(apalutamide)
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Last Updated: 10/02/2024
ERLEADA (apalutamide) [Prescribing Information]. Horsham, PA: Janssen Products, LP; https://www.janssenlabels.com/package-insert/product-monograph/prescribing-information/ERLEADA-pi.pdf.
ZYTIGA (abiraterone acetate) [Prescribing Information]. Horsham, PA: Janssen Biotech, Inc.; https://www.janssenlabels.com/package-insert/product-monograph/prescribing-information/ZYTIGA-pi.pdf.
Maluf et al (2021)7 reported results of a phase 2 study, LACOG-0415, that evaluated the efficacy and safety of ERLEADA, ERLEADA plus AAP, and AAP plus ADT in patients (N=128) with multiple clinical states of prostate cancer, including newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer (NCT02867020).
Characteristic | ADT Plus AAP (n=42) | ERLEADA (n=42) | ERLEADA Plus AAP (n=44) | Total (N=128) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Median age, year (range) | 69 (51-85) | 69.5 (53-88) | 71 (49-87) | 70 (49-88) | |
Median PSA, ng/mL (IQR) | 16.7 (6.4-50.0) | 19.9 (7.2-68.5) | 32.4 (7.1-141.5) | 22.5 (6.9-117.4) | |
Criteria for ADT indication, n (%) | |||||
Biochemical recurrence | 7 (16.7) | 8 (19.0) | 7 (15.9) | 22 (17.2) | |
Locally advanced disease | 6 (14.3) | 2 (4.8) | 3 (6.8) | 11 (8.6) | |
Metastatic disease | 29 (69.0) | 32 (76.2) | 34 (77.3) | 95 (74.2) | |
Previous interventions, n (%) | |||||
Radiotherapy | 17 (40.5) | 16 (38.1) | 14 (31.8) | 47 (36.7) | |
Prostatectomy | 20 (47.6) | 18 (42.9) | 17 (38.6) | 55 (43.0) | |
(Neo)adjuvant ADT | 4 (9.5) | 6 (14.3) | 4 (9.1) | 14 (10.9) | |
Abbreviations: AAP, abiraterone acetate plus prednisone; ADT, androgen deprivation therapy; IQR, interquartile range; PSA, prostate-specific antigen. |
ADT Plus AAP (n=41) | ERLEADA (n=40) | ERLEADA Plus AAP (n=39) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary endpoint, n (%) | ||||
PSA ≤0.2 ng/mL | 31 (75.6) | 24 (60.0) | 31 (79.5) | |
Secondary endpoints | ||||
PSA decline ≥50%, n (%) | 41 (100) | 37 (92.5) | 39 (100) | |
PSA decline ≥80%, n (%) | 41 (100) | 36 (90.0) | 39 (97.4) | |
Mean change in testosterone levels from baseline to week 25, % (SD) | -97.4 (31.8) | 134.3 (110.6) | -73.8 (65.1) | |
Median testosterone level at week 25, ng/dL (IQR) | 9.0 (3.6-12) | 1022 (723-1260) | 30.4 (9-139) | |
Radiographic progressiona | 1 (3.1) | 1 (2.9) | 0 | |
Abbreviations: AAP, abiraterone acetate plus prednisone; ADT, androgen deprivation therapy; IQR, interquartile range; PSA, prostate-specific antigen; SD, standard deviation. aPatients without evaluable images at week 25 or with overall response unable to assess were excluded. |
Adverse Event, n (%)a | ADT Plus AAP (n=42) | ERLEADA (n=42) | ERLEADA Plus AAP (n=44) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
All Grade | Grade 3, 4 | All Grade | Grade 3, 4 | All Grade | Grade 3, 4 | |
Gynecomastia | 3 (7) | 0 | 23 (55) | 0 | 9 (20) | 0 |
Hot flashes | 16 (38) | 0 | 2 (5) | 0 | 13 (30) | 0 |
Fatigue | 7 (17) | 0 | 9 (21) | 1 (2) | 13 (30) | 0 |
Hypertension | 9 (21) | 5 (12) | 2 (5) | 1 (2) | 9 (20) | 5 (11) |
Rash | 0 | 0 | 11 (26) | 5 (12) | 8 (18) | 3 (7) |
Back pain | 8 (19) | 0 | 5 (12) | 0 | 4 (9) | 1 (2) |
Nausea | 4 (10) | 0 | 3 (7) | 0 | 8 (18) | 0 |
Pruritus | 1 (2) | 0 | 7 (17) | 1 (2) | 6 (14) | 2 (5) |
Diarrhea | 5 (12) | 0 | 2 (5) | 0 | 6 (14) | 2 (5) |
Edema limbs | 7 (17) | 0 | 2 (5) | 0 | 2 (5) | 0 |
Headache | 4 (10) | 0 | 2 (5) | 0 | 4 (9) | 0 |
Hyperglycemia | 4 (10) | 2 (5) | 1 (2) | 0 | 5 (11) | 2 (5) |
