Phase III
The first two weeks of October saw BMS’s $4.8 billion buyout of Mirati, Lilly’s $1.4 billion purchase of Point, Kyowa Kirin’s $387 million acquisition of Orchard and AbbVie’s $110 million Mitokinin deal.
The regulator’s approval of oral, once-daily etrasimod, to be marketed as Velsipity, was based on favorable Phase III safety and efficacy data showing significant clinical remission of ulcerative colitis.
Last year, the FDA declined to approve a drug that appears to reverse a rare and debilitating enzyme deficiency. Some experts say it’s emblematic of a need for more flexibility around therapeutics targeting rare diseases.
The FDA is gearing up for six decisions in the next two weeks, two of which involve highly anticipated medicines for rare diseases.
More than 54% of patients treated with mirikizumab achieved clinical remission at 52 weeks versus 19.6% of those on placebo. Eli Lilly will submit a marketing application in Crohn’s disease to the FDA in 2024.
The subcutaneous version of its blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug notched a victory in a key late-stage study. Roche will submit the OCARINA II data to global health authorities in the coming months.
Following the recommendations of an independent Data Monitoring Committee, Novo Nordisk has halted a Phase III kidney outcomes study of semaglutide ahead of schedule due to strong efficacy signals.
The pharma giant’s anti-PD-1 therapy met its dual primary endpoint of overall survival as a treatment regimen for non-small cell lung cancer patients, as the FDA’s Oct. 16 PDUFA date looms.
Though data became an issue in two separate meetings, the FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee made a potentially precedent-setting decision by voting in favor of US WorldMeds’ neuroblastoma treatment.
Keytruda’s winning streak in bladder continues with positive data from the Phase III AMBASSADOR study, showing significantly better disease-free survival in muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma.
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