Cefepime-Taniborbactam Superior to Meropenem for Complicated UTI

For adults with complicated urinary tract infection (UTI), including acute pyelonephritis, cefepime-taniborbactam is superior to meropenem, according to a study published in the Feb. 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

                                                                        Cefepime 

Florian M. Wagenlehner, M.D., from Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, and colleagues conducted a phase 3 randomized trial involving hospitalized adults with complicated UTI, including acute pyelonephritis. Participants were randomly assigned to receive intravenous cefepime-taniborbactam (2.5 g) or meropenem (1 g) every eight hours for seven days in a 2:1 ratio; in the case of bacteremia, this duration could be extended up to 14 days.

The researchers found that composite success (microbiologic and clinical success on trial days 19 to 23) occurred in 70.6 and 58.0 percent of patients in the cefepime-taniborbactam and meropenem groups, respectively, with cefepime-taniborbactam superior to meropenem (treatment difference, 12.6 percentage points). At late follow-up (days 28 to 35), differences in treatment response were sustained, with higher composite success and clinical success seen for cefepime-taniborbactam. Adverse events occurred in 35.5 and 29.0 percent of patients in the cefepime-taniborbactam and meropenem groups, respectively; the two groups had a similar frequency of serious adverse events.

"Cefepime-taniborbactam was shown to be a potential treatment option for patients with complicated UTI and acute pyelonephritis caused by Enterobacterales species and P. aeruginosa, including antimicrobial-resistant strains," the authors write.

The study was funded by VenatoRx Pharmaceuticals, the developer of cefepime-taniborbactam.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2304748

Cefepime-Taniborbactam Superior to Meropenem for Complicated UTI  

Drug That Treats Cocaine Addiction May Curb Colon Cancer

A drug first developed to treat cocaine addiction might also help slow the spread of advanced colon cancer, a new study suggests.

The drug vanoxerine appears to suppress cancer stem cell activity by essentially rewiring gene networks critical to tumor growth, the researchers explained.

“Tumors treated with vanoxerine become more susceptible to attack by the immune system due to the reactivation of ancient viral DNA fragments accumulated in our genome throughout evolution,” explained lead researcher Yannick Benoit, an associate professor of cellular and molecular medicine at the University of Ottowa in Canada.

“This finding is quite significant, considering that colorectal tumors tend to show poor response to standard immunotherapy,” Benoit added in a university news release.

Colon cancer is the world’s second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and it is considered a silent killer because it typically doesn’t show symptoms until the cancer is advanced.

Vanexorine interferes with a protein that transports dopamine, the brain chemical involved in sensations of pleasure and reward. Because of this, it was first developed to help people with an addiction to cocaine.

But the drug also suppresses a key enzyme in colon cancer cells, the researchers discovered.

Vanexorine suppressed stem cell activity in the tumors of colon cancer patients, as well as in tumors implanted into lab animals.

The drug also produced minimal toxic side effects in both humans and lab mice, Benoit said.

This indicates vanexorine could prove “a safe way to eliminate cancer stem cells in colorectal tumors without harming the ‘good stem cells’ in the body's organs,” Benoit added.

The findings were published Feb. 15 in the journal Nature Cancer.

Further research will be needed to fully test the ability of vanexorine to slow or stop colon cancer, the researchers added.

“For those unfortunate people diagnosed with advanced and aggressive forms of colorectal cancer, we profoundly hope our work can lead to the development of powerful options for treatment in the future and substantially increase their survival chances,” Benoit said.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanoxerine

Drug That Treats Cocaine Addiction May Curb Colon Cancer 

Drug Used to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis May Also Help Prevent It

A clinical trial  showed that the  drug abatacept (Orencia) – which is already used to treat diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis – also can prevent people from progressing to the painful inflammatory disease.

Abatacept eases symptoms and prevents joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis patients by dampening the immune system, researchers said.

About 1.3 million Americans live with rheumatoid arthritis, which occurs when the body’s immune system starts attacking tissues in the joints, causing inflammation, pain and swelling.

Day’s clinical trial showed that abatacept also is effective in preventing the onset of rheumatoid arthritis.

About 6% of patients treated with abatacept developed arthritis compared to 29% given a placebo following a year of treatment, according to clinical trial results published Feb. 13 in The Lancet.

“This is the largest rheumatoid arthritis prevention trial to date and the first to show that a therapy licensed for use in treating established rheumatoid arthritis is also effective in preventing the onset of disease in people at risk,” researcher Andrew Cope, head of the King’s College London Center for Rheumatic Diseases, said in a news release.