Leg pain | 5 (12) | 0 | 3 (7) | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 |
Upper respiratory infection | 4 (10) | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 4 (9) | 0 |
Breast pain | 0 | 0 | 6 (14) | 0 | 2 (5) | 0 |
Urinary infection | 4 (10) | 1 (2) | 2 (5) | 1 (2) | 2 (5) | 1 (2) |
Vertigo | 4 (10) | 1 (2) | 2 (5) | 0 | 2 (5) | 0 |
Myalgia | 2 (5) | 0 | 5 (12) | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 |
Anemia | 4 (10) | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 |
Abbreviations: AAP, abiraterone acetate plus prednisone; ADT, androgen deprivation therapy.aAll events occurring in ≥10% of patients in any arm. |
Efficacy and safety results were not delineated for patients with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer.
Lowentritt et al (2024)9 conducted a head-to-head, real-world, retrospective, longitudinal study to evaluate OS at 24 months among US-based patients with mCSPC who initiated ERLEADA (n=1879) or abiraterone acetate (n=2073) using clinical data from Precision Point Specialty (PPS) Analytics linked with claims data from Komodo Research Database from September 2018 to December 2023. This analysis utilized propensity score-weighted cohorts of androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs)-naïve patients newly initiated on ERLEADA or abiraterone acetate and followed an intent-to-treat design. The analysis used weighted Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate the causal relationship between index treatment and OS, weighted Kaplan-Meier analysis to assess the portion of patients surviving by 24 months postindex, and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) based on the propensity score to account for differences in baseline characteristics between both cohorts. Concurrent use of ADT was not required; 76.8% vs 74.0% of patients were receiving ADT at baseline in the ERLEADA vs abiraterone acetate weighted cohorts, respectively. Additionally, concurrent use of prednisone was not required for patients in the abiraterone acetate cohort.
Patients in the ERLEADA cohort had a 26% reduction in the risk of death compared with abiraterone acetate (88.7% vs 85.8%; HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.59-0.93; P=0.010). When evaluating OS using all available follow-up at 48 months postindex, results were 77.3% vs 69.4% in the ERLEADA vs abiraterone acetate weighted cohorts, respectively (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.59-0.88; nominal P<0.001); this endpoint was not adjusted for multiple comparisons. Therefore, the P-value displayed is nominal, and statistical significance has not been established. The mean (median) follow-up period was 16.8 (19.5) months vs 16.3 (19.0) months and duration of continuous index ARPI use was 9.3 (6.6) months vs 10.7 (8.9) months in patients who initiated ERLEADA vs abiraterone acetate, respectively.
Bilen et al (2024)10 conducted a real-world, retrospective, longitudinal cohort study to evaluate survival among US-based patients with mCSPC who initiated ERLEADA (n=242) or abiraterone acetate (n=607) using electronic health record data from the Flatiron Metastatic Prostate Cancer Core Registry from January 2013-May 2023 (ROMA study). Concurrent use of prednisone in the abiraterone acetate cohort and concurrent ADT in both cohorts was not required for inclusion however most patients (>84%) had prior use of ADT before treatment initiation. The median time between metastasis and index treatment initiation was 2.3 months in the ERLEADA cohort and 2.5 months in the abiraterone acetate cohort.
