Often when the U.S. FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) determines that the marketing of a drug crosses the line of misbranding, it hands the sponsor an untitled letter schooling it on how the promotional materials run afoul on safety or efficacy claims.
Less than a week after approving Johnson & Johnson’s bispecific antibody, Talvey (talquetamab-tgvs), for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (r/r MM) under accelerated review, the U.S. FDA has followed suit with Pfizer Inc.’s equivalent, Elrexfio (elranatamab-bcmm). The accelerated clearance of Elrexfio – a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) bispecific antibody that targets BCMA on myeloma cells and the CD3 receptor on T cells – covers it for adult patients who have received at least four prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.
An updated trial protocol providing expanded bridging therapies are part of the agreement between the U.S. FDA and Arcellx Inc. that allows the lifting of the partial clinical hold on the company’s pivotal phase II study of CAR T-cell therapy CART-ddBCMA in multiple myeloma (MM).
The U.S. FDA has approved Daxxify (daxibotulinumtoxinA-lanm) for treating cervical dystonia in adults nearly a week ahead of its Aug. 19 PDUFA date. Approval of the sBLA for the injectable, peptide-formulated neuromodulator went to Revance Therapeutics Inc. The drug’s original approval was for treating glabellar lines, better known as frown lines, came in September 2022. Daxxify is the first neuromodulator stabilized with Revance’s peptide exchange technology. It is created without human serum albumin or animal-based components.
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.
The accelerated clearance won by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) from the U.S. FDA for Talvey (talquetamab-tgvs) for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (r/r MM) in adults brings to the market the bispecific antibody that takes aim at G protein-coupled receptor class C group 5 member D, a target of interest to other developers as well.
Iveric Bio Inc. is now the second biotech to gain U.S. clearance for geographic atrophy – snagging U.S. FDA approval on Aug. 4 for Izervay (avacincaptad pegol intravitreal solution) to treat GA secondary to age-related macular degeneration. The once-monthly Izervay 2-mg injection is anticipated to be available in the U.S. in two to four weeks, said Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., which recently acquired Iveric in May 2023.
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.
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.
The old adage of “what goes up must come down” rarely applies to U.S. FDA user fees. Most of the fiscal 2024 fees, which go into effect Oct. 1, continue in an upward slope. Under the PDUFA agreement, the fees for NDAs/BLAs are surging 25%. All but one of the MDUFA fees are going up 9.5%; the lone exception is growing by 18%. The MDUFA hikes are building on top of this year’s hefty increases. In the generics realm, the drug master file fee is going up 21%, but other fees increases are in the single digit range. Biosimilars, however, are the exception to the rule, with all the BsUFA fees seeing big drops.
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