Get your patient on Evomela - Melphalan injection, Powder, Lyophilized, For Solution (Melphalan)

Evomela is indicated for use as a high-dose conditioning treatment prior to hematopoietic progenitor (stem) cell transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma.

The recommended dose of Evomela for conditioning treatment is 100 mg/m ² /day administered over 30 minutes by intravenous infusion for 2 consecutive days (Day -3 and Day -2) prior to autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT, Day 0). For patients who weigh more than 130% of their ideal body weight, body surface area should be calculated based on adjusted ideal body weight.

Administer prophylactic antiemetics [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2 )] .

Evomela is a hazardous drug. Follow applicable special handling and disposal procedures ¹ .

Evomela is light sensitive. Retain in original carton until use.

Do not mix Evomela with other melphalan hydrochloride for injection drug products.

Reconstitution and Infusion Instructions:

1.000000000000000e+00 Use 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP (8.6 mL as directed) to reconstitute Evomela and make a 50 mg/10 mL (5 mg/ mL) nominal concentration of melphalan.

The reconstituted Evomela drug product is stable for 24 hours at refrigerated temperature (5 ^o C) without any precipitation due to the high solubility.

The reconstituted Evomela drug product is stable for 1 hour at room temperature.

2.000000000000000e+00 Calculate the required volume of Evomela needed for a patient’s dose and withdraw that volume from the vial(s).

3.000000000000000e+00 Add the required volume of Evomela to the appropriate volume of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP to a final concentration of 0.45 mg/mL.

The Evomela admixture solution is stable for 4 hours at room temperature in addition to the 1 hour following reconstitution.

4.000000000000000e+00 Infuse over 30 minutes via an injection port or central venous catheter.

Evomela may cause local tissue damage should extravasation occur. Do not administer by direct injection into a peripheral vein. Administer Evomela by injecting slowly into a fast-running IV infusion via a central venous access line.

Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit.

Risk Summary

Based on its mechanism of action, Evomela can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman, including teratogenicity and/or embryo-fetal lethality [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.1 )] . Melphalan is a genotoxic drug and can cause chromatid or chromosome damage in humans [see Nonclinical Toxicology (13.1 )] . In animal studies, melphalan was embryolethal and teratogenic in rats at doses below the recommended clinical doses [see Data] . Advise a pregnant woman of the potential risk to a fetus..

The background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated populations are unknown. However, the background risk in the U.S. general population of major birth defects is 2-4% and of miscarriage is 15-20% of clinically recognized pregnancies.

Data

Animal Data

Adequate animal studies have not been conducted with intravenous melphalan. Melphalan was embryolethal and teratogenic in rats following oral administration of 6 to 18 mg/m ² /day for 10 days (0.06 to 0.18 times the highest recommended clinical dose of 100 mg/m ² /day) and intraperitoneal administration of 18 mg/m ² (0.18 times the highest recommended clinical dose). Malformations resulting from melphalan administration included alterations of the brain (underdevelopment, deformation, meningocele, and encephalocele) and eye (anophthalmia and microphthalmos), reduction of the mandible and tail, and hepatocele (exomphaly).

Risk Summary

It is not known whether melphalan is present in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing children from melphalan, breastfeeding is not recommended during treatment with Evomela and for one week after the last dose.

Evomela can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman [see Use in Specific Populations (8.1 )] .

Contraception

Females

Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with Evomela and for 6 months after the last dose.

Males

Evomela administration may damage spermatozoa and testicular tissue, resulting in possible genetic fetal abnormalities. Advise males with female partners of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with Evomela and for 3 months after the last dose [see Nonclinical Toxicology (13.1 )].

Infertility

Females

Melphalan causes suppression of ovarian function in premenopausal women, resulting in amenorrhea in a significant number of patients.

Males

Reversible and irreversible testicular suppression has been reported in male patients after administration of melphalan.

Pediatric patients were not included in clinical trials. Safety and effectiveness have not been established in pediatric patients.

Of the total number of subjects in the single-arm pivotal study of Evomela, 30% were 65 and over, but no patients were 75 and over. No overall differences in safety or effectiveness were observed between these subjects and younger subjects. A greater incidence of engraftment syndrome was observed in older patients; 7% (3 of 43) of patients younger than 65 years old versus 28% (5 of 18) of patients 65 years old and over.

