The FDA has approved a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for apalutamide (Erleada) for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC).1
The sNDA was processed through the Real-Time Oncology Review Program after the application received a priority review designation when it was submitted in April 2019. Results of the phase III TITAN trial, which were presented at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting, were the basis for the sNDA.
“Prostate cancer is more difficult to treat once it spreads, and for patients with castration-sensitive disease, it is clear that androgen deprivation therapy [ADT] alone, is often not enough,” Kim Chi, MD, a medical oncologist at BC Cancer – Vancouver and principal investigator of the TITAN study, said in a statement. “Results from the TITAN study showed that, regardless of the extent of disease, patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer have the potential to benefit from treatment with apalutamide in addition to ADT.”
The FDA has noted that the recommended dose for apalutamide is 240 mg or 4 tablets of 60 mg each, given orally once daily with or without food. Additionally, the agency recommends that patients also receive a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog concurrently with apalutamide or should have received a bilateral orchiectomy.2
The international, randomized, double-blind phase III TITAN trial included 1052 patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer across 260 sites, regardless of prior localized therapy, docetaxel treatment, or the extent of their disease. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either 240 mg oral apalutamide once daily plus ADT (n = 525) or placebo plus ADT (n = 527). Treatment was given until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or the end of treatment was reached.
Patients had a median age of 68 years and 62.7% had high-volume disease whereas the other 37.3% had low-volume disease. A total of 16.4% of patients had undergone a prostatectomy or had received radiotherapy for localized therapy. Previosu docetaxel therapy was noted in 10.7% of patients.
