Kite’s Yescarta and Tecartus therapies show promise

Objective response rate and complete response rates were encouraging for both treatments

Kite – part of Gilead – has announced results from two real-world studies upholding the use of Yescarta among patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma (FL) and Tecartus in R/R mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). The data has been duly presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2023 annual congress in Germany.

Analysis of R/R FL patients treated with Yescarta – also known as axicabtagene ciloleucel – demonstrated that objective response rate (ORR) as well as complete response (CR) rates were 93% and 84%, respectively. Furthermore, 92 patients (40%) would have been ineligible for the existing ZUMA-5 therapy – mainly due to comorbidities.

Dominique Tonelli, executive director, head of medical affairs, Australia, Canada, and Europe (ACE) at Kite, was excited about the results: “This is the first report on axicabtagene ciloleucel to treat R/R FL in real-world settings, and the outcomes are consistent with those observed in the ZUMA-5 trial.”

She added: “We are encouraged that these findings support ongoing broad use in these patients, and we will continue to examine outcomes with longer follow-up.”

Meanwhile, data emerging from from 380 patients with R/R MCL treated with Tecartus– also known as brexucabtagene autoleucel – demonstrated consistent high CR (78%) and ORR (90%), irrespective of prior treatment. Also, increased CR was seen when brexucabtagene autoleucel was given as second-and-third-line compared to later lines of treatment.

Frank Neumann, Kite’s global head of clinical development, reflected: “Unfortunately for patients living with MCL, outcomes are poor and there are limited treatment options. Data from this real-world registry suggest that earlier treatment with brexucabtagene autoleucel may confer better outcomes in these difficult-to-treat patients compared to later lines and should be evaluated further in additional studies.”

“The breadth of data presented by Kite at EHA 2023 reaffirms our commitment to research that shows how CAR T cell therapy is used in clinical and real-world settings,” said Dick Sundh, vice president, head of ACE, Kite. “At Kite, we are committed to increasing confidence in the durability and reliability of CAR T-cell therapies for haematologic malignancies.”