For patients receiving Evomela as part of a conditioning regimen, myeloablation occurs in all patients. Do not begin the conditioning regimen if a stem cell product is not available for rescue. Monitor complete blood counts, provide supportive care for infections, anemia and thrombocytopenia until there is adequate hematopoietic recovery.

For patients receiving Evomela as part of a conditioning regimen, nausea, vomiting, mucositis, and diarrhea may occur in over 50% of patients. Use prophylactic antiemetic medication. Provide supportive care for nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and mucositis. The frequency of grade 3/4 mucositis in clinical studies was 13%. Provide nutritional support and analgesics for patients with severe mucositis. [see Dosage and Administration (2.1 ) and Adverse Reactions (6.1 )] .

Hepatic disorders ranging from abnormal liver function tests to clinical manifestations such as hepatitis and jaundice have been reported after treatment with melphalan. Hepatic veno-occlusive disease has also been reported. Monitor liver chemistries.

Acute hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, have occurred in approximately 2% of patients who received an intravenous formulation of melphalan. Symptoms may include urticaria, pruritus, edema, and skin rashes and, in some patients, tachycardia, bronchospasm, dyspnea, and hypotension. Discontinue treatment with Evomela for serious hypersensitivity reactions.

Melphalan has been shown to cause chromatid or chromosome damage in humans. Secondary malignancies such as myeloproliferative syndrome or acute leukemia have been reported in multiple myeloma patients treated with melphalan-containing chemotherapy regimens. The potential benefit of Evomela therapy must be considered against the possible risk of the induction of a secondary malignancy.

Based on its mechanism of action, Evomela can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Melphalan is genotoxic, targets actively dividing cells, and was embryolethal and teratogenic in rats. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with Evomela and for 6 months after the last dose. Advise males with female partners of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with Evomela and for 3 months after the last dose [see Use in Specific Populations (8.1 , 8.3 )] .

Melphalan-based chemotherapy regimens have been reported to cause suppression of ovarian function in premenopausal women, resulting in persistent amenorrhea in approximately 9% of patients. Reversible or irreversible testicular suppression has also been reported [see Use in Specific Populations (8.3 )].

The following serious adverse reactions are described in more detail in other sections of the prescribing information.

• Bone Marrow Suppression [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1 )]
• Gastrointestinal Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2 )]
• Hepatotoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3 )]
• Hypersensitivity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4 )]
• Secondary Malignancies [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5 )]

Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical studies of Evomela may not reflect the rates observed in practice.

The most common adverse reactions observed in at least 50% of patients with multiple myeloma treated with Evomela were neutrophil count decreased, white blood cell count decreased, lymphocyte count decreased, platelet count decreased, diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, hypokalemia, anemia, and vomiting.

Myeloablative Conditioning in Multiple Myeloma Patients Undergoing ASCT

The safety of Evomela was evaluated in 61 patients with multiple myeloma in a single arm clinical trial in which patients were administered Evomela at a dosage of 100 mg/m ² /day administered over ~30 minutes (range: 24-48 minutes) by intravenous (IV) infusion for 2 consecutive days (Day -3 and Day -2) prior to autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT, Day 0). [see Clinical Studies (14.1 )].

Table 1 summarizes the adverse reactions from the single-arm trial in patients with multiple myeloma. Severe myelosuppression is expected and these adverse reactions are not listed below.

Serious Adverse Reactions

Twelve (20%) patients experienced a treatment emergent serious adverse reaction while on study. The most common serious adverse reactions (>1 patient, 1.6%) were pyrexia, hematochezia, febrile neutropenia, and renal failure. Treatment-related serious adverse reactions reported in >1 patient were pyrexia (n=2, 3%), febrile neutropenia (n=2, 3%), and hematochezia (n=2, 3%).

Melphalan is an alkylating agent of the bischloroethylamine type. As a result, its cytotoxicity appears to be related to the extent of its interstrand cross-linking with DNA, probably by binding at the N ⁷ position of guanine. Like other bifunctional alkylating agents, it is active against both resting and rapidly dividing tumor cells.

The peak mean heart rate increased 20 bpm from baseline following melphalan 100 mg/m ² for 2 consecutive days in multiple myeloma patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation.

