BeiGene announces positive regulatory updates in Europe and the U.S. after recently regaining global rights for Tevimbra (tislelizumab)

BeiGene, Ltd. announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved Tevimbra (tislelizumab) as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after prior platinum-based chemotherapy. The EC approval follows the positive opinion of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use and is based on positive results from BeiGene’s RATIONALE 302 study.

“The global RATIONALE 302 trial demonstrated the anti-PD-1 antibody tislelizumab prolonged the survival of patients with locally advanced or metastatic ESCC who had received prior systemic treatment, with no new safety signals identified,” said Prof. Florian Lordick, Director and Professor of Oncology of the University Cancer Center Leipzig, Germany. “The approval of tislelizumab in Europe is a noteworthy moment for patients, their caregivers and their physicians, due to the existing unmet need for new treatment options.”

RATIONALE 302 is a global, randomized, open-label, Phase III study (NCT03430843) designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of Tevimbra when compared with investigator’s choice chemotherapy as a second-line treatment for patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic ESCC. The study enrolled 513 patients from 132 research sites in 11 countries in Europe, Asia and North America. Additionally, the FDA accepted for review a Biologics License Application (BLA) for tislelizumab as a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable, recurrent, locally advanced, or metastatic ESCC.

The FDA has assigned a target action date in the second half of 2024, under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act.