Using Kaplan-Meier analysis, unadjusted real-world survival rates were as follows for the ERLEADA and abiraterone acetate cohorts, respectively: 91.3% vs 88.4% by 12 months, 88.0% vs 82.9% by 18 months, and 85.7% vs 75.9% by 24 months. By 24 months postindex, patients in the ERLEADA cohort had a 40% lower mortality rate relative to patients initiated on abiraterone acetate (unadjusted HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.38-0.96; P=0.033). The median time on treatment and observation period was 11.4 months and 14.3 months in the ERLEADA cohort and 10.8 months and 14.0 months in the abiraterone acetate cohort.
Maughan et al (2024)11 conducted a real-world, retrospective, observational cohort study to evaluate the impact of first-line treatment in US-based patients with mCSPC (OASIS study). Patients with a mCSPC diagnosis from January 2018-September 2022 in the ConcertAI database that started treatment with any androgen receptor signaling inhibitor (ARSI), docetaxel, or ADT alone were included. Enrollment included 4626 patients that started treatment with ERLEADA plus ADT (n=165), abiraterone acetate with prednisone plus ADT (n=1064), enzalutamide plus ADT (n=643), docetaxel plus ADT (n=293), and ADT alone (n=543).
Using multivariate Cox regression with IPTW method of risk of death, starting with ERLEADA plus ADT compared with abiraterone acetate plus ADT was associated with a statistically significant lower risk of death (adjusted HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.29-0.9; P<0.05). Results for ERLEADA plus ADT and AAP plus ADT compared to ADT alone for OS, time to CR, and time to undetectable PSA outomes are shown in Table: Adjusted HRs by Initial Treatment Compared to ADT Alone.
Adjusted HRs (95% CI) | ERLEADA + ADT | AAP + ADT | |
---|---|---|---|
OS | 0.4 (0.22-0.73) | 0.77 (0.54-1.1) | |
TTCR | 0.39 (0.23-0.67) | 0.6 (0.43-0.84) | |
Time to undetectable PSA | 2.79 (1.7-4.2) | 1.3 (0.93-1.9) | |
Abbreviations: AAP, abiraterone acetate plus prednisone; ADT, androgen deprivation therapy; CI, confidence interval; HRs, hazard ratios; OS, overall survival; PSA, prostate-specific antigen; TTCR, time to castration resistance. |
Brown et al (2024)12 conducted a real-world, retrospective, longitudinal propensity score-weighted cohort study to evaluate PSA90 response by 6 months in patients with mCSPC newly initiated on ERLEADA (n=920) or abiraterone acetate (n=637) using data from the Komodo Research database from December 17, 2018-September 30, 2022 (PROMPT-2). Concurrent use of prednisone in the abiraterone acetate cohort and concurrent use of ADT in both cohorts was not required for inclusion however most patients (>86%) in the IPTW population had prior use of ADT before treatment initiation. Mean baseline PSA was 23.7 ng/mL and 25.0 ng/mL in the ERLEADA and abiraterone acetate weighted cohorts, respectively.
There were 82.1% of patients in the ERLEADA weighted cohort vs 74.3% of patients in the abiraterone acetate weighted cohort with a postindex PSA measurement. By 6 months postindex, patients in the ERLEADA weighted cohort were 68% more likely to achieve PSA90 response compared with the abiraterone acetate weighted cohort (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.42-2.00; P<0.001). The same trend was observed over the entire observation period (P<0.001). At 6 months, 63.9% vs 41.7% of patients achieved PSA90 in the ERLEADA vs abiraterone acetate cohorts, with a median time to PSA90 of 3.6 months vs 10.3 months, respectively.
