U.S. FDA GRANTS PRIORITY REVIEW STATUS TO sNDA FOR ANTICANCER AGENT HALAVEN(R) AS TREATMENT FOR SOFT TISSUE SARCOMA

On September 29, 2015 Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, CEO: Haruo Naito, "Eisai") reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Eisai’s in-house developed anticancer agent Halaven (eribulin mesylate) as a treatment for soft tissue sarcoma, and granted the sNDA Priority Review status (Press release, Eisai, SEP 29, 2015, View Source [SID:1234507599]).

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The FDA’s Priority Review designation is assigned to applications for drugs that treat serious conditions and would, if approved, provide significant improvements in the safety or effectiveness of the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of serious conditions. Through this process, the FDA has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date (proposed review deadline) of January 29, 2016, six months after the sNDA was submitted.

Eisai submitted applications seeking approval for the additional indication of soft tissue sarcoma in the United States and Europe (EU) respectively on July 29, 2015, and in Japan on July 30, 2015.

Soft tissue sarcoma is a collective term for a diverse group of malignant tumors that occur throughout the soft tissue (fat, muscle, nerves, fibrous tissues and blood vessels) in the body. Approximately 12,000 patients in the United States and 29,000 patients in Europe are diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma each year. According to a patient survey conducted by the MHLW, there are approximately 4,000 patients with soft tissue sarcoma in Japan. Meanwhile, Halaven has been designated as an orphan drug for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma in the United States and Japan.

Halaven is a halichondrin class microtubule dynamics inhibitor with a novel mechanism of action. It was first approved for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in the United States in November 2010, and is currently approved in approximately 60 countries including Japan and countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

Eisai remains committed to providing further clinical evidence for Halaven aimed at maximizing value of the drug as it seeks to contribute further to addressing the diverse needs of, and increasing the benefits provided to, patients with cancer, their families, and healthcare providers.