TOKYO - Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., 'Astellas') and Seagen Inc. (Nasdaq: SGEN) today announced that a marketing authorization application (MAA) for enfortumab vedotin was accepted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The MAA requests review of enfortumab vedotin for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have received a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor and who have received a platinum-containing chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant/adjuvant, locally advanced or metastatic setting. If approved, enfortumab vedotin would be the first antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) available in the European Union for people living with urothelial cancer.

Enfortumab vedotin will be reviewed under accelerated assessment, which means the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) can reduce the timeframe for evaluation.

The MAA is based on the global phase 3 EV-301 trial, which evaluated enfortumab vedotin versus chemotherapy in adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who were previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy and a PD-1/L1 inhibitor. Results from the trial, which had a primary endpoint of overall survival for patients treated with PADCEV versus chemotherapy, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

'In the European Union, it is estimated that 118,000 people are diagnosed with urothelial cancer each year, and 52,000 die as a result of the disease,' said Andrew Krivoshik, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Oncology Therapeutic Area Head, Astellas. 'People with advanced urothelial cancer face an urgent need for new treatment options, which is reflected in the CHMP's decision to grant accelerated assessment. We will continue to work with the CHMP toward our goal of securing marketing authorization as soon as possible.'

About Urothelial Cancer

Urothelial cancer is the most common type of bladder cancer (90 percent of cases), and can also be found in the renal pelvis (where urine collects inside the kidney), ureter (tube that connects the kidneys to the bladder) and urethra.1 Globally, approximately 549,000 new cases of bladder cancer and 200,000 deaths are reported annually.2 In Europe, it is estimated that 118,000 patients are diagnosed with this form of cancer and 52,000 deaths are reported annually.3

Locally advanced and metastatic urothelial cancer is an aggressive disease that is associated with poor survival and high healthcare costs.4 Five-year relative survival rates for metastatic disease are estimated to be approximately 7 percent.5

About the EV-301 Trial

The EV-301 trial (NCT03474107) is a global, multicenter, open-label, randomized phase 3 trial designed to evaluate enfortumab vedotin versus physician's choice of chemotherapy (docetaxel, paclitaxel or vinflunine) in approximately 600 patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who were previously treated with a PD-1/L1 inhibitor and platinum-based therapies. The primary endpoint is overall survival and secondary endpoints include progression-free survival, overall response rate, duration of response and disease control rate, as well as assessment of safety/tolerability and quality-of-life parameters.6

About Enfortumab Vedotin

Enfortumab vedotin is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that is directed against Nectin-4, a protein located on the surface of cells and highly expressed in bladder cancer.7,8 Nonclinical data suggest the anticancer activity of enfortumab vedotin is due to its binding to Nectin-4 expressing cells followed by the internalization and release of the anti-tumor agent monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) into the cell, which result in the cell not reproducing (cell cycle arrest) and in programmed cell death (apoptosis).8

About the Astellas and Seagen Collaboration

Astellas and Seagen Inc. are co-developing enfortumab vedotin under a 50:50 worldwide development and commercialization collaboration. In the United States, Astellas and Seagen co-promote enfortumab vedotin under the brand name PADCEV (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv). In the Americas outside the US, Seagen holds responsibility for commercialization activities and regulatory filings. Outside of the Americas, Astellas holds responsibility for commercialization activities and regulatory filings.

Astellas Cautionary Notes

In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties.

Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development), which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.

Seagen Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this press release are forward looking, such as those, among others, relating to the therapeutic potential of enfortumab vedotin, including its efficacy, safety and therapeutic uses and the potential to obtain regulatory approval of enfortumab vedotin in the European Union. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference include, without limitation, the possibility that enfortumab vedotin may not ultimately be approved in the European Union for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have received a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor and who have received a platinum-containing chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant/adjuvant, locally advanced or metastatic setting, in a timely manner or at all and that setbacks in the development and commercialization of enfortumab vedotin could occur as a result of the difficulty and uncertainty of pharmaceutical product development, the risk of adverse events or safety signals, failure to establish sufficient efficacy in clinical trials, adverse regulatory actions or other factors. More information about the risks and uncertainties faced by Seagen is contained under the caption 'Risk Factors' included in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Seagen disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contact:

Chris Goldrick

Tel: (847) 224-3014

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