Janssen Pharmaceutical Cos, Inc.’s CAR T-cell therapy, Carvykti (ciltacabtagene autoleucel), looks set for approval in Europe after endorsement by regulators for advanced multiple myeloma. At its monthly meeting, the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommended Carvykti for adults with relapsed and refractory disease who have received at least three prior therapies and whose cancer has worsened since their last treatment.
Quoin Pharmaceuticals Ltd.’s scientific advice briefing document is asking the EMA for ideas on how to proceed with lead asset QRX-003 for Netherton syndrome (NS).
Chinese company Seekin Inc. is preparing to launch its cancer detection technology in Europe after securing CE marking for the Seekincare pan-cancer test. The artificial intelligence, blood-based platform uses insights from public and private data to identify cancer DNA and protein signals in the blood. The test has been available in Chinese labs since 2018.
After a rejection by the FDA in June, it looks like Orphazyme A/S is headed for disappointment in Europe too with arimoclomol for Niemann-Pick disease type C, a rare and potentially fatal inherited condition in which fat builds in tissues and organs. The Copenhagen-based company said it was summoned before experts to give an “oral explanation” about the drug, something that only occurs if the European Medicines Agency’s CHMP has developed major doubts during its review.
Paving the way for wider dissemination of up-to-date information on drugs approved in the EU, the European Medicines Regulatory Network adopted a common standard for the electronic product information (EPI), which includes the package leaflet for patients and the summary of product characteristics for health care professionals.
Blueprint Medicines Corp.’s cancer drug Ayvakyt (avapritinib) looks set to gain an expanded label in Europe, amid a flurry of decisions from the European Medicines Agency’s CHMP scientific committee. Late last week the CHMP gave a positive opinion for Ayvakyt for treatment of adults with advanced systemic mastocytosis, meaning the drug is likely to gain a further European indication in the coming weeks.
LONDON – After six years in development, EMA’s new clinical trials information system (CTIS) was switched Jan. 31, bringing to life a law enacted in 2014 to create a single, harmonized regulatory system across the EU. As the embodiment of the Clinical Trial Regulation, CTIS will underpin a long-awaited simplification of the process for approving trials. Rather than separate applications to different national regulators, a single application delivered via CTIS can lead to simultaneous regulatory and ethics approvals in up to 30 countries.
Bristol Myers Squibb Co.’s Breyanzi (lisocabtagene maraleucel) CAR T-cell therapy has passed muster with European regulators as a therapy for relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, setting up a likely European marketing authorization in the coming weeks.
Pfizer Inc.’s oral antiviral Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir) COVID-19 antiviral looks set for approval in the European Union after it was given the green light by its top regulatory committee. The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommended conditional marketing authorization for treatment of COVID-19 in adults who don’t require supplemental oxygen but are at increased risk for progressing to severe disease.