In a nutshell
This study examined how safe and effective is biosimilar ABP 215 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), compared to bevacizumab (Avastin). This study concluded that this drug is as safe and effective as bevacizumab in these patients.
Some background
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. Bevacizumab is a targeted therapy drug for patients with advanced or relapsed NSCLC. It works by stopping tumors to grow blood vessels. These stops tumor growth and survival.
ABP 215 is a biosimilar drug. A biosimilar is an almost identical treatment to those first approved for use. The safety and effectiveness of ABP 215 as compared to the original bevacizumab are unclear.
Methods & findings
642 patients with NSCLC were included. They were randomly assigned to receive ABP 215 (328 patients) or bevacizumab (314 patients). All patients also received carboplatin (Paraplatin) and paclitaxel (Taxol) chemotherapy.
Response rates were similar for the ABP 215 group (39%) and the bevacizumab group (42%). Progression-free survival (the percentage of patients surviving without the tumor growing or spreading) was also similar for the two groups (60.1% vs 60.2%). Patients in the ABP 215 group had similar overall survival rates to those in the bevacizumab group (86.7% vs 88.3%).
Serious side effects were reported in 26.2% of patients taking ABP 215 and 23% of those taking bevacizumab. Most of these included low white blood cell count with fever (3.4% vs 2.6%), lung infection (1.9% vs 1.6%) and a blood clot to the lungs (1.5% vs 1.9%).
The bottom line
This study concluded that the biosimilar drug ABP 215 has similar safety and effectiveness as bevacizumab in patients with NSCLC.
The fine print
This study was funded by Amgen, the manufacturer of ABP 215. This study was carried out over a short period of time. The long term effects of this drug need to be evaluated.
Published By :
Clinical Cancer Research
Date :
Jan 07, 2019