Brown et al (2024)13 conducted a real-world causal analysis to evaluate PSA90 response by 6 months in patients with de novo mCSPC initiated on ERLEADA (n=356) or abiraterone acetate (n=324) using data from the Komodo Health Solutions Research Database from September 17, 2019 to September 30, 2022.
A weighted Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare the proportion of patients achieving a PSA90 response by 6 months and a weighted Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare the time to PSA90 response. IPTW was used to balance preindex covariates between cohorts (e.g., age, race, time from metastasis to index date, use of ADT, most recent PSA and testosterone levels).
The mean preindex PSA level was 33.3 ng/mL in both the ERLEADA and abiraterone acetate groups. By 6 months postindex, 82.0% of patients in the ERLEADA group and 73.5% of patients in the abiraterone acetate group had >1 PSA test. At 6 months, 62.2% vs 41.6% of patients achieved PSA90 in the ERLEADA vs abiraterone acetate groups (HR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.28-2.10; P<0.001), with a median time to PSA90 of 3.6 vs 10.3 months, respectively.
Lowentritt et al (2023)14 conducted a real-world, retrospective, longitudinal cohort study to evaluate PSA outcomes and disease progression in patients with mCSPC that were initiated on ERLEADA (n=589) or abiraterone acetate (n=553). The study also included data for patients who initiated treatment with enzalutamide; however, the results for this cohort are not summarized below.
Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to assess the rates of PSA90, PSA 0.2, progression to CR, and CRFS separately for each cohort. All analyses were descriptive and were not adjusted for potential baseline confounders. Patients were required to have ≥12 months of clinical activity prior to the index date. Concurrent use of ADT was not required for inclusion in either cohort and concurrent use of prednisone was not required for patients in the abiraterone acetate cohort. Among the exclusion criteria were prior use of an ARSI before the index date or the use of ≥2 ARSIs on the index date and prior use of any radiopharmaceuticals.
Most patients had prior use of ADT and concurrent use of ADT in the ERLEADA (90.5%, 96.3%) and abiraterone acetate (90.8%, 95.7%) cohorts, respectively. Concurrent prednisone use was observed among 94.6% patients in the abiraterone acetate cohort. Median baseline PSA was 19.2 ng/mL and 24.3 ng/mL in the ERLEADA and abiraterone acetate cohorts, respectively. The descriptive analyses are summarized in Table: Clinical Outcome Results.
Clinical Outcome, % | ERLEADA Group | Abiraterone Acetate Group |
---|---|---|
PSA90 responsea,b,c | ||
n=478 | n=446 | |
3 months | 48.0 | 36.7 |
6 months | 67.4 | 46.7 |
9 months | 71.0 | 51.2 |
12 months | 72.3 | 54.7 |
Undetectable PSA (0.2) responsea,b,d | ||
n=382 | n=361 | |
3 months | 43.3 | 34.0 |
6 months | 67.1 | 48.0 |
9 months | 77.4 | 54.6 |
12 months | 80.6 | 58.4 |
Progression to CRa,e | ||
n=589 | n=553 | |
3 months | 2.2 | 10.3 |
6 months | 6.5 | 16.4 |
9 months | 15.3 | 24.7 |
12 months | 20.9 | 31.0 |
18 months | 29.3 | 40.3 |
24 months | 33.5 | 44.5 |
CRFSa,e | ||
n=589 | n=553 | |
3 months | 97.3 | 89.0 |
6 months | 91.5 | 81.6 |
9 months | 81.9 | 72.3 |
12 months | 76.2 | 65.1 |
18 months | 66.4 | 56.1 |
24 months | 62.0 | 50.5 |
Abbreviations: CR, castration resistance; CRFS, castration resistance-free survival; mCSPC, metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer; PSA, prostate-specific antigen; PSA90, ≥90% PSA reduction from baseline.aReported as rates by Kaplan-Meier analysis.b |
Lowentritt et al (2023)15 conducted retrospective real-world analyses to describe clinical outcomes in patients with mCSPC that were initiated on ERLEADA (n=155) or abiraterone acetate (n=711) using electronic medical record (EMR) data from the Flatiron Metastatic Prostate Cancer Core Registry. The study also included data for patients who initiated treatment with enzalutamide; however, the results for this cohort are not summarized below.
Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to assess the rates of progression to CR, OS, and CRFS separately for each cohort. All analyses were descriptive and were not adjusted for potential baseline confounders. Patients were required to have ≥12 months of clinical activity prior to the index date. Concurrent use of ADT was not required for inclusion in either cohort and use of prednisone was not required for the abiraterone acetate cohort. Among the exclusion criteria were prior use of an ARSI before the index date or the use of ≥2 ARSIs on the index date, and prior use of any advanced therapy for prostate cancer (ie, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiopharmaceuticals, estrogens, or PARP inhibitors).
Most patients had prior use of ADT before initiation of ERLEADA (83.2%) and abiraterone acetate (86.9%). The mean observation period was 12.7 months and 20.4 months in the ERLEADA and abiraterone acetate cohorts, respectively. The descriptive analyses are summarized in Table: Clinical Outcomes.
Clinical Outcome, % | ERLEADA Group (n=155) | Abiraterone Acetate Group (n=711) |
---|---|---|
Progression to CRa | ||
3 months | 2.1 | 7.7 |
6 months | 8.0 | 12.8 |
9 months | 10.0 | 17.6 |
12 months | 12.4 | 22.4 |
18 months | 23.5 | 29.5 |
24 months | 26.2 | 32.8 |
OSa | ||
3 months | 98.6 | 97.5 |
6 months | 96.9 | 94.0 |
9 months | 93.8 | 90.2 |
12 months | 91.6 | 87.6 |
18 months | 88.1 | 84.1 |
24 months | 88.1 | 77.0 |
CRFSa | ||
3 months | 96.5 | 90.2 |
6 months | 89.9 | 82.8 |
9 months | 86.0 | 76.1 |
12 months | 82.6 | 69.9 |
18 months | 70.1 | 62.0 |
24 months | 67.6 | 56.9 |
Abbreviations: CR, castration resistance; CRFS, castration resistance-free survival; mCSPC, metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer; OS, overall survival. aReported as rates by Kaplan-Meier analysis. |
Lowentritt et al (2023)16
IPTW based on propensity score was used to account for differences in baseline characteristics and balancing of baseline characteristics after weighting was confirmed between both cohorts. The observation period spanned from the index date to either index treatment discontinuation, initiation of a different ARSI, use of radiopharmaceuticals, end of clinical activity (eg, death), or end of data availability, whichever occurred first.
Patients were required to have ≥12 months of clinical activity prior to the index date and ≥1 PSA test during the 13 weeks prior to and including index date. Among the exclusion criteria were prior use of an ARSI before the index date or the use of ≥2 ARSIs on the index date and evidence of CR prior to or on the index date. Concomitant use of ADT was not required for inclusion and concomitant use of prednisone was not required for patients to be included in the abiraterone acetate cohort.
Before applying IPTW, a total of 364 patients treated with ERLEADA and 147 patients treated with abiraterone acetate were identified and after applying IPTW, the reweighted cohort sizes were 260 patients and 251 patients, respectively. The mean baseline PSA level was 20.4 ng/mL vs 21.1 ng/mL in the ERLEADA weighted cohort vs the abiraterone acetate weighted cohort, respectively. A total of 97.3% patients vs 99.2% patients were taking concomitant ADT in the ERLEADA and abiraterone acetate cohorts, respectively, and 93.7% of patients in the abiraterone acetate cohort were taking concomitant glucocorticoid therapy.
In the IPTW population, 77.3% of patients treated with ERLEADA and 89.2% of patients treated with abiraterone acetate had ≥1 PSA test during the observation period, with nearly all (99.6% vs 99.4%, respectively) having their first PSA test within 6 months following treatment initiation. The PSA90 response and median time to PSA90 response results were significant in the ERLEADA vs abiraterone acetate cohorts at 6 months and beyond (Table: PSA90 Response Results in ERLEADA vs Abiraterone Acetate Groups). No safety data were reported.
