HAMPTON, NJ, USA I February 23, 2015 I Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CLDX) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted rindopepimut (Rintega®) Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of adult patients with EGFRvIII-positive glioblastoma (GBM).
This application was based on data from the Phase 2 ReACT study in recurrent GBM, the Phase 2 ACT III study in newly diagnosed GBM and additional supportive Phase 2 studies. An international Phase 3 study of rindopepimut, called ACT IV, in newly diagnosed GBM completed enrollment (n=745) in December of 2014.
“The FDA’s decision to grant Breakthrough Designation underscores rindopepimut’s therapeutic potential for patients with glioblastoma,” said Anthony Marucci, Co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Celldex Therapeutics. “These patients have extremely limited treatment options, with only three new drugs approved in more than twenty years. Emerging clinical data suggests that rindopepimut may offer an improvement over existing standard of care for EGFRvIII-positive patients. With continued positive data, we look forward to working closely with the FDA to support potential approval of rindopepimut as expeditiously as possible.”
According to the FDA, Breakthrough Therapy Designation is intended to expedite the development and review of drugs for serious or life-threatening conditions. The criteria for Breakthrough Therapy Designation require preliminary clinical evidence that demonstrates the drug may have substantial improvement on at least one clinically significant endpoint over available therapy.
Rindopepimut (Rintega) is an investigational immunotherapy that targets the tumor specific oncogene EGFRvIII. Patients with EGFRvIII-positive glioblastoma typically have a worse prognosis than the overall glioblastoma population, including poor long term survival.
About Rindopepimut
Rindopepimut (Rintega®) is an investigational immunotherapy that targets the tumor specific oncogene EGFRvIII (v3), a functional and permanently activated variant of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a protein that has been well validated as a target for cancer therapy. Expression of EGFRvIII correlates with increased tumorigenicity in mouse models and poor long term survival in clinical studies of patients with glioblastoma (GBM). In addition, EGFRvIII-positive cells are believed to stimulate proliferation of non-EGFRvIII cells through IL-6 cell-to-cell signaling and to release microvesicles containing EGFRvIII, which can merge with neighboring cells, transferring tumor-promoting activity. EGFRvIII expression may also be associated with tumor stem cells that have been identified in GBM. These stem cells contribute to resistance to cytotoxic therapy and tumor recurrence. EGFRvIII is expressed in tumors in about 30% of patients with GBM. It has not been detected at a significant level in normal tissues; therefore, targeting of this tumor-specific molecule is not likely to impact healthy tissues.
Three Phase 2 trials of rindopepimut—ACTIVATE, ACT II, and ACT III—have been completed in newly diagnosed EGFRvIII-positive GBM and have shown consistent improvements in both overall survival and median progression-free survival. The most common adverse events for rindopepimut include injection site reactions, fatigue, rash, nausea and pruritus. Rindopepimut is currently being studied in two clinical trials in EGFRvIII-positive GBM—an international Phase 3 study called ACT IV in newly diagnosed GBM and a Phase 2 study called ReACT in recurrent GBM.
About Celldex Therapeutics, Inc.
Celldex is developing targeted therapeutics to address devastating diseases for which available treatments are inadequate. Our pipeline is built from a proprietary portfolio of antibodies and immunomodulators used alone and in strategic combinations to create novel, disease-specific therapies that induce, enhance or suppress the body’s immune response. Visit www.celldex.com.
SOURCE: Celldex Therapeutics
Post Views: 117
HAMPTON, NJ, USA I February 23, 2015 I Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CLDX) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted rindopepimut (Rintega®) Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of adult patients with EGFRvIII-positive glioblastoma (GBM).
This application was based on data from the Phase 2 ReACT study in recurrent GBM, the Phase 2 ACT III study in newly diagnosed GBM and additional supportive Phase 2 studies. An international Phase 3 study of rindopepimut, called ACT IV, in newly diagnosed GBM completed enrollment (n=745) in December of 2014.
“The FDA’s decision to grant Breakthrough Designation underscores rindopepimut’s therapeutic potential for patients with glioblastoma,” said Anthony Marucci, Co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Celldex Therapeutics. “These patients have extremely limited treatment options, with only three new drugs approved in more than twenty years. Emerging clinical data suggests that rindopepimut may offer an improvement over existing standard of care for EGFRvIII-positive patients. With continued positive data, we look forward to working closely with the FDA to support potential approval of rindopepimut as expeditiously as possible.”
According to the FDA, Breakthrough Therapy Designation is intended to expedite the development and review of drugs for serious or life-threatening conditions. The criteria for Breakthrough Therapy Designation require preliminary clinical evidence that demonstrates the drug may have substantial improvement on at least one clinically significant endpoint over available therapy.
Rindopepimut (Rintega) is an investigational immunotherapy that targets the tumor specific oncogene EGFRvIII. Patients with EGFRvIII-positive glioblastoma typically have a worse prognosis than the overall glioblastoma population, including poor long term survival.
About Rindopepimut
Rindopepimut (Rintega®) is an investigational immunotherapy that targets the tumor specific oncogene EGFRvIII (v3), a functional and permanently activated variant of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a protein that has been well validated as a target for cancer therapy. Expression of EGFRvIII correlates with increased tumorigenicity in mouse models and poor long term survival in clinical studies of patients with glioblastoma (GBM). In addition, EGFRvIII-positive cells are believed to stimulate proliferation of non-EGFRvIII cells through IL-6 cell-to-cell signaling and to release microvesicles containing EGFRvIII, which can merge with neighboring cells, transferring tumor-promoting activity. EGFRvIII expression may also be associated with tumor stem cells that have been identified in GBM. These stem cells contribute to resistance to cytotoxic therapy and tumor recurrence. EGFRvIII is expressed in tumors in about 30% of patients with GBM. It has not been detected at a significant level in normal tissues; therefore, targeting of this tumor-specific molecule is not likely to impact healthy tissues.
Three Phase 2 trials of rindopepimut—ACTIVATE, ACT II, and ACT III—have been completed in newly diagnosed EGFRvIII-positive GBM and have shown consistent improvements in both overall survival and median progression-free survival. The most common adverse events for rindopepimut include injection site reactions, fatigue, rash, nausea and pruritus. Rindopepimut is currently being studied in two clinical trials in EGFRvIII-positive GBM—an international Phase 3 study called ACT IV in newly diagnosed GBM and a Phase 2 study called ReACT in recurrent GBM.
About Celldex Therapeutics, Inc.
Celldex is developing targeted therapeutics to address devastating diseases for which available treatments are inadequate. Our pipeline is built from a proprietary portfolio of antibodies and immunomodulators used alone and in strategic combinations to create novel, disease-specific therapies that induce, enhance or suppress the body’s immune response. Visit www.celldex.com.
SOURCE: Celldex Therapeutics
Post Views: 117
