HORSHAM, PA, USA I September 18, 2018 I The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced today that a New Drug Application (NDA) has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval of erdafitinib for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer (UC) and certain fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) genetic alterations whose tumors have progressed after prior chemotherapy. Erdafitinib is an investigational, once-daily, oral pan-FGFR inhibitor that received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the FDA in March 2018.

“Erdafitinib has demonstrated promising results in the treatment of metastatic urothelial cancer, a disease where patients unfortunately have limited treatment options today,” said Peter Lebowitz, M.D., Ph.D., Global Therapeutic Area Head, Oncology, Janssen Research & Development, LLC.  “We look forward to working with the FDA in the agency’s review of the application as we believe erdafitinib will provide patients with an important therapeutic option.”

The NDA submission is based on data from the BLC2001 (NCT02365597) Phase 2 clinical trial, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of erdafitinib in the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC, whose tumors have certain FGFR alterations. The primary endpoint of this study was the percentage of participants with objective response, defined as Complete Response or Partial Response based on Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) Version 1.1* criteria. The study results were recently presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2018 Annual Meeting in Chicago (Abstract #4503) and were recognized as a “Best of ASCO” selection.

“The erdafitinib FDA submission is an important milestone as we work to bring a new treatment option to patients diagnosed with metastatic urothelial cancer,” said Mathai Mammen, M.D., Ph.D., Global Head, Janssen Research & Development, LLC. “Our organizational focus on areas of high unmet medical need underscores our commitment to advancing transformational science and developing solutions that may prolong and improve patient lives.” 

*RECIST (version 1.1) refers to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, which is a standard way to measure how well a cancer patient responds to treatment and is based on whether tumors shrink, stay the same, or get bigger.1

For information about Janssen’s pre-approval access program, visit https://www.janssen.com/compassionate-use-pre-approval-access/our-policy-and-principles.

About Urothelial Cancer

Urothelial cancer, most frequently in the bladder, is the sixth most common type of cancer in the U.S.2 In 2018, an estimated 81,190 new cases of bladder cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. and an estimated 17,240 bladder cancer deaths will occur. The relative five-year survival rate for patients with Stage IV metastatic bladder cancer is currently five percent.3 Patients with metastatic urothelial cancer, who have FGFR genetic alterations, have poor prognoses and a high unmet need based on low response rates and may be resistant to treatment with immune-checkpoint inhibitors.

About Erdafitinib

Erdafitinib is an investigational, once-daily oral pan-fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor being studied in Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer.5 FGFRs are a family of receptor tyrosine kinases, which can be activated by genetic alterations in a variety of tumor types, and these alterations may lead to increased tumor cell growth and survival.6 A companion diagnostic to identify patients with FGFR alterations is an integral part of the development program for erdafitinib. In 2008, Janssen entered into an exclusive worldwide license and collaboration agreement with Astex Pharmaceuticals to develop and commercialize erdafitinib.

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson

At the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, we are working to create a world without disease. Transforming lives by finding new and better ways to prevent, intercept, treat and cure disease inspires us. We bring together the best minds and pursue the most promising science. We are Janssen. We collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it. Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at www.twitter.com/JanssenGlobal. Janssen Research & Development, LLC is one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

1 National Cancer Institute. NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/recist. Accessed September 2018.
2 National Cancer Institute. Cancer Stat Facts: Bladder Cancer. Available at: https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/urinb.html. Accessed September 2018. 
3 Bladder Cancer: Statistics. Available at: https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/bladder-cancer/statistics. Accessed September 2018.
4 Siefker-Radtke, A, et al. First results from the primary analysis population of the phase 2 study of erdafitinib (ERDA; JNJ-42756493) in patients (pts) with metastatic or unresectable urothelial carcinoma (mUC) and FGFR alterations (FGFRalt). Journal of Clinical Oncology. Abstract #4503.
5 Tabernero J, Bahleda R, Dienstmann R, Infante JR, Mita A, Italiano A, Calvo E, Moreno V, Adamo B, Gazzah A, et al. Phase I dose-escalation study of JNJ-42756493, an oral pan-fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid tumors. J Clin Oncol. 2015;33:3401–3408. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2014.60.7341.
6 Dienstmann R, Rodon J, Prat A, et al. Genomic aberrations in the FGFR pathway: Opportunities for targeted therapies in solid tumors. Ann Oncol. 2014;25:552–563.

SOURCE: Janssen