The US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) expanded the approved use of Xgeva (denosumab) to treat adults and some adolescents with giant cell tumour of the bone (GCTB), a rare and usually non-cancerous tumour. GCTB generally occurs in adults between the ages of 20 and 40 years. In most cases, GCTB does not spread to other parts of the body but destroys normal bone as it grows, causing pain, limited range of motion and bone fractures. Rarely, GCTB can transform into a cancerous tumour and spread to the lungs.
Xgeva is a monoclonal antibody that binds to RANKL, a protein essential for maintenance of healthy bone. RANKL is also present in GCTB. Xgeva is intended for patients whose GCTB cannot be surgically removed (unresectable) or when surgery is likely to result in severe morbidity, such as loss of limbs or joint removal. It should only be used in adolescents whose bones have matured.
“Today’s approval of Xgeva provides a needed treatment option for patients with GCTB who are not surgical candidates or who would otherwise have to undergo extensive, life-altering surgery,” said Richard Pazdur, Director of the Office of Haematology and Oncology Products, FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
The FDA reviewed Xgeva under its priority review programme, which provides for an expedited review of drugs. Xgeva was granted orphan product designation because it is intended to treat a rare disease or condition.
The safety and effectiveness of Xgeva for GCTB were established in two clinical trials that enrolled a total of 305 adult or adolescent patients. All patients had confirmed cases of GCTB that were recurrent, unresectable or where surgery would result in severe morbidity.
Of the 187 patients whose tumours could be measured, 47 patients had their tumours reduce in size after an average of three months. Over an average follow-up duration of 20 months, re-growth of GCTB occurred in three patients whose tumours originally became smaller during treatment.
Common side effects included joint pain (arthralgia), headache, nausea, fatigue, back pain and extremity pain. The most common serious side effects were osteonecrosis (areas of dead bone) of the jaw and osteomyelitis (inflammation or infection of the bone). Women of reproductive potential should use highly effective contraception while taking Xgeva because of potential foetal harm.
Xgeva was approved in 2010 to prevent fractures when cancer has spread to the bones. It is marketed by Amgen, based in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
EP News Bureau – Mumbai
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