In a win for the rare disease space, the U.S. FDA granted accelerated approval for Rocket Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Kresladi (marnetegragene autotemcel) as the first gene therapy option for treating severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency-I (LAD-I), an ultrarare genetic immune disorder characterized by an immunodeficiency predisposing those affected to recurrent and fatal infections.
The U.S. FDA approved Corcept Therapeutics Inc.’s oral, selective glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, Lifyorli (relacorilant), nearly four months ahead of schedule for adults with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer. A short time after the agency approved Lifyorli, it cleared Denali Therapeutics Inc.’s Avlayah (tividenofusp alfa) under the accelerated approval pathway for mucopolysaccharidosis II, also called Hunter syndrome, ahead of the April 5 PDUFA date.
At the current pace of innovation in the U.S. rare disease space, developing and approving therapies for just half of the 10,000-plus known rare diseases would take more than 160 years, Bradley Campbell, president and CEO of Amicus Therapeutics Inc., recently told the Senate Committee on Aging.
Ascendis Pharma A/S’ Yuviwel (navepegritide) gained U.S. FDA accelerated approval Feb. 27 for children 2 and older with the rare genetic bone growth disorder achondroplasia, also known as dwarfism, winning the company a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher
Though it’s largely viewed by analysts as a simple delay rather than a setback, Disc Medicine Inc.’s unexpected complete response letter (CRL) for bitopertin in the rare genetic disorder erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) raises more questions regarding consistency and stability at the U.S. FDA.
Lexeo Therapeutics Inc. feels like it’s in a faster lane to a BLA for its Friedreich ataxia cardiomyopathy gene therapy after talking with the U.S. FDA. The agency told Lexeo that LX-2006 could be on the accelerated approval path if there is a mingling of the company’s data and studies.
Rakuten Medical Inc. is advancing a pipeline of solid tumor therapeutics built on its Alluminox platform worldwide, having gained conditional early approval of ASP-1929, an Alluminox-derived photoimmunotherapy, in Japan in 2020.
After a long regulatory road that included a complete response letter in May, Stealth Biotherapeutics Inc. finally got its Barth syndrome drug across the finish line, with the U.S. FDA granting accelerated approval to Forzinity (elamipretide HCl) to improve muscle strength in those with the ultra-rare pediatric mitochondrial cardioskeletal disease.
The U.S. FDA granted Abbvie Inc. accelerated approval for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) Teliso-V (telisotuzumab vedotin), newly branded Emrelis, making it the first treatment for previously treated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with high c-Met protein overexpression.
The U.S. FDA’s accelerated approval of Vanrafia (atrasentan) from Novartis AG for primary immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the company’s second approval for the indication in the past year and a half. The nod also came without a required safety program through a black box warning.