“These initial results could be good news for people at risk of arthritis, as we show that the drug not only prevents disease onset during the treatment phase but can also ease symptoms such as pain and fatigue,” he continued.

For the clinical trial, researchers recruited 213 patients older than 18 at high risk of rheumatoid arthritis. They all had early symptoms like joint pain, but no swelling that would lead to a formal diagnosis.

Rheumatoid arthritis most often begins in middle age, but also can affect much younger adults, researchers said.

“Enrolling in the trial was a no-brainer; it was a ray of hope at a dark time,” Day said.

Half of the participants were treated with abatacept and the other half with a placebo every week for a year. The drug is given by weekly injections at home or in a hospital via an IV drip.

After a year of treatment, the drug was stopped and patients were monitored to see how many would develop rheumatoid arthritis.

After the full two years, 25% of abatacept patients had progressed to rheumatoid arthritis compared with 37% of those on a placebo.

“The results clearly show that during the treatment period almost all individuals receiving the biologic drug showed no symptoms or signs of RA compared with the control population,” Ravinder Maini, an emeritus professor of rheumatology at Imperial College London who was not involved in the research, said of the clinical trial.

Drug Used to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis May Also Help Prevent It 

FDA Approves Aurlumyn (iloprost) as the First Medication to Treat Severe Frostbite

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Aurlumyn (iloprost) injection to treat severe frostbite in adults to reduce the risk of finger or toe amputation.

"This approval provides patients with the first-ever treatment option for severe frostbite,” said Norman Stockbridge, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Cardiology and Nephrology in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Having this new option provides physicians with a tool that will help prevent the lifechanging amputation of one’s frostbitten fingers or toes."

Frostbite can occur in several stages, ranging from mild frostbite that does not require medical intervention and does not cause permanent skin damage, to severe frostbite when both the skin and underlying tissue are frozen and blood flow is stopped, sometimes requiring amputation. Iloprost, the active ingredient in Aurlumyn, is a vasodilator (a drug that opens blood vessels) and prevents blood from clotting.

Iloprost’s efficacy in treating severe frostbite was primarily established in an open-label, controlled trial that randomized 47 adults with severe frostbite, who all received aspirin by vein and standard of care, into one of three treatment groups. One of these groups (Group 1) received iloprost by vein (intravenously) for 6 hours daily for up to 8 days. The two other groups received other medications that are unapproved for frostbite, given with iloprost (Group 2) or without iloprost (Group 3). The primary measure of efficacy was a bone scan obtained 7 days after initial frostbite that was used to predict the need for amputation of at least one finger or toe.

On day 7, the bone scan finding predictive of needing amputation was observed in 0% (0 of 16) patients receiving iloprost alone (Group 1) compared to 19% (3 of 16) patients in Group 2 and 60% (9 of 15) patients in Group 3. The presence of the bone scan abnormality was significantly lower in the two groups receiving iloprost. Most patients had follow-up information on whether they subsequently underwent at least one finger or toe amputation. The need for amputation was consistent with the bone scan findings.

The most common side effects of Aurlumyn include headache, flushing, heart palpitations, fast heart rate, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and hypotension (blood pressure that is too low). Aurlumyn also has a warning and precaution noting that it may cause symptomatic hypotension.

Aurlumyn received Priority Review and Orphan Drug designations for this indication.

Iloprost was originally approved in 2004 for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.  The FDA granted the approval of Aurlumyn to Eicos Sciences Inc.

Ref; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iloprost.

FDA Approves Aurlumyn (iloprost) as the First Medication to Treat Severe Frostbite

Chugai files for additional indication of Evrysdi for pre-symptomatic SMA and additional dosage for infants up to 2 months of age

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced that it filed regulatory application with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) of “Evrysdi dry syrup 60 mg ” (Evrysdi), a treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, for an additional indication of pre-symptomatic SMA, and an additional dosage for infants up to the 2 months of age. The drug received orphan drug designation from the MHLW in March 2019, for SMA, and the application for additional indication is also subject to priority review.

“There is great significance in filing for additional indication for pre-symptomatic SMA, as initiation of treatment before onset of symptoms may possibly maximize treatment benefit. In addition, availability of this drug in all ages including infants from birth may enable treatment to be started promptly after diagnosis. We remain committed towards obtaining additional indication approval of Evrysdi, to provide benefit as the only approved oral treatment for SMA” said Chugai’s president and CEO, Dr. Osamu Okuda.

