On April 6, 2021 Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Gan & Lee, stock code: 603087.SH), a global biopharmaceutical company, reported that the European Medicine Agency (EMA) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products granted orphan drug designation for the investigational compound GLR2007, for the treatment of glioma (Press release, Gan and Lee Pharmaceuticals, APR 6, 2021, View Source [SID1234577644]).

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Glioma is a broad term describing neuroepithelial tumors originating from glial cells of the central nervous system, including astrocytic tumors such as glioblastomas (GBM). GBM is one of the most aggressive primary brain tumors and has median survival of 12 to 15 months, despite advances in surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy1. Gan & Lee’s current clinical development program for GLR2007, a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK 4/6) inhibitor, is investigating the treatment of advanced solid tumors which has the potential to provide physicians and patients with a much-needed treatment option.

"The EMA’s positive decision for GLR2007’s orphan drug designation is another milestone in the clinical development program as this compound was also recently granted ODD by the FDA," Dr. Michelle Mazuranic, Head of Global Medical Affairs, Gan & Lee. The granting of an orphan designation request does not alter the standard regulatory requirements and process for obtaining market approval.

Orphan drug designation in the European Union (EU) is granted by the European Commission based on a positive opinion issued by the EMA Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products. To qualify, an investigational medicine must be intended to treat a seriously debilitating or life-threatening condition that affects fewer than five in 10,000 people in the EU, and there must be sufficient non-clinical or clinical data to suggest the investigational medicine may produce clinically relevant outcomes and the potential for significant benefit over currently approved products. The EMA orphan drug designation can provide companies with clinical protocol assistance, differentiated evaluation procedures for Health Technology Assessments in certain countries, access to a centralized marketing authorization procedure valid in all EU member states, and reduced regulatory fees. After being granted marketing approval, compounds with orphan designation are eligible for 10 years of market exclusivity.