Copanlisib, sold under the brand name Aliqopa,[1] is a medication used for the treatment of adults experiencing relapsed follicular lymphoma who have received at least two prior systemic therapies.[1][2]
Copanlisib is an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) with inhibitory activity predominantly against PI3K-α and PI3K-δ isoforms expressed in malignant B-cells. It has been shown to induce tumor cell death by apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation of primary malignant B cell lines.[1]
History
Efficacy resulting in the approval of copanlisib was based on the subgroup of 104 patients with follicular lymphoma from a Phase 2 clinical trial.[4] Of these, 59 percent had a complete or partial shrinkage of their tumors that lasted about 12 months.
To assess the safety of the drug, data from 168 adults with follicular lymphoma and other hematologic malignancies treated with copanlisib were evaluated.[3]
In a preclinical study, copanlisib was effective in inhibiting HER2+ breast cancer cells with acquired resistance to the HER2-inhibitors trastuzumab and/or lapatinib. This effect was increased when copanlisib was administered along with the aforementioned HER2-inhibitors.[11] Consequently, treatments of copanlisib with trastuzumab are being clinically trialled in HER2-positive breast cancer patients.[12]
In September 2017, it received accelerated approval for the treatment of adults experiencing relapsed follicular lymphoma who have received at least two prior systemic therapies. Further clinical trials are to be performed as a post-marketing requirement to verify the clinical benefit.[15]
Copanlisib was granted orphan drug status for the treatment of splenic, nodal and extranodal subtypes of marginal zone lymphoma.[14]
^ abClinical trial number NCT01660451 for "Open-label, Uncontrolled Phase II Trial of Intravenous PI3K Inhibitor BAY80-6946 in Patients With Relapsed, Indolent or Aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas" at ClinicalTrials.gov
^Clinical trial number NCT02728258 for "Copanlisib in Treating Patients With Persistent or Recurrent Endometrial Cancer" at ClinicalTrials.gov
^Clinical trial number NCT02391116 for "Phase II Copanlisib in Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)" at ClinicalTrials.gov
^Clinical trial number NCT02631590 for "Copanlisib (BAY 80-6946) in Combination With Gemcitabine and Cisplatin in Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma" at ClinicalTrials.gov
^Clinical trial number NCT02626455 for "Study of Copanlisib in Combination With Standard Immunochemotherapy in Relapsed Indolent Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (iNHL)" at ClinicalTrials.gov
^Clinical trial number NCT02367040 for "Copanlisib and Rituximab in Relapsed Indolent B-cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (iNHL)" at ClinicalTrials.gov
^Clinical trial number NCT02705859 for "Phase Ib/II Trial of coPANlisib in Combination With Trastuzumab in HER2-positive Breast Cancer. (Panther Study)" at ClinicalTrials.gov