The application is based on results from the RAINBOWFISH study, an overseas phase II study (does not include Japan) for pre-symptomatic SMA infants. The RAINBOWFISH study included babies with two or more copies of the SMN2 gene. Generally, the lower the number, the more severe the disease.

The study met its primary endpoint with 80% of the primary efficacy population (n=5) sitting without support for at least five seconds after 1 year of Evrysdi treatment, assessed by Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, third edition (BSID-III). The primary efficacy population included babies with two SMN2 copies and a CMAP (compound muscle action potential) amplitude of =1.5 mV at baseline. CMAP amplitude measures the muscle response to a stimulus, and a low score correlates with symptom onset in SMA patients and worse functional outcomes. Patients in the primary efficacy population are expected to progress similarly to the natural history of SMA Type I without treatment, and in that case, children with Type 1 SMA would not be expected to sit. Of the 26 babies in the study, 81% could sit independently for 30 seconds, including all patients with low CMAP amplitude at baseline (<1.5 mV) and the majority were standing and walking.

Adverse events (AEs) were more reflective of the age of the babies than underlying SMA. The majority of AEs were not considered treatment-related, and there were no deaths or AEs leading to withdrawal or treatment discontinuation. The most common AEs were teething, Covid-19, pyrexia, gastroenteritis, eczema and constipation. The AEs observed in the RAINBOWFISH primary analysis are generally consistent with those AEs seen in other Evrysdi trials in SMA.

In SMA, the loss of motor neurons may begin before symptoms start so initiating treatment early is critical for better outcomes, and newborn screening plays an important role for early diagnosis. Evrysdi is expected to offer high medical value by enabling immediate start of treatment after diagnosis.

The RAINBOWFISH study [NCT03779334] is an open-label, single-arm, multicentre study, investigating the efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of Evrysdi in babies (n=26), from birth to six weeks of age (at first dose) with genetically diagnosed SMA who are not yet presenting with symptoms. Proportion of infants in the primary efficacy population who are sitting without support for at least 5 seconds at month 12 assessed by the BSID-III (Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development - Third Edition) gross motor scale. Japan is not included in this study.

Evrysdi is a survival motor neuron 2 (SMN2) splicing modifier designed to treat SMA caused by mutations in chromosome 5q that lead to SMN protein deficiency. Evrysdi is designed to treat SMA by increasing and sustaining the production of the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. SMN protein is found throughout the body and is critical for maintaining healthy motor neurons and movement. Evrysdi was approved in the US in August 2020, in Europe in March 2021, and in Japan in June 2021.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic neuromuscular disease that causes muscule atrophy and muscle weakness due to degeneration of the motor neuron. The causative gene for SMA is the survival motor neuron (SMN) gene. The disease develops because of insufficient production of functional SMN protein from SMN2 genes alone, in addition to the dysfunction of the SMN1 gene.

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Risdiplam#section=2D-Structure

Chugai files for additional indication of Evrysdi for pre-symptomatic SMA and additional dosage for infants up to 2 months of age

Tapinarof Cream Under FDA Review for Atopic Dermatitis Indication | MDedge Dermatology

Dermavant Sciences announced  the company's  submission of  supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the Food and Drug Administration for tapinarof cream, 1%, for treating atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults and children 2 years of age and older.

Tapinarof cream, 1%, is an aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist marketed under the brand name VTAMA that was approved in 2022 for treating plaque psoriasis in adults.

According to a Dermavant press release, the sNDA is based on positive data from the phase 3 ADORING 1 and ADORING 2 pivotal trials and interim results from the phase 3 ADORING 3 open-label, long-term extension 48-week trial. In ADORING 1 and ADORING 2, tapinarof cream demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the primary endpoint of Validated Investigator Global Assessment for Atopic Dermatitis (vIGA-AD) treatment success, defined as a vIGA-AD score of 0 (clear) or 1 (almost clear) with at least a 2-grade improvement from baseline; demonstrated treatment success over vehicle at week 8; and met all key secondary endpoints with statistical significance, according to the company.

The most common adverse reactions in patients treated with VTAMA cream include folliculitis, nasopharyngitis, contact dermatitis, headache, and pruritus.

Ref : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapinarof

Tapinarof Cream Under FDA Review for Atopic Dermatitis Indication | MDedge Dermatology

FDA approves tepotinib for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer | FDA

FDA approves tepotinib for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer

On February 15, 2024, the Food and Drug Administration granted traditional approval to tepotinib (Tepmetko, EMD Serono, Inc.) for adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) exon 14 skipping alterations.

Tepotinib

Full prescribing information for Tepmetko will be posted here.

