Oops, you're using an old version of your browser so some of the features on this page may not be displaying properly.

MINIMAL Requirements: Google Chrome 24+Mozilla Firefox 20+Internet Explorer 11Opera 15–18Apple Safari 7SeaMonkey 2.15-2.23

FDA Approves Ramucirumab for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Approval is based on results from the REACH 2 study
13 May 2019
Cytotoxic Therapy
Gastrointestinal Cancers

On 10 May 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration approved ramucirumab (CYRAMZA®, Eli Lilly and Company) as a single agent for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients who have an alpha fetoprotein (AFP) of ≥ 400 ng/mL and have been previously treated with sorafenib.

Approval was based on REACH‑2 (NCT02435433), a multinational, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study in 292 patients with advanced HCC with AFP ≥ 400 ng/mL who had disease progression on or after sorafenib or who were intolerant. Patients were randomised (2:1) to receive ramucirumab 8 mg/kg plus best supportive care (BSC) or placebo plus BSC every 2 weeks as an intravenous infusion until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

The trial’s primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). The estimated median OS was 8.5 months (7.0, 10.6) for patients receiving ramucirumab and 7.3 months (5.4, 9.1) for those receiving placebo (HR 0.71; 95% CI: 0.53, 0.95; p = 0.020).

The most common adverse reactions observed in patients with HCC receiving single-agent ramucirumab (≥ 15% and ≥ 2% higher incidence than placebo) were fatigue, peripheral oedema, hypertension, abdominal pain, decreased appetite, proteinuria, nausea, and ascites. The most common laboratory abnormalities (≥ 30% and a ≥ 2% higher incidence than placebo) were hypoalbuminemia, hyponatremia, and thrombocytopenia.

The recommended ramucirumab dose is 8 mg/kg administered intravenously every 2 weeks.

Full prescribing information for CYRAMZA you can find here.

Healthcare professionals should report all serious adverse events suspected to be associated with the use of any medicine and device to FDA’s MedWatch Reporting System.

Last update: 13 May 2019

This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential, while others help us improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used.

For more detailed information on the cookies we use, please check our Privacy Policy.

Customise settings
  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and you can only disable them by changing your browser preferences.