Genmab A/S (Nasdaq Copenhagen: GEN) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) has approved the use of DARZALEX^® (daratumumab) in combination with bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone (VMP) for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). The supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for this indication was submitted by Genmab’s licensing partner, Janssen Biotech, Inc., in November 2017. The U.S. FDA subsequently granted priority review to the sBLA, with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target date of May 21, 2018. In August 2012, Genmab granted Janssen Biotech, Inc. an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab.

“With this label expansion, DARZALEX becomes the first antibody therapeutic to be approved for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma,” said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab. “This is an important step forward as it provides an additional treatment option to patients who are newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma.”

The approval was based on data from the Phase III ALCYONE study that showed a reduction of the risk of disease progression or death by 50 percent (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 0.50; 95 percent CI [0.38-0.65], p<0.0001) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma ineligible for ASCT when daratumumab is combined with VMP. The safety of DARZALEX combination therapy was consistent with the known safety profiles of DARZALEX monotherapy and of therapy with bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone, respectively. This data was presented as a Late-Breaking Abstract at the 2017 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine in December, 2017.