Alymsys Drug Information

Preparation and Administration Preparation

Use appropriate aseptic technique. Visually inspect vial for particulate matter and discoloration prior to preparation for administration. Discard vial if solution is cloudy, discolored or contains particulate matter.

Withdraw necessary amount of Alymsys and dilute in a total volume of 100 mL of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP. DO NOT ADMINISTER OR MIX WITH DEXTROSE SOLUTION. Discard any unused portion left in a vial, as the product contains no preservatives.

Store diluted Alymsys solution at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F) for up to 12 hours. No incompatibilities between Alymsys and polyvinylchloride or polyolefin bags have been observed. Administration Administer as an intravenous infusion.

First infusion: Administer infusion over 90 minutes. Subsequent infusions: Administer second infusion over 60 minutes if first infusion is tolerated.

Clinical Trials Experience

Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The safety data in Warnings and Precautions and described below reflect exposure to bevacizumab in 4,463 patients including those with mCRC (AVF2107g, E3200), non-squamous NSCLC (E4599), GBM (EORTC 26101), mRCC (BO17705), cervical cancer (GOG-0240), epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer (MO22224), or other cancers at the recommended dose and schedule for a median of 6 to 23 doses. The most common adverse reactions observed in patients receiving bevacizumab as a single agent or in combination with other anti-cancer therapies at a rate >10% were epistaxis, headache, hypertension, rhinitis, proteinuria, taste alteration, dry skin, hemorrhage, lacrimation disorder, back pain, and exfoliative dermatitis.

Across clinical studies, bevacizumab was discontinued in 8% to 22% of patients because of adverse reactions. Metastatic Colorectal Cancer In Combination with bolus-IFL The safety of bevacizumab was evaluated in 392 patients who received at least one dose of bevacizumab in a double-blind, active-controlled study (AVF2107g), which compared bevacizumab (5 mg/kg every 2 weeks) with bolus-IFL to placebo with bolus-IFL in patients with mCRC. Patients were randomized (1:1:1) to placebo with bolus-IFL, bevacizumab with bolus-IFL, or bevacizumab with fluorouracil and leucovorin.

The demographics of the safety population were similar to the demographics of the efficacy population. Adverse reactions are presented in Table 2. In Combination with FOLFOX4 The safety of bevacizumab was evaluated in 521 patients in an open-label, active-controlled study (E3200) in patients who were previously treated with irinotecan and fluorouracil for initial therapy for mCRC.

Bevacizumab was continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. These data are likely to under-estimate the true adverse reaction rates due to the reporting mechanisms. First-Line Non Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer The safety of bevacizumab was evaluated as first-line treatment in 422 patients with unresectable NSCLC who received at least one dose of bevacizumab in an active-controlled, open-label, multicenter trial (E4599).

Chemotherapy naïve patients with locally advanced, metastatic or recurrent non–squamous NSCLC were randomized (1:1) to receive six 21-day cycles of paclitaxel and carboplatin with or without bevacizumab (15 mg/kg every 3 weeks). After completion or upon discontinuation of chemotherapy, patients randomized to receive bevacizumab continued to receive bevacizumab alone until disease progression or until unacceptable toxicity. The trial excluded patients with predominant squamous histology (mixed cell type tumors only), CNS metastasis, gross hemoptysis (1/2 teaspoon or more of red blood), unstable angina, or receiving therapeutic anticoagulation.

Recurrent Glioblastoma The safety of bevacizumab was evaluated in a multicenter, randomized, open-label study (EORTC 26101) in patients with recurrent GBM following radiotherapy and temozolomide of whom 278 patients received at least one dose of bevacizumab and are considered safety evaluable. Patients were randomized (2:1) to receive bevacizumab (10 mg/kg every 2 weeks) with lomustine or lomustine alone until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. In the bevacizumab with lomustine arm, 22% of patients discontinued treatment due to adverse reactions compared with 10% of patients in the lomustine arm.

In patients receiving bevacizumab with lomustine, the adverse reaction profile was similar to that observed in other approved indications. Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma The safety of bevacizumab was evaluated in 337 patients who received at least one dose of bevacizumab in a multicenter, double-blind study (BO17705) in patients with mRCC. Patients who had undergone a nephrectomy were randomized (1:1) to receive either bevacizumab (10 mg/kg every 2 weeks) or placebo with interferon alfa.

Patients were treated until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Grades 3 - 5 adverse reactions occurring at a higher incidence (>; including hypertension and hypertensive crisis), and hemorrhage (3% vs. 0.3%; including epistaxis, small intestinal hemorrhage, aneurysm ruptured, gastric ulcer hemorrhage, gingival bleeding, hemoptysis, hemorrhage intracranial, large intestinal hemorrhage, respiratory tract hemorrhage, and traumatic hematoma). Adverse reactions are presented in Table 3.

