On July 19, 2021 G1 Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: GTHX), a commercial-stage oncology company, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to COSELA (trilaciclib) investigation for use in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) (Press release, G1 Therapeutics, JUL 19, 2021, View Source [SID1234587574]). COSELA is currently being evaluated in PRESERVE 2, a pivotal Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (NCT04799249) in patients receiving first- or second-line gemcitabine and carboplatin chemotherapy for TNBC.
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Fast track is a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious conditions and fill unmet medical needs. The purpose is to get important new drugs to the patient earlier. A drug that receives Fast Track designation may be eligible for more frequent engagements with the FDA to discuss the drug’s clinical development plan, eligibility for Accelerated Approval and Priority Review, and Rolling Review in which the Company can submit completed sections of its New Drug Application (NDA) for FDA review rather than waiting until every section of the NDA is completed before the entire application can be reviewed.
"Fast Track designation underscores the urgent need for innovative drugs that can significantly improve TNBC patient outcomes," said Raj Malik, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at G1 Therapeutics. "It provides an important pathway to help expedite the development and regulatory review of COSELA in this indication. We look forward to working closely with the FDA as we advance this pivotal program in TNBC and continue to work to unlock the broader potential of this pipeline-in-a-molecule compound that we hope will help patients across multiple tumor types."
About Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)
According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 300,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed annually in the U.S. Triple-negative breast cancer makes up approximately 15% to 20% of such diagnosed breast cancers. TNBC is cancer that tests negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and excess HER2 protein. Because TNBC cells lack key growth-signaling receptors, patients do not respond well to medications that block estrogen, progesterone, or HER2 receptors. Instead, treating TNBC typically involves chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. TNBC is considered to be more aggressive and have a poorer prognosis than other types of breast cancer. In general, survival rates tend to be lower with TNBC compared to other forms of breast cancer, and TNBC is also more likely than some other types of breast cancer to return after it has been treated, especially in the first few years after treatment. It also tends to be higher grade than other types of breast cancer.