Cardiac Electrophysiology

No large mean increase in QTc (i.e. > 20 ms) was detected following melphalan 100 mg/m ² .

Mean (± SD) peak plasma concentrations and AUC _0-inf were 5.8 ± 1.5 mcg/mL and 451 ± 109 mcg•min/mL, respectively, following administration of melphalan 100 mg/m ² in multiple myeloma patients.

Distribution

The volume of distribution of melphalan ranges from approximately 35.5 to 185.7 L/m ² . Melphalan penetrates into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Protein binding of melphalan ranges from approximately 50% to 90%, primarily to serum albumin (40% to 60%) and to a lesser extent to α1-acid glycoprotein (20%). Approximately 30% of melphalan is (covalently) irreversibly bound to plasma proteins.

Elimination

Melphalan terminal elimination half-life is approximately 75 minutes. Average total body clearance (CL) ranges from approximately 250 to 325 mL/min/m ² .

Metabolism

Melphalan primarily undergoes chemical hydrolysis to inactive metabolites.

Excretion

Mean values of melphalan excreted in urine range from 5.8% to 21.3%.

Specific Populations

Patient Body Weight

Melphalan clearance changes with ideal body weight (IBW), which decreased by 28% and increased by 31% with IBW of 45 kg and 100 kg compared to 70 kg IBW, respectively.

Renal Impairment

A decrease in estimated creatinine CL from 100 mL/min to 30 mL/min results in 28.2% reduction in CL for a typical person with an IBW of 70 kg.

Adequate and well-controlled carcinogenicity studies have not been conducted in animals. However, intraperitoneal (IP) administration of melphalan in rats (5.4 to 10.8 mg/m ² ) and in mice (2.25 to 4.5 mg/m ² ) 3 times per week for 6 months followed by 12 months post-dose observation produced peritoneal sarcomas and lung tumors, respectively.

Intramuscular administration of melphalan at 6 and 60 mg/m ² produced structural aberrations of the chromatid and chromosomes in bone marrow cells of Wistar rats.

An open-label, single-arm, non-randomized trial of Evomela was conducted at 5 US centers (NCT 01660633). The 61 patients enrolled had symptomatic multiple myeloma and had at least 2 × 10 ⁶ CD34+ cells/kg cryopreserved stem cells available. The median age was 62 years (range 32 to 73); 57% male, 80% white, 18% black, 2% Asian. Evomela was administered at 100 mg/m ² /day over 30 minutes by IV infusion for two consecutive days (Day -3 and Day -2) prior to ASCT (Day 0).

The objective of the trial was to determine the overall safety and toxicity profile of 200 mg/m ² of Evomela in patients with multiple myeloma undergoing ASCT. The efficacy was evaluated by the International Myeloma Working Group response criteria comparing the disease response immediately prior to the ASCT procedure to the disease response assessed 90 to 100 days post-transplant. In addition, successful myeloablation, and time to engraftment were evaluated.

The overall response rate (partial response or better) improved from 79% (48 of 61) prior to the ASCT procedure to 95% (58 of 61) at 90 to 100 days post-transplant. There was also an increase in the number of patients with a stringent complete response from 0 patients prior to the ASCT procedure to 16% (10 of 61) at 90 to 100 days post-transplant.

Myeloablation and engraftment were evaluated by complete blood cell count tests daily until neutrophil and platelet engraftment, and then weekly until Day 30, and at Day 60 and Day 90-100. Myeloablation was defined as any of the following: absolute neutrophil count (ANC) < 500/mm ³ , absolute lymphocyte count < 100/mm ³ , or platelet count < 20,000/mm ³ ). Neutrophil engraftment was defined as ANC > 500/mm ³ ×3 consecutive daily assessments. Platelet engraftment was defined as untransfused platelet counts > 20,000/mm ³ ×3 consecutive daily assessments. Nonengraftment was defined as failure to reach an ANC > 500/mm ³ ×3 consecutive daily assessments by Day 90-100.

Myeloablation, neutrophil engraftment and platelet engraftment were achieved by all 61 patients. Myeloablation occurred on ASCT Day 5 (range ASCT days -1 to 6) with the median time to myeloablation from dosing of 8 days. The median time to neutrophil engraftment was 12 days (range ASCT days 10 to 16). The median time to platelet engraftment was 13 days (range ASCT days 10 to 28).