On November 1, 2016 Astex Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics for oncology and diseases of the central nervous system, reported that it has received a milestone payment from Novartis in relation to the US FDA NDA filing by Novartis for LEE011 (ribociclib) plus letrozole as a first-line treatment for HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer (Press release, Astex Pharmaceuticals, NOV 1, 2016, View Source [SID1234516166]). Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo! Novartis also announced that it had received FDA Priority Review for the NDA application of LEE011 as first-line treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced or metastatic breast cancer in combination with letrozole.
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LEE011 (ribociclib) was developed by the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) under a research collaboration with Astex. Under the collaboration, which commenced in 2005, NIBR scientists worked with Astex on a programme of early drug discovery research resulting in the discovery of LEE011. Novartis then led LEE011 into preclinical and later clinical development. Under terms of the agreement, Astex is eligible to receive further milestone payments in respect of additional regulatory filing and approvals in Europe and Japan, as well as royalty payment on annual sales of ribociclib should the drug be approved.
Harren Jhoti, President and CEO of Astex, said, "We are absolutely delighted that Novartis has reached such a significant stage in the development of LEE011. If the product is approved, it will provide an important treatment option for many patients with advanced disease. We congratulate Novartis for an excellent job in developing LEE011 and on the achievement of US FDA Priority Review of the NDA filing."
About LEE011 (ribociclib)
LEE011 (ribociclib) is a selective cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor, a class of drugs that help slow the progression of cancer by inhibiting two proteins called cyclin dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6). These proteins, when over-activated in a cell, can enable cancer cells to grow and divide too quickly. Targeting CDK4/6 with enhanced precision may play a role in ensuring cancer cells do not grow uncontrollably.