Efficacy Endpoint | ERLEADA Groupa (n=260) | Abiraterone Acetate Groupb (n=251) | Weighted HR (95% CI) | P-Valuec | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PSA90 response, % | |||||
3 months | 47.2 | 33.1 | - | - | |
6 months | 66.2 | 43.4 | 1.53 (1.08-2.16) | 0.016 | |
9 months | 68.1 | 47.4 | 1.51 (1.08-2.11) | 0.017 | |
12 months | 68.1 | 49.2 | 1.49 (1.07-2.09) | 0.019 | |
Median time to PSA90 response, months | 3.47 | Not reached | - | 0.013 | |
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; HR, hazard ratio; PSA90, ≥90% prostate-specific antigen reduction from baseline.aMean observation period was 236 days.bMean observation period was 218 days.cResults significant at the 5% level. |
Pilon et al (2021)17
The observation period was from the index date to index treatment discontinuation, initiation of a different next-generation androgen signaling inhibitor (ASI; ERLEADA or enzalutamide) or the use of radiopharmaceuticals, end of clinical activity including death, or end of data availability, whichever occurred first. A KM analysis was used to assess the proportion of patients who achieved each PSA response outcome at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after the index date and median time to PSA response.
Patients were required to have ≥12 months of clinical activity prior to the index date and ≥1 medication dispensation of ERLEADA, abiraterone acetate or enzalutamide. Select exclusion criteria were prior use of a next-generation ASI before the index date or the use of >1 ASI on the index date and evidence of CR prior to or on the index date. PSA responses were assessed for patients who had ≥1 PSA measurement during the 13 weeks before the index date.
Overall, 45.0% and 70.0% of patients treated with ERLEADA, respectively, and 64.7% and 78.9% of patients treated with abiraterone acetate, respectively, had a PSA test on average every 3 and 6 months. Patients achieving PSA90 and undetectable PSA responses were observed by 3 months, with the proportion increasing at 6 months postindex (Table: PSA Response Results in the ERLEADA and Abiraterone Acetate Groups). No safety data were reported.
PSA Outcomes | ERLEADA Group | Abiraterone Acetate Group | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
PSA90 response | ||||
Total number of evaluable patients, n | 212 | 270 | ||
Median time to PSA90 response, months | 2.70 | 6.17 | ||
Number of patients achieving PSA90, n (%) | 104 (49.1) | 121 (44.8) | ||
KM rates of patients achieving PSA90 response at specific time points, % (95% CI) | ||||
3 months | 52.9 (45.1-61.2) | 39.5 (33.4-46.2) | ||
6 months | 70.2 (61.9-78.2) | 49.1 (42.4-56.3) | ||
9 months | 71.4 (63.1-79.3) | 55.7 (48.3-63.5) | ||
12 months | 71.4 (63.1-79.3) | 59.5 (51.1-68.2) | ||
Undetectable PSA (PSA <0.2 ng/mL) response | ||||
Total number of evaluable patients, n | 178 | 225 | ||
Median time to undetectable PSA response, months | 3.53 | 9.70 | ||
Number of patients achieving undetectable PSA level, n (%) | 90 (50.6) | 96 (42.7) | ||
KM rates of patients achieving undetectable PSA level at specific time points, % (95% CI) | ||||
3 months | 43.4 (35.3-52.5) | 33.0 (26.7-40.2) | ||
6 months | 62.4 (53.4-71.4) | 45.9 (38.6-53.9) | ||
9 months | 78.3 (68.8-86.5) | 49.3 (41.5-57.6) | ||
12 months | 82.1 (72.5-89.9) | 53.7 (45.2-62.7) | ||
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; KM, Kaplan-Meier; PSA, prostate-specific antigen; PSA90, ≥90% prostatespecific antigen reduction from baseline. |
A literature search of MEDLINE®
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