Christina Pelizon, International Medical Affairs Head for Oncology at AbbVie discusses the significance and impact of the European Commission’s approval last month of Elahere® (mirvetuximab soravtansine) to treat ovarian cancer.
antibody drug conjugate Elahere AbbVie
What is Elahere® (mirvetuximab soravtansine) and what makes it unique as a medicine for ovarian cancer?
Elahere is the first and only novel therapy approved in the EU for patients with folate receptor alpha (FRα)-positive, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC). This treatment is an FRɑ-directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC) that targets FRɑ, a cellular membrane protein, delivering a cancer killing drug directly into the cancer cells, sparing healthy tissue.
Considering it has been 10 years since there has been availability of a new treatment to treat platinum-resistant ovarian cancer in the EU, why is the European Commission’s (EC) authorisation of Elahere significant?
Approval by the EC is significant because Elahere is the first new medication approved specifically for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer since 2014″
Approval by the EC is significant because Elahere is the first new medication approved specifically for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer since 20141 and it is the first novel therapy to demonstrate an overall survival benefit in a Phase III trial for this disease.
This authorisation of the antibody drug conjugate Elahere provides a much needed clinically meaningful option for women living with this type of ovarian cancer, whose disease returns because they develop resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy regimens.
Platinum resistance is often associated with low survival rates and outcomes.2 Our team was excited to see the data show statistically significant improvements in progression-free survival, response rate, and overall survival in patients treated with Elahere compared with investigator’s choice chemotherapy.
Can you summarise AbbVie’s partnership with Roche Diagnostics for Elahere?
The selection of patients who express the membrane protein, folate receptor alpha (FRα), through biomarker testing is critical to define eligibility to receive Elahere. It represents an advance in the standard of care for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer patients, as those patients who express the receptor are more likely to respond well to treatment – we call it precision medicine, the right medicine to the right patient. In approximately one third of people living with ovarian cancer, the folate-receptor alpha (FRα) biomarker is highly expressed.3
To determine this biomarker status, AbbVie collaborated with Roche Diagnostics on a newly approved immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay, a companion diagnostic test.
With approval of the antibody drug conjugate Elahere in Europe, what does the future look like for AbbVie and solid tumour therapies?
AbbVie has leading positions in haematology oncology treatments with BTK and BCL-2 inhibitors as foundational therapies in CLL and other blood cancers. We have a growing solid tumour pipeline with multiple assets targeting many different tumour types including non-small and small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer, gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma and others.
About the interviewee
Christina Pelizon, International Medical Affairs Head for Oncology, AbbVie
Christina Pelizon is the International Medical Affairs Head for Oncology at AbbVie. She joined AbbVie in 2016, as Head of Medical Affairs, Canada. She also spent two years with the Medical Affairs team in Latin America.
Christina has over 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining AbbVie, Christina was Head of Medical for Oncology at Roche Canada. While at Roche, she also held various positions, such as Global Medical Lead in Oncology in Switzerland and Medical Manager in Brazil.
Before joining the pharmaceutical industry, Christina practiced medicine in Brazil, where she owned a private laboratory. Christina is a Pathologist and got her Medical Degree at the University of São Paulo.
References
1. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. Ovarian Cancer Including Fallopian Tube Cancer and Primary Peritoneal Cancer. Version 2. Plymouth Meeting, PA: National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2022.
2. Lee, YC. et al. Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2022; 32(6).
3. Markert S, Lassmann S, Gabriel B, et al. Alpha-Folate Receptor Expression In Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma And Non-Neoplastic Ovarian Tissue. Anticancer Res. 2008; 28(6A):3567–3572.
Related topics
Anti-Cancer Therapeutics, Biologics, Biopharmaceuticals, Clinical Development, Clinical Trials, Data Analysis, Drug Development, Industry Insight, Proteins, Research & Development (R&D), Technology, Therapeutics