’s own CD34+ cells are modified to reduce BCL11A expression in erythroid lineage cells, leading to increased fetal hemoglobin (HbF) production. HbF is the form of the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin that is naturally present during fetal development, which then switches to the adult form of hemoglobin after birth. CASGEVY has been shown to reduce or eliminate vaso-occlusive crises for patients with SCD.
CASGEVY was granted a conditional marketing authorization in Great Britain by the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and by the National Health Regulatory Authority in Bahrain for patients 12 years of age and older with SCD characterized by recurrent vaso-occlusive crises or TDT, for whom hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is appropriate and a human leukocyte antigen matched related hematopoietic stem cell donor is not available. CASGEVY is currently under review by the European Medicines Agency and the Saudi Food and Drug Agency for both SCD and TDT.
U.S. INDICATIONS AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR CASGEVY (exagamglogene autotemcel)
WHAT IS CASGEVY?
CASGEVY is a one-time therapy used to treat people aged 12 years and older with sickle cell disease (SCD) who have frequent vaso-occlusive crises or VOCs.
CASGEVY is made specifically for each patient, using the patient’s own edited blood stem cells, and increases the production of a special type of hemoglobin called hemoglobin F (fetal hemoglobin or HbF). Having more HbF increases overall hemoglobin levels and has been shown to improve the production and function of red blood cells. This can eliminate VOCs in people with SCD.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
What is the most important information I should know about CASGEVY?
After treatment with CASGEVY, you will have fewer blood cells for a while until CASGEVY takes hold (engrafts) into your bone marrow. This includes low levels of platelets (cells that usually help the blood to clot) and white blood cells (cells that usually fight infections). Your doctor will monitor this and give you treatment as required. The doctor will tell you when blood cell levels return to safe levels.
-
Tell your healthcare provider right away if you experience any of the following, which could be signs of low levels of platelet cells:
- severe headache
- abnormal bruising
- prolonged bleeding
- bleeding without injury such as nosebleeds; bleeding from gums; blood in your urine, stool, or vomit; or coughing up blood
-
Tell your healthcare provider right away if you experience any of the following, which could be signs of low levels of white blood cells:
- fever
- chills
- infections
You may experience side effects associated with other medicines administered as part of the treatment regimen with CASGEVY. Talk to your physician regarding those possible side effects. Your healthcare provider may give you other medicines to treat your side effects.
How will I receive CASGEVY?
Your healthcare provider will give you other medicines, including a conditioning medicine, as part of your treatment with CASGEVY. It's important to talk to your healthcare provider about the risks and benefits of all medicines involved in your treatment.
After receiving the conditioning medicine, it may not be possible for you to become pregnant or father a child. You should discuss options for fertility preservation with your healthcare provider before treatment.
STEP 1: Before CASGEVY treatment, a doctor will give you a mobilization medicine. This medicine moves blood stem cells from your bone marrow into the blood stream. The blood stem cells are then collected in a machine that separates the different blood cells (this is called apheresis). This entire process may happen more than once. Each time, it can take up to one week.
During this step, rescue cells are also collected and stored at the hospital. These are your existing blood stem cells and are kept untreated just in case there is a problem in the treatment process. If CASGEVY cannot be given after the conditioning medicine, or if the modified blood stem cells do not take hold (engraft) in the body, these rescue cells will be given back to you. If you are given rescue cells, you will not have any treatment benefit from CASGEVY.
STEP 2: After they are collected, your blood stem cells will be sent to the manufacturing site where they are used to make CASGEVY. It may take up to 6 months from the time your cells are collected to manufacture and test CASGEVY before it is sent back to your healthcare provider.
STEP 3: Shortly before your stem cell transplant, your healthcare provider will give you a conditioning medicine for a few days in hospital. This will prepare you for treatment by clearing cells from the bone marrow, so they can be replaced with the modified cells in CASGEVY. After you are given this medicine, your blood cell levels will fall to very low levels. You will stay in the hospital for this step and remain in the hospital until after the infusion with CASGEVY.
STEP 4: One or more vials of CASGEVY will be given into a vein (intravenous infusion) over a short period of time.
After the CASGEVY infusion, you will stay in hospital so that your healthcare provider can closely monitor your recovery. This can take 4-6 weeks, but times can vary. Your healthcare provider will decide when you can go home.
What should I avoid after receiving CASGEVY?
- Do not donate blood, organs, tissues, or cells at any time in the future
What are the possible or reasonably likely side effects of CASGEVY?
The most common side effects of CASGEVY include:
- Low levels of platelet cells, which may reduce the ability of blood to clot and may cause bleeding
- Low levels of white blood cells, which may make you more susceptible to infection
Your healthcare provider will test your blood to check for low levels of blood cells (including platelets and white blood cells). Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms:
- fever
- chills
- infections
- severe headache
- abnormal bruising
- prolonged bleeding
- bleeding without injury such as nosebleeds; bleeding from gums; blood in your urine, stool, or vomit; or coughing up blood
These are not all the possible side effects of CASGEVY. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
General information about the safe and effective use of CASGEVY
Talk to your healthcare provider about any health concerns.
Please see full Prescribing Information including Patient Information for CASGEVY.
About Vertex
Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases. The company has approved medicines that treat the underlying causes of multiple chronic, life-shortening genetic diseases — cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia — and continues to advance clinical and research programs in these diseases. Vertex also has a robust clinical pipeline of investigational therapies across a range of modalities in other serious diseases where it has deep insight into causal human biology, including APOL1-mediated kidney disease, acute and neuropathic pain, type 1 diabetes and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
Vertex was founded in 1989 and has its global headquarters in Boston, with international headquarters in London. Additionally, the company has research and development sites and commercial offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Latin America. Vertex is consistently recognized as one of the industry's top places to work, including 14 consecutive years on Science magazine's Top Employers list and one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. For company updates and to learn more about Vertex's history of innovation, visit www.vrtx.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter/X.
(VRTX-GEN)
Vertex Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, without limitation, statements by Carmen Bozic, M.D., in this press release, the potential benefits of CASGEVY, and statements about the development of CASGEVY for potential investigational use in TDT. While Vertex believes the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are accurate, these forward-looking statements represent the company's beliefs only as of the date of this press release and there are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that regulatory authorities may not approve, or approve on a timely basis, the CASGEVY/exa-cel filings, that data from the company's research and development programs may not support registration or further development of its compounds due to safety, efficacy, or other reasons, and other risks listed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Vertex's most recent annual report and subsequent quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov and available through the company's website at www.vrtx.com. You should not place undue reliance on these statements, or the scientific data presented. Vertex disclaims any obligation to update the information contained in this press release as new information becomes available.