Tepotinib was previously granted accelerated approval for this indication on February 3, 2021, based on initial overall response rate (ORR) and duration of response (DOR) in the VISION trial (NCT02864992), a multicenter, non-randomized, open-label, multicohort study. The conversion to traditional approval was based on an additional 161 patients and an added 28 months of follow-up time to assess DOR. 

Efficacy was demonstrated in a total of 313 patients with metastatic NSCLC harboring MET exon skipping alterations. Patients received tepotinib 450 mg once daily until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

The primary efficacy measures were ORR and DOR, determined by a Blinded Independent Review Committee. Among 164 treatment-naïve patients, ORR was 57% (95% CI: 49, 65), with 40% of responders having a DOR ≥12 months. Among 149 previously treated patients, ORR was 45% (95% CI: 37, 53), with 36% of responders having a DOR ≥12 months.

The most common adverse reactions (≥20%) were edema, nausea, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, diarrhea, dyspnea, decreased appetite, and rash.

The recommended tepotinib dose is 450 mg orally once daily with food.

This review used the Assessment Aid, a voluntary submission from the applicant to facilitate the FDA’s assessment.

This application was granted breakthrough designation and orphan drug designation. FDA expedited programs are described in the Guidance for Industry: Expedited Programs for Serious Conditions-Drugs and Biologics.

FDA approves tepotinib for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer | FDA

UCLA-led research results in FDA approval of 4-drug combination for frontline treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer

A four-drug chemotherapy regimen of irinotecan liposome (Onivyde) in combination with oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and fluorouracil—together referred to as NALIRIFOX—has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

                                                                            Irinotecan

                                                                      Fluorouracil

                                                                    Folinic acid

                                                                Oxaliplatin

The FDA approval was based on results of the NAPOLI 3 trial, a study led by Dr. Zev Wainberg, co-director of the UCLA Health GI Oncology Program and a researcher at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Findings from the NAPOLI 3 trial were first presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium annual meeting and published in the Lancet in September of 2023. Wainberg, the global principal investigator for the trial, reported NALIRIFOX resulted in longer overall survival than a two-drug protocol comprised of nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) and gemcitabine.

“The FDA approval is significant because of how difficult it is to treat metastatic pancreatic cancer,” said Wainberg, who is also a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Metastatic pancreas cancer has long been recognized as a very difficult type of cancer to treat, but this study represents a possible new benchmark standard for current therapies and a promising avenue for ongoing research and drug development.”

The phase 3 study included 770 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, which makes up 95% of pancreatic cancers. Participants were from 250 sites in 25 countries and were randomly assigned to NALIRIFOX or the two-drug therapy.

Patients in the NALIRIFOX group had an overall survival of 11.1 months, compared with 9.2 months for those in the two-drug arm. Progression-free survival also increased with NALIRIFOX to 7.4 months versus 5.6 months with the two-drug regimen, which translates into a 30% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death.

The study is believed to be the first metastatic pancreatic cancer study in nearly a decade to have a positive endpoint for overall survival.

Most cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed at more advanced stages when the disease is more aggressive and has already started spreading to other parts of the body. There are also limited treatment options, which contributes to the high fatality rate of pancreatic cancer—Only about 13% of patients survive five or more years. In 2024 alone, the American Cancer Society estimates that around 35,000 people are anticipated to die from the disease.

The most common side effects people experienced in the trial included diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, reduced appetite, abdominal pain, mucosal inflammation, constipation and decreased weight.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673623013661?via%3Dihub

UCLA-led research results in FDA approval of 4-drug combination for frontline treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer

New treatment for a rare and aggressive cancer improves survival rates in breakthrough clinical trial

An innovative treatment significantly increases the survival of people with malignant mesothelioma, a rare but rapidly fatal type of cancer with few effective treatment options, according to results from a clinical trial led by Queen Mary University of London. 

The phase 3 clinical trial, led by Professor Peter Szlosarek at Queen Mary and sponsored by Polaris Pharmaceuticals, has unveiled a breakthrough in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a rare and often rapidly fatal form of cancer with limited therapeutic options.  

Mick’s journey with mesothelioma: “I have five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren now – I wouldn’t want to miss all that.” 

The ATOMIC-meso trial, a randomised placebo-controlled study of 249 patients with MPM, found that a treatment – which combines a new drug, ADI-PEG20, with traditional chemotherapy – increased the median survival of participants by 1.6 months, and quadrupled the survival at 36 months, compared to placebo-chemotherapy.  

