Daiichi Sankyo (TSE: 4568) today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has validated the Type II Variation application for ENHERTU (trastuzumab deruxtecan) as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have activating HER2 (ERBB2) mutations and who have received a prior systemic therapy.

ENHERTU is a specifically engineered HER2 directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC) being jointly developed and commercialized by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN). Validation confirms that the application is complete and commences the scientific review process by the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. This application is based on data from the DESTINY-Lung02 phase 2 trial presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2022 Congress and the DESTINY-Lung01 phase 2 trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine with updated data also presented at ESMO 2022.

ENHERTU is the first HER2 directed medicine shown to have a clinically meaningful tumor response in patients with previously treated HER2 mutant metastatic non-small cell lung cancer based on the results of the DESTINY-Lung02 and DESTINY-Lung01 trials,' said Ken Takeshita, MD, Global Head, R&D, Daiichi Sankyo. 'As there are no approved therapies targeting HER2 mutant non-small cell lung cancer in Europe, we look forward to working closely with the European Medicines Agency to potentially bring a new treatment option to these patients.'

About DESTINY-Lung02

DESTINY-Lung02 is a global, randomized phase 2 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of ENHERTU in patients with HER2 mutant metastatic NSCLC with disease recurrence or progression during or after at least one regimen of prior anticancer therapy that must have contained a platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive ENHERTU 5.4 mg/kg (Cohort 1; n=102) or ENHERTU 6.4 mg/kg (Cohort 2; n=50).

The primary endpoint of the trial is confirmed objective response rate (ORR) as assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR). Secondary endpoints include confirmed disease control rate (DCR), duration of response (DoR) and progression free survival (PFS) assessed by investigator and BICR, investigator-assessed overall survival (OS) and safety. DESTINY-Lung02 enrolled 152 patients at multiple sites, including Asia, Europe, Oceania and North America.

About ENHERTU

ENHERTU (trastuzumab deruxtecan; fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki in the U.S. only) is a HER2 directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC). Designed using Daiichi Sankyo's proprietary DXd ADC technology, ENHERTU is the lead ADC in the oncology portfolio of Daiichi Sankyo and the most advanced program in AstraZeneca's ADC scientific platform. ENHERTU consists of a HER2 monoclonal antibody attached to a topoisomerase I inhibitor payload, an exatecan derivative, via a stable tetrapeptide-based cleavable linker.

ENHERTU (5.4 mg/kg) is approved in more than 40 countries for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2 positive breast cancer who have received a (or one or more) prior anti-HER2-based regimen, either in the metastatic setting or in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting, and have developed disease recurrence during or within six months of completing therapy based on the results from the DESTINY-Breast03 trial. ENHERTU also is approved in several countries for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2 positive breast cancer who have received two or more prior anti-HER2-based regimens based on the results from the DESTINY-Breast01 trial.

ENHERTU (5.4 mg/kg) is approved in Brazil and the U.S. for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2 low (immunohistochemistry (IHC) 1+ or IHC 2+/in-situ hybridization (ISH)) breast cancer who have received a prior systemic therapy in the metastatic setting or developed disease recurrence during or within six months of completing adjuvant chemotherapy based on the results from the DESTINY-Breast04 trial. ENHERTU (5.4 mg/kg) is approved under accelerated approval in the U.S. for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have activating HER2 (ERBB2) mutations, as detected by a FDA-approved test, and who have received a prior systemic therapy based on the results from the DESTINY-Lung02 trial. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.

ENHERTU (6.4 mg/kg) is approved in several countries for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic HER2 positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma who have received a prior trastuzumab-based regimen based on the results from the DESTINY-Gastric01 and/or DESTINY-Gastric02 trial.

About the Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca Collaboration

Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca entered into a global collaboration to jointly develop and commercialize ENHERTU in March 2019 and datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) in July 2020, except in Japan where Daiichi Sankyo maintains exclusive rights for each ADC. Daiichi Sankyo is responsible for the manufacturing and supply of ENHERTU and datopotamab deruxtecan.

About Daiichi Sankyo

Daiichi Sankyo is dedicated to creating new modalities and innovative medicines by leveraging our worldclass science and technology for our purpose 'to contribute to the enrichment of quality of life around the world.' In addition to our current portfolio of medicines for cancer and cardiovascular disease, Daiichi Sankyo is primarily focused on developing novel therapies for people with cancer as well as other diseases with high unmet medical needs. With more than 100 years of scientific expertise and a presence in more than 20 countries, Daiichi Sankyo and its 16,000 employees around the world draw upon a rich legacy of innovation to realize our 2030 Vision to become an 'Innovative Global Healthcare Company Contributing to the Sustainable Development of Society.'

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