Galapagos announces first patient enrolled in FILOSOPHY study to advance understanding of Jyseleca (filgotinib) effectiveness and safety in a real-world setting

The study, with target enrollment of 1500 patients across Europe, will evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in patients with moderate to severe active RA while receiving filgotinib in a real-world setting for up to two years. Mobile device technology will play a central role in collection of PROs, allowing data collection to begin within the first weeks of treatment. This may also prove to be an effective tool during the pandemic, while in-person clinic visits are harder to achieve.

FILOSOPHY will enable the gathering of comprehensive real-world data in a population that may not be fully represented in clinical trials, as randomized, placebo-controlled trials require strict patient inclusion criteria. These data will expand the evidence base to support the appropriate use of filgotinib in clinical practice.

Dr. Walid Abi-Saab, Chief Medical Officer of Galapagos said, “This study can enhance our understanding about the effectiveness and safety of filgotinib from the experiences of RA patients who are prescribed the treatment in a real-world healthcare setting. We aim to improve disease management and outcomes for people living with this debilitating condition.”

Professor Gerd Burmester, Director Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité, Universitätsmedizin, Berlin and FILOSOPHY Steering Committee Member, added, “We expect that use of remote devices to collect treatment outcomes data will give us more comprehensive insights into early treatment effects in relation to patient reported outcomes, including pain and fatigue. In addition, we are interested to understand how long patients stay on treatment and how this could be affected by patient characteristics or treatment effects.”

About Rheumatoid Arthritis

RA is a chronic inflammatory disease. In RA a person's immune system attacks healthy cells, causing painful swelling in affected parts of the body, primarily in the joints.(1) RA can cause tissue damage resulting in chronic pain, unsteadiness and physical disability.(1) More than 2.3 million individuals are living with RA in Europe(2) and women are 2 – 3 times more likely to develop RA(3). The onset of disease is typically between 30 and 50 years of age(4).

About the FILOSOPHY Phase 4 study

FILOSOPHY (FILgotinib Observational Study Of Patient Health related outcomes over 2 Years), is a prospective, non-interventional cohort study enrolling approximately 1500 patients across Europe. Data will be collected by the clinical sites and patients using an electronic case report form (eCRF) and mobile devices. Each enrolled patient will be followed for 24 months or until discontinuation of study, whichever occurs first. Baseline assessments may be collected within 30 days prior to the first dose of filgotinib. 

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the treatment persistence rate at 24 months, defined as the rate of patients continuing to receive filgotinib 24 months from treatment initiation. Secondary and exploratory objectives include effectiveness, evaluation of the effect of filgotinib on patient reported outcomes (PROs) including on pain, fatigue and work productivity, rate of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) as well as adverse events of interest, including serious and opportunistic infections (including herpes zoster), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), venous thromboembolism (VTE), hyperlipidemia, malignancies, non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), and gastrointestinal (GI) perforation.

For more information go to ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04871919

About filgotinib

Filgotinib is approved and marketed as Jyseleca (200mg and 100mg tablets) in the Europe Union, Great Britain and Japan for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have responded inadequately or are intolerant to one or more disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Filgotinib may be used as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate (MTX). The European Summary of Product Characteristics for filgotinib, which includes contraindications and special warnings and precautions, is available at www.ema.europa.eu. The interview form from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is available at www.info.pmda.go.jp. The Great Britain Summary of Product Characteristics is available at www.medicines.org.uk/emc. Applications have been submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) who have had an inadequate response with, lost response to, or were intolerant to either conventional therapy or a biologic agent and are currently under review. Filgotinib is not approved in any other jurisdictions.

About the filgotinib collaboration

Gilead and Galapagos NV are collaborative partners in the global development and commercialization of filgotinib. Galapagos will be responsible for the commercialization of filgotinib in Europe (transition anticipated to be completed by end of 2021), while Gilead will remain responsible for filgotinib outside of Europe, including in Japan, where filgotinib is co-marketed with Eisai. Filgotinib in UC has been filed in Europeand Japan and a global Phase 3 program is ongoing in Crohn’s Disease. More information about clinical trials can be accessed at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

About Galapagos

Galapagos NV discovers, develops and commercializes small molecule medicines with novel modes of action, several of which show promising patient results and are currently in late-stage development in multiple diseases. Our pipeline comprises discovery through Phase 3 programs in inflammation, fibrosis and other indications. Our ambition is to become a leading global biotech company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative medicines. More information at www.glpg.com.

(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/rheumatoid-arthritis.html. Accessed September 2020.
(2) National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society. The Burden of Rheumatoid Arthritis across Europe a Socioeconomic Survey (BRASS). Summary Report. Accessed September 2020
(3) Arthritis Foundation. Arthritis by the Numbers. Available at: https://www.arthritis.org/getmedia/e1256607-fa87-4593-aa8a-8db4f291072a/2019-abtn-final-march-2019.pdf. Accessed September 2020.
(4) Wasserman, A. Diagnosis and Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis. American Family Physician. 2011;84(11):1245-1252.