The findings are significant, as MPM has one of the lowest 5-year survival rates of any solid cancer of around 5-10%. This innovative approach marks the first successful combination of chemotherapy with a drug that targets cancer's metabolism developed for this disease in 20 years. 

MPM is a rare, aggressive cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and is associated with exposure to asbestos. It’s usually treated with potent chemotherapy drugs, but these are seldom able to halt the progression of the disease.  

The premise behind this new drug treatment is elegant in its simplicity – starving the tumour by cutting off its food supply. All cells need nutrients to grow and multiply, including amino acids like arginine. ADI-PEG20 works by depleting arginine levels in the bloodstream. For tumour cells that can't manufacture their arginine due to a missing enzyme, this means their growth is thwarted.  

The ATOMIC-meso trial is the culmination of 20 years of research at Queen Mary’s Barts Cancer Institute that began with Professor Szlosarek’s discovery that malignant mesothelioma cells lack a protein called ASS1, which enables cells to manufacture their own arginine. He and his team have since dedicated their efforts to using this knowledge to create an effective treatment for patients with MPM. 

Professor Szlosarek said:  “It's truly wonderful to see the research into the arginine starvation of cancer cells come to fruition. This discovery is something I have been driving from its earliest stages in the lab, with a new treatment, ADI-PEG20, now improving patient lives affected by mesothelioma. I thank all the patients and families, investigators and their teams, and Polaris Pharmaceuticals for their commitment to defining a new cancer therapy.” 

Dr Tayyaba Jiwani, Science Engagement Manager at Cancer Research UK, said:  "This study shows the power of discovery research which allows us to dig deep into the biology of mesothelioma to uncover vulnerabilities that we can now target with ADI-PEG20.  

"Cancer Research UK is delighted to have funded the early stages of this research, including a preliminary clinical trial which established the safety and effectiveness of this drug." 

There are ongoing studies assessing ADI-PEG20 in patients who have sarcoma or glioblastoma multiforme (a type of brain tumour) and other cancers dependent on arginine. The success of this novel chemotherapy in MPM also suggests that the drug may be of benefit in the treatment of multiple other types of cancer.  

Mick’s journey with mesothelioma  

Mick worked in a factory boiler room in the 1970s, where he was exposed to asbestos. In 2018, he visited his doctor after he began to feel unwell and had lost three stone in weight. He became anaemic and was eventually diagnosed with mesothelioma. 

“It was a bit of a shock: I was given four months to live,” Mick explains. His doctor referred him to Professor Szlosarek, who enrolled him in the ATOMIC-meso trial. “I always believed in Peter. I said: ‘I’m in it to win it – you’re not getting rid of me.’ And here I am five years later.” 

For two years, Mick visited St Bartholomew’s Hospital every week, accompanied by his wife, Jackie, or one of his children or grandchildren. “I’d have two injections of the new treatment – one in each arm. I didn’t have any serious side effects,” Mick explains. “I met many of the other people on the trial. Over time, some of them disappeared. But I kept going.”  

Mick was awarded compensation from his former employer responsible for the asbestos exposure that ultimately led to his mesothelioma. Around 80% of mesothelioma cases are caused by workplace exposure. 

Two and a half years after Mick enrolled on the ATOMIC-meso trial, his mesothelioma returned and he received a second course of treatment, this time immunotherapy. He experienced more side effects with this therapy, including encephalitis. But his cancer remains under control, and recently he was able to celebrate his 80th birthday. Professor Szlosarek and his team plan to study why certain patients, such as Mick, benefit so greatly from ADI-PEG20, in the hope of discovering how to extend this benefit to more people.  

Mick says: “This trial has changed the lives of people with mesothelioma, allowing us to live longer. I have five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren now – I wouldn’t want to miss all that.” 

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2815000

New treatment for a rare and aggressive cancer improves survival rates in breakthrough clinical trial

Ipsen’s Onivyde Regimen, a Potential New Standard-of-Care First-Line Therapy in Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, Approved by FDA

Ipsen (Euronext: IPN; ADR: IPSEY) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the supplemental new drug application for Onivyde (irinotecan liposome injection) plus oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin (NALIRIFOX) as a first-line treatment in adults living with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPDAC). This is the second approval for an Onivyde regimen in mPDAC, following the FDA’s approval in 2015 of Onivyde plus fluorouracil and leucovorin following disease progression with gemcitabine-based therapy.

“The results from the Phase III NAPOLI 3 trial represent the first positive data for an investigational regimen in first-line metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma versus the currently approved nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine regimen,” said Christelle Huguet, EVP and Head of Research and Development, Ipsen. “With today’s approval, this Onivyde (NALIRIFOX) regimen can now offer a potential new standard-of-care treatment option with proven survival benefits for people living with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the U.S.”

