NEW YORK – Johnson & Johnson this week said it has submitted a marketing authorization application to the European Medicines Agency seeking approval of its CAR T-cell therapy ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The company submitted data from the Phase Ib/II CARTITUDE-1 study, in which out of 97 refractory multiple myeloma patients receiving cilta-cel, 97 percent saw their tumors shrink and 67 percent experienced a complete response. At data cutoff, 72 percent of patients were still responding to treatment. The EMA said earlier this year that it would review J&J's submission for cilta-cel on an accelerated timeframe. The company also submitted data from CARTITUDE-1 as part of a biologics license application with the US Food and Drug Administration in December.
Geneseeq Technology and AstraZeneca this week announced a collaboration to establish a cancer treatment center, called the Bio-Diagnostic Innovation Center, and a clinical diagnostics laboratory in Guangzhou, China. The center is focused on developing diagnostic platforms for cancer patients and will combine Toronto-based Geneseeq's expertise in clinical diagnostics tools and AstraZeneca's drug development experience. The center will also work to advance access to precision medicine through R&D, educational, and promotional efforts. The Guangzhou lab will be Geneseeq's fourth location in South China.
Tacoma, Washington-based Northwest Medical Specialties this week merged with Osborn Cancer Care, a Washington state-based cancer center. The resulting entity will operate as Northwest Medical Specialties and will have seven locations in Washington. It will also expand Northwest Medical Specialties' expertise in precision oncology and value-based care into a larger geographic area, providing more access to precision medicine for cancer patients in Washington.
In Brief This Week is a selection of news items that may be of interest to our readers but had not previously appeared in Precision Oncology News.