Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
The safety of ZALTRAP in combination with FOLFIRI was evaluated in VELOUR (EFC102621) [see Clinical Studies (14)]. Patients received ZALTRAP 4 mg per kg (N=611) or placebo (N=605) intravenously every two weeks (one cycle) in combination with FOLFIRI. Patients received a median of 9 cycles of ZALTRAP/FOLFIRI.
The most common Grade 3–4 adverse reactions (≥5%) in the ZALTRAP/FOLFIRI arm were neutropenia, diarrhea, hypertension, leukopenia, stomatitis, fatigue, proteinuria, and asthenia.
The most frequent adverse reactions leading to permanent discontinuation in ≥1% of patients treated with ZALTRAP/FOLFIRI regimen were asthenia/fatigue, infections, diarrhea, dehydration, hypertension, stomatitis, venous thromboembolic events, neutropenia, and proteinuria.
The ZALTRAP dose was reduced and/or omitted in 17% of patients. Cycle delays >7 days occurred in 60% of patients treated with ZALTRAP/FOLFIRI.
The most common adverse reactions (≥20%) in the ZALTRAP/FOLFIRI arm were leukopenia, diarrhea, neutropenia, proteinuria, AST increased, stomatitis, fatigue, thrombocytopenia, ALT increased, hypertension, weight decreased, decreased appetite, epistaxis, abdominal pain, dysphonia, serum creatinine increased, and headache.
Adverse reactions and laboratory abnormalities that occurred in ≥5% (all grades) of patients receiving ZALTRAP in combination with FOLFIRI and which occurred at ≥2% higher frequency in patients who received ZALTRAP/FOLFIRI compared to those who received placebo/FOLFIRI in VELOUR are shown in Table 1. VELOUR was not designed to demonstrate a statistically significant difference in adverse reaction rates for ZALTRAP/FOLFIRI as compared to placebo/FOLFIRI for any adverse reactions listed below.
Table 1: Selected Adverse Reactions and Laboratory Findings in VELOURPrimary System Organ Class Preferred Term | ZALTRAP/ FOLFIRI (N=611) | Placebo/ FOLFIRI (N=605) |
|---|
| All grades (%) | Grades 3–4 (%) | All grades (%) | Grades 3–4 (%) |
|---|
| Note: Adverse Reactions are reported using MedDRA version 13.1 and graded using NCI CTC version 3.0 |
| Blood and lymphatic system disorders |
| Leukopenia | 78 | 16 | 72 | 12 |
| Neutropenia | 67 | 37 | 57 | 30 |
| Thrombocytopenia | 48 | 3 | 35 | 2 |
| Gastrointestinal disorders |
| Diarrhea | 69 | 19 | 57 | 8 |
| Stomatitis | 50 | 13 | 33 | 5 |
| Abdominal Pain | 27 | 4 | 24 | 2 |
| Abdominal Pain Upper | 11 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| Hemorrhoids | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Rectal Hemorrhage | 5 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Proctalgia | 5 | 0.3 | 2 | 0.3 |
| Investigations |
| AST increased | 62 | 3 | 54 | 2 |
| ALT increased | 50 | 3 | 39 | 2 |
| Weight decreased | 32 | 3 | 14 | 0.8 |
| Renal and urinary disorders |
| Proteinuria Compilation of clinical and laboratory data | 62 | 8 | 41 | 1 |
| Serum creatinine increased | 23 | 0 | 19 | 0.5 |
| General disorders and administration site conditions |
| Fatigue | 48 | 13 | 39 | 8 |
| Asthenia | 18 | 5 | 13 | 3 |
| Vascular disorders |
| Hypertension | 41 | 19 | 11 | 1.5 |
| Metabolism and nutrition disorders |
| Decreased Appetite | 32 | 3 | 24 | 2 |
| Dehydration | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders |
| Epistaxis | 28 | 0.2 | 7 | 0 |
| Dysphonia | 25 | 0.5 | 3 | 0 |
| Dyspnea | 12 | 0.8 | 9 | 0.8 |
| Oropharyngeal Pain | 8 | 0.2 | 3 | 0 |
| Rhinorrhea | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Nervous system disorders |
| Headache | 22 | 2 | 9 | 0.3 |
| Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders |
| Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia Syndrome | 11 | 3 | 4 | 0.5 |
| Skin Hyperpigmentation | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Infections |
| Urinary Tract Infection | 9 | 0.8 | 6 | 0.8 |
Infections occurred at a higher frequency in patients receiving ZALTRAP/FOLFIRI (46%, all grades; 12%, Grade 3–4) than in patients receiving placebo/FOLFIRI (33%, all grades; 7%, Grade 3–4), including urinary tract infection, nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, catheter site infection, and tooth infection.
In patients with mCRC, severe hypersensitivity reactions have been reported with ZALTRAP/FOLFIRI (0.3%) and placebo/FOLFIRI (0.5%).
In patients with mCRC, venous thromboembolic events (VTE), consisting primarily of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, occurred in 9% of patients treated with ZALTRAP/FOLFIRI and 7% of patients treated with placebo/FOLFIRI. Grade 3–4 VTE occurred in 8% of patients treated with ZALTRAP/FOLFIRI and in 6% of patients treated with placebo/FOLFIRI. Pulmonary embolism occurred in 5% of patients treated with ZALTRAP/FOLFIRI and 3.4% of patients treated with placebo/FOLFIRI.