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common type of cancer that forms in the pancreas, with more than 60,000 people diagnosed in the U.S. each year and nearly 500,000 people globally.3,4 Since there are no specific symptoms in the early stages, PDAC is often detected late and after the disease has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic or stage IV).5 Characterized as a complex cancer due to rapid tumor progression, limited genetic targets and multiple resistance mechanisms,6 mPDAC has a poor prognosis with fewer than 20% of people surviving longer than one year.4,5 Overall, pancreatic cancer has the lowest five-year survival rate of all cancer types globally and in the U.S.4,5

“Metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a difficult disease to manage with very few available treatment options. Given the reality of this aggressive form of cancer and the complexity of the disease, every advance in the treatment landscape represents a meaningful improvement in patient outcomes.” said Dr. Zev Wainberg, Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the UCLA GI Oncology Program. “The approval of this Onivyde regimen is an important milestone for people living with mPDAC, their families and healthcare providers, with the NAPOLI 3 trial having demonstrated survival benefits versus a current standard of care treatment option.”

“We are pleased that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued this new approval of the NALIRIFOX regimen. With each new approved treatment, there is more hope for those who will be diagnosed in the future and people currently living with pancreatic cancer may have more time with their loved ones,” said Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA, President and CEO of Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), a patient advocacy organization committed to providing evidence-based information and resources to patients and caregivers, along with advancing research to improve patient outcomes. “We are thankful to the patients who participated in this clinical trial as they play a crucial role in advancing treatments for pancreatic cancer.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irinotecan

Ipsen’s Onivyde Regimen, a Potential New Standard-of-Care First-Line Therapy in Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, Approved by FDA

Zevra Therapeutics Announces Resubmission of Arimoclomol New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Zevra Therapeutics, Inc. (NasdaqGS: ZVRA) a rare disease therapeutics company, today announced it resubmitted its New Drug Application (NDA) for arimoclomol, an investigational therapeutic candidate for the treatment of Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 22, 2023. Based on standard NDA resubmission review timelines, an acknowledgment letter from the FDA that the resubmission is complete and setting the PDUFA date is expected within 30 days. Zevra expects the NDA to be classified as a Class II submission which would be subject to a review period by the FDA within six months from the date of submission.

“The Zevra team has worked diligently to deliver a high quality and thorough resubmission of the NDA for arimoclomol following multiple interactions with the FDA and after incorporating direction from the agency,” said Neil McFarlane, President and Chief Executive Officer of Zevra. “We continue to accelerate our launch preparations in anticipation of FDA approval, and believe we are one step closer to getting arimoclomol into the hands of patients who are seeking a treatment.”

“Zevra has engaged with the advocacy community, elevating the patient voice throughout arimoclomol’s development process,” said Daniel Gallo, Ph.D., Zevra’s Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Advocacy. “The advocacy community’s input has been instrumental in building awareness of the need for approved treatments that address the unmet needs of individuals and their caregivers living with this debilitating condition.”

Zevra believes it has addressed the issues previously raised by the FDA in the complete response letter by providing additional evidence to support the use of the Niemann-Pick type C Clinical Severity Scale (NPCCSS) and, conducting additional studies used to support the potential mechanism of action. Additionally, new data included in the resubmission comes from multiple non-clinical studies, natural history comparisons, real-world data generated from the ongoing early access programs in the United States and the European Union, as well as data from the four-year open-label extension of the Phase 2/3 clinical trial (NCT02612129). Results from this open-label trial suggest that arimoclomol reduces the long-term progression of NPC.

Arimoclomol has been evaluated in a total of 21 studies across a range of Phase 1, 2 or 3 clinical trials evaluating its safety and efficacy across more than 600 subjects in NPC, other disease or healthy subjects. The primary efficacy trial evaluating arimoclomol for the treatment of NPC was a Phase 2/3 double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (CT-ORZY-NPC-002) of arimoclomol in 50 patients with NPC.

Read More ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arimoclomol

Zevra Therapeutics Announces Resubmission of Arimoclomol New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Zealand Pharma Submits New Drug Application to the US FDA for Glepaglutide in Short Bowel Syndrome

Zealand Pharma A/S  announced the submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for glepaglutide, a long-acting GLP-2 analog, for the treatment of adult patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) dependent on parenteral support.

