Advanced kidney cancer (RCC) Clinical trial results

How WELIREG was studied

Doctors conducted a clinical study with 746 adults with advanced RCC, of which 374 patients took three 40⁠-⁠mg pills of WELIREG once a day compared to 372 patients who took everolimus once a day, in order to measure how long people lived without their cancer getting worse and the length of time a person lived. A closer look at this study is provided below.

Patients

A clinical study including 746 adults with advanced RCC was conducted.

These patients had received at least two different treatments prior to the study, either used together or one after the other: a PD⁠-⁠1 or PD⁠-⁠L1 and VEGF cancer medicines.

PD⁠-⁠1 = programmed death receptor-1; PD⁠-⁠L1 = programmed death⁠-⁠ligand 1; VEGF = vascular endothelial growth factor.

Treatment

People in the study were given either three 40⁠-⁠mg pills (120 mg) of WELIREG, a HIF⁠-⁠2α inhibitor, once a day or one 10⁠-⁠mg pill of an mTOR inhibitor called everolimus once a day.

This continued until the study provider determined it was appropriate to stop treatment due to disease worsening or if people had certain side effects.

HIF⁠-⁠2α = hypoxia-inducible factor 2 alpha; mTOR = mammalian target of rapamycin.

Outcomes

This study measured how long people lived without their cancer getting worse while taking WELIREG compared to everolimus, as well as the length of time a person lived after starting treatment.

It also looked at how many people saw a reduction in tumor size after starting treatment and the duration of response, which measured how long a person responded to treatment.


In this study, WELIREG was proven to reduce the risk of advanced RCC spreading, growing, or getting worse by 25% compared to everolimus

Cancer did not progress in 117 out of 374 patients receiving WELIREG compared to 110 out of 372 patients receiving everolimus.

WELIREG is still being studied

Data on how long patients in the study lived are still being analyzed.


More patients saw tumors shrink

100%
0%
22%
4%

82 out of 373 patients

WELIREG

13 out of 364 patients

everolimus

19% of patients had tumors get smaller (partial response)

3% of patients had tumors disappear (complete response)

4% of patients had tumors get smaller (partial response)

0% of patients had tumors disappear (complete response)

Duration of responses

30% (25 out of 82) of patients who responded did not see their cancer get worse for 12 months or longer.

What is WELIREG?

WELIREG is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with kidney cancer that has spread (advanced RCC) following treatment with a PD-1 or PD-L1 and VEGF cancer medicines.

It is not known if WELIREG is safe and effective in children.

PD⁠-⁠1 = programmed death receptor⁠-⁠1;
PD⁠-⁠L1 = programmed death⁠-⁠ligand 1;
VEGF = vascular endothelial growth factor.

Important Safety Information

WELIREG may cause serious side effects. WELIREG may cause harm to your unborn baby.

  • A pregnancy test will be done before you start treatment.
  • Birth control methods that contain hormones may not work as well during treatment.
  • Females and males with female partners who can become pregnant should use an effective form of non-hormonal birth control (contraception) during treatment and for 1 week after your last dose.

WELIREG may cause serious side effects, including:

Low red blood cell counts (anemia). Low red blood cell counts are common with WELIREG and can be severe. You may need a blood transfusion if your red blood cell counts drop too low. Your health care provider will do blood tests to check your red blood cell counts before you start and during treatment with WELIREG. Tell your health care provider if you get any symptoms of low red blood cell counts, including tiredness, feeling cold, shortness of breath, chest pain, or fast heartbeat.

Low oxygen levels in your body. WELIREG can cause low oxygen levels in your body that can be severe and may require you to stop treatment with WELIREG, receive oxygen therapy, or be hospitalized. Your health care provider will monitor your oxygen levels before you start and during treatment with WELIREG. Tell your health care provider or get medical help right away if you get symptoms of low oxygen in your body, including shortness of breath or increased heart rate.

Harm to your unborn baby. Treatment with WELIREG during pregnancy can cause harm to your unborn baby.

Females who are able to become pregnant:

  • Your health care provider will do a pregnancy test before you start treatment with WELIREG.
  • You should use an effective form of non-hormonal birth control (contraception) during treatment with WELIREG and for 1 week after your last dose.
  • Birth control methods that contain hormones (such as birth control pills, injections, or transdermal system patches) may not work as well during treatment with WELIREG.
  • Talk to your health care provider about birth control methods that may be right for you during treatment with WELIREG.
  • Tell your health care provider right away if you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant during treatment with WELIREG.

Males with female partners who are able to become pregnant:

  • You should use effective birth control (contraception) during treatment with WELIREG and for 1 week after your last dose.
  • Tell your health care provider right away if your partner becomes pregnant or thinks she is pregnant while you are taking WELIREG.

Before taking WELIREG, tell your health care provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have low red blood cell counts (anemia)
  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if WELIREG passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment with WELIREG and for 1 week after your last dose.

Tell your health care provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. WELIREG and certain other medicines can affect each other and cause serious side effects.

The most common side effects of WELIREG in adults with VHL disease include:

  • tiredness
  • increased creatinine (kidney function test)
  • headache
  • dizziness
  • increased blood sugar (glucose) levels
  • nausea

The most common side effects of WELIREG in adults with advanced RCC include:

  • tiredness
  • decreased white blood cells
  • increased creatinine (kidney function test)
  • muscle and joint pain
  • increased liver function tests
  • decreased blood salts (sodium) levels
  • increased blood potassium levels

WELIREG may cause fertility problems in males and females, which may affect your ability to have children. Talk to your health care provider if this is a concern for you.

These are not all of the possible side effects of WELIREG. Call your health care provider for medical advice about side effects.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please read the accompanying Medication Guide for WELIREG, including an important warning about harm to an unborn baby, and discuss it with your doctor. The physician Prescribing Information also is available.