In the end, Minerva Neurosciences Inc. NDA submission wasn’t able to overcome the U.S. FDA’s concerns regarding data for dual 5-HT2A/sigma 2 antagonist roluperidone. The agency issued a complete response letter (CRL) for the application, which had been seeking approval as the first treatment specifically targeting negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
The U.S. FDA issued Astellas Pharma Inc. a complete response letter for its BLA for zolbetuximab, citing unresolved deficiencies following its pre-license inspection of a third-party manufacturing facility for claudin 18.2-targeting drug, which was recently listed in the 2024 edition of Clarivate’s Drugs to Watch.
Receiving a second complete response letter (CRL) from the U.S. FDA for gefapixant to treat refractory and unexplained chronic cough – an indication for which there are no approved treatments in the U.S., Merck & Co. Inc. said it is reviewing the agency’s feedback to determine the next steps, if any, for the oral selective P2X3 receptor antagonist.
As expected, Aldeyra Therapeutics Inc. received a complete response letter (CRL) from the U.S. FDA regarding its NDA for reproxalap in dry eye disease, with the agency requiring “at least one” additional study to prove efficacy of the reactive aldehyde species, or RASP, modulator.
Following an unexpected FDA complete response letter (CRL), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. said it will no longer pursue an expanded indication for Onpattro (patisiran) in the U.S. The RNAi therapeutic was approved in 2018 to treat polyneuropathy of hereditary transthyretin-mediated (ATTR) amyloidosis and seemed well on its way to snagging a second U.S. indication after the FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee voted 9-3 in September that the drug’s benefits outweighed its risks as a treatment for cardiomyopathy of ATTR amyloidosis. The FDA disagreed with the committee, saying in the CRL that patisiran’s clinical meaningfulness had not been established in the proposed indication.
Shares of ARS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:SPRY) plummeted 55.8% Sept. 20 on word that the U.S. FDA issued a complete response letter (CRL) for Neffy, despite receiving a recommendation for approval in May from the agency’s advisory committee (adcom) and following a three-month delay in action.
After hitting the safety and efficacy endpoints in a pivotal study of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Outlook Therapeutics Inc.’s CEO said he had not expected to receive a complete response letter (CRL) from the U.S. FDA. The BLA for ONS-5010 (bevacizumab-vikg) now is on hold, the company said, because the agency said chemistry, manufacturing, and controls management problems were getting in the way, along with “open observations from pre-approval manufacturing inspections, and a lack of substantial evidence.”
A complete response letter (CRL) from the U.S. FDA for GC-4419 (avasopasem) is causing Galera Therapeutics Inc. to dramatically change course to survive, with the company laying off about 70% of its workforce. That layoff, which will reach across several company departments, is designed to extend the cash runway into the second quarter of 2024. The adjustment comes after Galera expanded its commercial leadership in May to prep for a potential launch of avasopasem before the end of 2023.
Regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Ltd.’s stock sank nearly 57% on the news that it received a second U.S. FDA complete response letter (CRL) following the resubmission of its BLA for allogeneic stem cell treatment remestemcel-L in children with steroid-refractory acute graft-vs.-host disease. In the CRL, issued a few days after the Aug. 2 PDUFA date, the agency said it requires more data to support approval.
Despite the U.S. FDA’s approval of Sage Therapeutics Inc.’s priority NDA for postpartum depression, the accompanying complete response letter (CRL) for major depressive disorder has undercut the company’s plans. Withholding the approval for MDD slices away a huge amount of the potential market for Sage and its collaborator, Biogen Inc.