“Short bowel syndrome with intestinal failure is a complex, chronic and severe condition in which individuals are dependent on receiving fluids and nutrition parenterally. While life-sustaining, parenteral support poses significant restrictions on daily life and carries a risk of serious and life-threatening complications. More effective and convenient treatments to further reduce parenteral support are needed, with the ultimate goal of discontinuing parenteral support and achieving enteral autonomy,” said David Kendall, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Zealand Pharma. “We believe glepaglutide, once approved, can reduce both the burden of parenteral support and of daily dosing of existing GLP-2 treatment for people living with SBS and intestinal failure, and we are pleased to submit this treatment for regulatory review and potential approval in the US.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotorasib

Zealand Pharma Submits New Drug Application to the US FDA for Glepaglutide in Short Bowel Syndrome

Journey Medical Corporation Submits New Drug Application to FDA for DFD-29 to Treat Rosacea

Journey Medical Corporation,  announced that the Company has submitted,  a New Drug Application (“NDA”) to the FDA seeking approval for DFD-29 (Minocycline Hydrochloride Modified Release Capsules, 40 mg) for the treatment of inflammatory lesions and erythema of rosacea in adults. DFD-29 is being developed in collaboration with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd.

“This NDA submission is a significant milestone for Journey Medical and we look forward to collaborating with the FDA during its review to bring DFD-29, a potentially differentiated, best-in-class oral rosacea treatment, one step closer to patients. Based on the data seen in our pivotal trials, DFD-29 could fundamentally improve the treatment paradigm for patients suffering from both inflammatory lesions and erythema (redness) from rosacea,” said Claude Maraoui, Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Journey Medical.

The NDA submission is supported by positive data from Journey Medical’s two DFD-29 Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of rosacea. The Phase 3 clinical trials achieved all co-primary and secondary endpoints, and subjects completed the 16-week treatment with no significant safety issues. DFD-29 demonstrated statistical superiority over both the current standard-of-care treatment, Oracea® 40 mg capsules, and placebo for Investigator’s Global Assessment treatment success as well as the reduction in the total inflammatory lesion count in both studies. On a secondary endpoint related to erythema (redness) assessment, DFD-29 showed statistically significant reduction in Clinician’s Erythema Assessment (CEA) compared to placebo in both clinical trials.

Rosacea, which affects approximately 16 million people in the United States according to the National Rosacea Society, is a long-term, inflammatory skin condition that causes small, red, pus-filled bumps, redness and visible blood vessels in the face. DFD-29 has the potential to become the only oral, systemic therapy to address both inflammatory lesions and erythema (redness) from rosacea, as demonstrated in the clinical trials.

Ref : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minocycline

Journey Medical Corporation Submits New Drug Application to FDA for DFD-29 to Treat Rosacea

FDA Grants Soligenix Fast Track Designation for Dusquetide in the Treatment of Oral Lesions of Behçet's Disease

Soligenix, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNGX) (Soligenix or the Company), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products to treat rare diseases where there is an unmet medical need, announced today that its SGX945 (dusquetide) development program for the treatment of oral lesions of Behçet's Disease has received "Fast Track" designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Fast track is a designation that the FDA reserves for a drug intended to treat a serious or life-threatening condition and one that demonstrates the potential to address an unmet medical need for the condition. Fast track designation is intended to facilitate the development and expedite the review of new drugs and biologics. For instance, should events warrant, Soligenix will be eligible to submit a new drug application (NDA) for SGX945 on a rolling basis, permitting the FDA to review sections of the NDA prior to receiving the complete submission. Additionally, NDAs for fast track development programs ordinarily will be eligible for priority review, which imparts an abbreviated review time of approximately six months.

"We are very pleased to have SGX945 in Behçet's Disease granted fast track designation from the FDA," stated Christopher J. Schaber, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Soligenix. "As demonstrated by the granting of the designation, our previous studies with dusquetide in oral mucositis have clearly validated the biologic activity in aphthous ulcers induced by chemotherapy and radiation. Behçet's disease is an unmet medical need in which the underlying vasculitis leads to ulceration of the mucous membranes and skin, with up to 18,000 people in the U.S. and as many as one million people worldwide affected by this incurable disease. Given our promising results with aphthous ulcers in oral mucositis, we are hopeful dusquetide will have a role to play in helping underserved patients suffering from this difficult to treat and chronic disease and look forward to initiating the Phase 2 clinical study in 2024."