Persistent, Recurrent, or Metastatic Cervical Cancer The safety of bevacizumab was evaluated in 218 patients who received at least one dose of bevacizumab in a multicenter study (GOG-0240) in patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer. Adverse reactions are presented in Table 4. Epithelial Ovarian, Fallopian Tube or Primary Peritoneal Cancer Platinum-Resistant Recurrent Epithelial Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, or Primary Peritoneal Cancer The safety of bevacizumab was evaluated in 179 patients who received at least one dose of bevacizumab in a multicenter, open-label study (MO22224) in which patients were randomized (1:1) to bevacizumab with chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone in patients with platinum resistant, recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer that recurred within < 6 months from the most recent platinum based therapy.

Patients had received no more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens. The trial excluded patients with evidence of recto-sigmoid involvement by pelvic examination or bowel involvement on CT scan or clinical symptoms of bowel obstruction. Forty percent of patients on the chemotherapy alone arm received bevacizumab alone upon progression.

Adverse reactions are presented in Table 6.

Immunogenicity As with all therapeutic proteins, there is a potential for immunogenicity. The detection of antibody formation is highly dependent on the sensitivity and the specificity of the assay. Additionally, the observed incidence of antibody (including neutralizing antibody) positivity in an assay may be influenced by several factors, including assay methodology, sample handling, timing of sample collection, concomitant medications, and underlying disease.

For these reasons, comparison of the incidence of antibodies in the studies described below with the incidence of antibodies in other studies or to other bevacizumab products may be misleading. In clinical studies for adjuvant treatment of a solid tumor, 0.6% (14/2233) of patients tested positive for treatment-emergent anti-bevacizumab antibodies as detected by an electrochemiluminescent (ECL) based assay. Among these 14 patients, three tested positive for neutralizing antibodies against bevacizumab using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

The clinical significance of these anti-bevacizumab antibodies is not known.

Postmarketing Experience

The following adverse reactions have been identified during postapproval use of bevacizumab products. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. General: Polyserositis Cardiovascular: Pulmonary hypertension, Mesenteric venous occlusion Gastrointestinal: Gastrointestinal ulcer, Intestinal necrosis, Anastomotic ulceration Hemic and lymphatic: Pancytopenia Hepatobiliary disorders: Gallbladder perforation Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders: Osteonecrosis of the jaw Renal: Renal thrombotic microangiopathy (manifested as severe proteinuria) Respiratory: Nasal septum perforation Vascular: Arterial (including aortic) aneurysms, dissections, and rupture

Effects of Alymsys on Other Drugs No clinically meaningful effect on the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan or its active metabolite SN38, interferon alfa, carboplatin or paclitaxel was observed when bevacizumab was administered in combination with these drugs; however, 3 of the 8 patients receiving bevacizumab with paclitaxel and carboplatin had lower paclitaxel exposure after four cycles of treatment (at Day 63) than those at Day 0, while patients receiving paclitaxel and carboplatin alone had a greater paclitaxel exposure at Day 63 than at Day 0.

Pregnancy Risk Summary Based on findings from animal studies and their mechanism of action, bevacizumab products may cause fetal harm in pregnant women. Limited postmarketing reports describe cases of fetal malformations with use of bevacizumab products in pregnancy; however, these reports are insufficient to determine drug-associated risks. In animal reproduction studies, intravenous administration of bevacizumab to pregnant rabbits every 3 days during organogenesis at doses approximately 1 to 10 times the clinical dose of 10 mg/kg produced fetal resorptions, decreased maternal and fetal weight gain and multiple congenital malformations including corneal opacities and abnormal ossification of the skull and skeleton including limb and phalangeal defects (see Data).

Furthermore, animal models link angiogenesis and VEGF and VEGFR2 to critical aspects of female reproduction, embryofetal development, and postnatal development. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is respectively.

Skeletal deformities were observed at all dose levels, with some abnormalities including meningocele observed only at the 100 mg/kg dose level. Teratogenic effects included: reduced or irregular ossification in the skull, jaw, spine, ribs, tibia and bones of the paws; fontanel, rib and hindlimb deformities; corneal opacity; and absent hindlimb phalanges.

Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of bevacizumab products in pediatric patients have not been established. In published literature reports, cases of non-mandibular osteonecrosis have been observed in patients under the age of 18 years who received bevacizumab. Bevacizumab products are not approved for use in patients under the age of 18 years.

Antitumor activity was not observed among eight pediatric patients with relapsed GBM who received bevacizumab and irinotecan. Addition of bevacizumab to standard of care did not result in improved event-free survival in pediatric patients enrolled in two randomized clinical studies, one in high grade glioma (n= 121) and one in metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma or non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma (n= 154). Based on the population pharmacokinetics analysis of data from 152 pediatric and young adult patients with cancer (7 months to 21 years of age), bevacizumab clearance normalized by body weight in pediatrics was comparable to that in adults.

Juvenile Animal Toxicity Data Juvenile cynomolgus monkeys with open growth plates exhibited physeal dysplasia following 4 to 26 weeks exposure at 0.4 to 20 times the recommended human dose (based on mg/kg and exposure). The incidence and severity of physeal dysplasia were dose-related and were partially reversible upon cessation of treatment.