TICE BCG

TICE BCG- bacillus calmette-guerin substrain tice live antigen powder, for suspension
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

WARNING

TICE® BCG contains live, attenuated mycobacteria. Because of the potential risk for transmission, prepare, handle, and dispose of TICE® BCG as a biohazard material (see PRECAUTIONS and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION sections).

BCG infections have been reported in health care workers, primarily from exposures resulting from accidental needle sticks or skin lacerations during the preparation of BCG for administration. Nosocomial infections have been reported in patients receiving parenteral drugs that were prepared in areas in which BCG was reconstituted. BCG is capable of dissemination when administered by the intravesical route, and serious infections, including fatal infections, have been reported in patients receiving intravesical BCG (see WARNINGS, PRECAUTIONS, and ADVERSE REACTIONS sections).

DESCRIPTION

TICE® BCG for intravesical use, is an attenuated, live culture preparation of the Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin (BCG) strain of Mycobacterium bovis. 1 The TICE strain was developed at the University of Illinois from a strain originated at the Pasteur Institute.

The medium in which the BCG organism is grown for preparation of the freeze-dried cake is composed of the following ingredients: glycerin, asparagine, citric acid, potassium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, and iron ammonium citrate. The final preparation prior to freeze drying also contains lactose.

The freeze-dried BCG preparation is delivered in glass vials, each containing 1 to 8 × 108 colony forming units (CFU) of TICE BCG which is equivalent to approximately 50 mg wet weight. Determination of in vitro potency is achieved through colony counts derived from a serial dilution assay. A single dose consists of 1 reconstituted vial (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).

For intravesical use the entire vial is reconstituted with sterile saline. TICE BCG is viable upon reconstitution.

No preservatives have been added.

CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY

TICE® BCG induces a granulomatous reaction at the local site of administration. Intravesical TICE BCG has been used as a therapy for, and prophylaxis against, recurrent tumors in patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the urinary bladder, and to prevent recurrence of Stage TaT1 papillary tumors of the bladder at high risk of recurrence. The precise mechanism of action is unknown.

CLINICAL STUDIES

Carcinoma in situ (Bladder Cancer)

To evaluate the efficacy of intravesical administration of TICE® BCG in the treatment of carcinoma in situ , patients were identified who had been treated with TICE BCG under 6 different Investigational New Drug (IND) applications in which the most important shared aspect was the use of an induction plus maintenance schedule. Patients received TICE BCG (50 mg; 1 to 8 x 108 CFU) intravesically, once weekly for at least 6 weeks and once monthly thereafter for up to 12 months. A longer maintenance was given in some cases.

The study population consisted of 153 patients, 132 males, 19 females, and 2 unidentified as to gender. Thirty patients lacking baseline documentation of CIS and 4 patients lost to follow-up were not evaluable for treatment response. Therefore, 119 patients were available for efficacy evaluation. The mean age was 69 years (range: 38–97 years).

There were 2 categories of clinical response: (1) Complete Histological Response (CR), defined as complete resolution of carcinoma in situ documented by cystoscopy and cytology, with or without biopsy; and (2) Complete Clinical Response Without Cytology (CRNC), defined as an apparent complete disappearance of tumor upon cystoscopy. The results of a 1987 analysis of the evaluable patients are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: The Response of Patients With CIS Bladder Cancer in 6 IND Studies
Entered Evaluable CR CRNC Overall response
No. (%) of patients 153 119 (78%) 54 (46%) 36 (30%) 90 (76%)

A 1989 update of these data is presented in Table 2. The median duration of follow-up was 47 months.

Table 2: Follow-up Response of Patients With CIS Bladder Cancer in 6 IND Studies
1989 Status of 90 Responders (CR or CRNC)
Response 1987/CR
n=54
1987/CRNC
n=36
1987 Response
n=90
Percent
CR 30 15 45 50
CRNC 0 0 0 0
Unrelated deaths 6 6 12 13
Failure 18 15 33 37

There was no significant difference in response rates between patients with or without prior intravesical chemotherapy. The median duration of response, calculated from the Kaplan-Meier curve as median time to recurrence, is estimated at 4 years or greater. The incidence of cystectomy for 90 patients who achieved a complete response (CR or CRNC) was 11%. The median time to cystectomy in patients who achieved a complete response (CR or CRNC) exceeded 74 months.

TaT1 Bladder Cancer

The efficacy of intravesical TICE BCG in preventing the recurrence of a TaT1 bladder cancer after complete transurethral resection of all papillary tumors was evaluated in 2 open-label, randomized phase III clinical trials. Initial diagnosis of patients included in the studies was determined by cystoscopic biopsies. One was conducted by the Southwestern Oncology Group (SWOG) in patients at high risk of recurrence. High risk was defined as 2 occurrences of tumor within 56 weeks, any stage T1 tumor, or 3 or more tumors presenting simultaneously. The second study was conducted at the Nijmegen University Hospital; Nijmegen, The Netherlands. In this study patients were not selected for high risk of recurrence. In both studies treatment was initiated between 1 and 2 weeks after transurethral resection (TUR).

SWOG Trial (study 8795)

In the SWOG trial (study 8795) patients were randomized to TICE BCG or mitomycin C (MMC). Both drugs were given intravesically weekly for 6 weeks, at 8 and 12 weeks, and then monthly for a total treatment duration of 1 year. Cystoscopy and urinary cytology were performed every 3 months for 2 years. Patients with progressive disease or residual or recurrent disease at or after the 6 month follow-up were removed from the study and were classified as treatment failures.

A total of 469 patients was entered into the study: 237 to the TICE BCG arm and 232 to the MMC arm. Twenty-two patients were subsequently found to be ineligible, and 66 patients had concurrent CIS, and were analyzed separately. Four patients were lost to follow-up, leaving 191 evaluable patients in the TICE BCG arm and 186 in the MMC arm. Of the patients, 84% were male and 16% were female. The average age of these patients was 65 years old.

The Kaplan-Meier estimates of 2-year disease-free survival are shown in Table 3. The difference in disease-free survival time between the 2 groups was statistically significant by the log rank test (P =0.03). The 95% confidence interval of the difference in 2-year disease-free survival was 12% ± 10%. No statistically significant differences between the groups were noted in time to tumor progression, tumor invasion, or overall survival.

Table 3: Results of SWOG Study 8795
TICE BCG Arm
N=191
MMC Arm
N=186
Estimated disease-free survival at 2 years 57% 45%
95% Confidence Interval (CI) (50%, 65%) (38%, 53%)
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 4

All MedLibrary.org resources are included in as near-original form as possible, meaning that the information from the original provider has been rendered here with only typographical or stylistic modifications and not with any substantive alterations of content, meaning or intent.

This site is provided for educational and informational purposes only, in accordance with our Terms of Use, and is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a medical doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner or other qualified health professional.

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2024. All Rights Reserved.