About Dusquetide

Dusquetide (the active ingredient in SGX945 (Behçet's disease) and SGX942 (oral mucositis)) is an innate defense regulator (IDR), a new class of short, synthetic peptides. It has a novel mechanism of action whereby it modulates the body's reaction to both injury and infection towards an anti-inflammatory, anti-infective, and tissue healing response. IDRs have no direct antibiotic activity but, by modulating the host's innate immune system responses, increase survival after infections caused by a broad range of bacterial Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens. It also accelerates resolution of tissue damage following exposure to a variety of agents including bacterial pathogens, trauma, and chemo- and/or radiation therapy. Preclinical efficacy and safety have been demonstrated in numerous animal disease models including mucositis, colitis, macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) as well as bacterial infections. In addition, potential anti-tumor activity has been demonstrated in multiple in vitro and in vivo xenograft studies.

Dusquetide has demonstrated safety and tolerability in a Phase 1 clinical study in 84 healthy human volunteers. In Phase 2 and 3 clinical studies with SGX942 in over 350 subjects with oral mucositis due to chemoradiation therapy for head and neck cancer, positive efficacy results were demonstrated, including potential long-term ancillary benefits.

Soligenix has a strong intellectual property position in the IDR technology platform, including composition of matter for dusquetide and related analogs. Dusquetide was developed pursuant to discoveries made by Professors B. Brett Finlay, PhD and Robert Hancock, PhD of the University of British Columbia, Canada.

https://go.drugbank.com/drugs/DB11879

FDA Grants Soligenix Fast Track Designation for Dusquetide in the Treatment of Oral Lesions of Behçet's Disease

FDA Approves Augtyro (repotrectinib) for the Treatment of Locally Advanced or Metastatic ROS1-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) announced  the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of  Augtyro (repotrectinib) for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Administered as an oral therapy, Augtyro is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) targeting ROS1 oncogenic fusions.

The approval is based on the TRIDENT-1 study, an open-label, single-arm, Phase 1/2 trial that evaluated Augtyro in TKI-naïve and TKI-pretreated patients.2 In TKI-naïve patients (n=71), the primary endpoint of objective response rate (ORR), defined as the percentage of people treated within a certain period of time whose tumor size decreased (partial response) or who no longer have signs of cancer (complete response),was 79% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 68 to 88).1,3 The median duration of response (mDOR) was 34.1 months. Among patients pretreated with one prior ROS1 TKI and no prior chemotherapy (n=56), the ORR was 38% (95% CI: 25 to 52) and the mDOR was 14.8 months.1 Among those who had measurable central nervous system (CNS) metastases at baseline, responses in intracranial lesions were observed in 7 of 8 TKI-naïve patients (n=71) and 5 of 12 of those who were TKI-pretreated (n=56).

“New treatment options continue to be needed for patients with ROS1 fusion-positive NSCLC that support important clinical goals, including achieving durable therapeutic responses,” said Jessica J. Lin, MD, TRIDENT-1 primary investigator and attending physician at the Center for Thoracic Cancers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.4,5,6,7 “Based on the data we have seen in the TRIDENT-1 trial, repotrectinib has the potential to become a new standard of care option for patients with locally advanced or metastatic ROS1 fusion-positive lung cancer.”1

Augtyro is associated with the following Warnings & Precautions: central nervous system (CNS) effects, interstitial lung disease (ILD)/pneumonitis, hepatotoxicity, myalgia with creatine phosphokinase elevation, hyperuricemia, skeletal fractures, and embryo-fetal toxicity.1 Please see Important Safety Information below.

“While progress has been made in the treatment of NSCLC over the past decade, there is still a need to address this particularly difficult-to-treat form of the disease with innovative science and a targeted approach,” said Samit Hirawat, MD, executive vice president, chief medical officer, Global Drug Development, Bristol Myers Squibb.6,7 “As the only approved next-generation TKI for ROS1-positiveNSCLCpatients, Augtyro builds on our legacy of delivering transformational therapies for patients with thoracic cancers.”6,8,9

“ROS1-positive NSCLC patients and their families face a stressful journey because our cancer can be difficult to treat, especially when it spreads to the brain,” said Janet Freeman-Daily, co-founder and president of The ROS1ders, a patient advocacy organization.10 “Today’s approval brings a new treatment option for the ROS1-positive patient community, which gives us hope for more time with loved ones.”

Augtyro is designed to minimize interactions that can lead to certain forms of treatment resistance in ROS1-positive metastatic NSCLC patients. Itis expected to be available to patients in the U.S. in mid-December 2023. Bristol Myers Squibb thanks the patients and investigators involved in the TRIDENT-1 clinical trial program.

ref ;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repotrectinib

FDA Approves Augtyro (repotrectinib) for the Treatment of Locally Advanced or Metastatic ROS1-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)