The efficacy of ZYKADIA for the treatment of patients with ALK-positive NSCLC who had not received prior systemic therapy for metastatic disease was evaluated in an open-label, randomized, active-controlled, multicenter study (ASCEND-4, NCT01828099). Patients were required to have World Health Organization (WHO) performance status 0-2 and ALK-positive NSCLC as identified by the VENTANA ALK (D5F3) CDx Assay. Neurologically stable patients with central nervous system (CNS) metastases that did not require increasing doses of steroids to manage CNS symptoms were permitted to enroll. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus; a history of ILD or interstitial pneumonitis; or a history of pancreatitis, or increased amylase, or lipase that was due to pancreatic disease were not eligible.

The major efficacy outcome measure was progression-free survival (PFS) as determined by Blinded Independent Review Committee (BIRC) according to RECIST v1.1. Additional efficacy outcome measures were overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR) and duration of response (DOR) determined by BIRC, overall intracranial response rate (OIRR), duration of intracranial response (DOIR) determined by BIRC neuro-radiologist, and patient reported outcomes.

Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive ZYKADIA 750 mg orally daily under fasted conditions or chemotherapy and maintenance chemotherapy. Randomization was stratified by WHO performance status, prior adjuvant/neoadjuvant chemotherapy and presence or absence of brain metastases. Patients randomized to chemotherapy received pemetrexed (500 mg/m2) and investigator’s choice of cisplatin (75 mg/m2) or carboplatin (AUC of 5 - 6 mg*min/mL) administered on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle for a maximum of 4 cycles followed by pemetrexed (500 mg/m2) every 21 days. Treatment in both arms was continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. 

The study population characteristics were: 57% female, median age 54 years (range, 22 to 81 years), 22% age 65 years or older, 54% white, 42% Asian, 2% black, and 2% other races. The majority of patients had adenocarcinoma (97%) and never smoked (61%). CNS metastases were present in 32% (n = 121) of patients. Approximately half (n = 55) had measurable CNS metastases as determined by BIRC neuro-radiologist and 71% (n = 39) of these patients received no prior intracranial radiotherapy. Of those randomized to chemotherapy, 43% received ZYKADIA as the next antineoplastic therapy after platinum-based chemotherapy.

Efficacy results from ASCEND-4 are summarized in Table 7 and Figure 1.

There was no significant difference in OS in a pre-specified interim analysis conducted at 42% of the events required for the final analysis.

Figure 1: Kaplan-Meier Plot of Progression-Free Survival as Assessed by BIRC by Treatment Arm in ASCEND-4

Antitumor activity of ZYKADIA in the brain was assessed in patients with measurable disease as determined by the BIRC neuro-radiologist at baseline (N = 55) according to RECIST 1.1.

Exploratory analyses of patient-reported outcome measures suggested a delay in time to development of or worsening of shortness of breath in patients treated with ZYKADIA as compared to chemotherapy. The patient-reported delay in onset or worsening of shortness of breath may be an overestimation, because patients were not blinded to treatment assignment.