Monday, December 02, 2019
Innovent Biologics, Inc. ("Innovent" or "the Company") (HKEX: 01801), a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes high quality medicines for the treatment of oncology, autoimmune, metabolic and other major diseases, today announced that the new drug application ("NDA") submitted by Incyte to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") for pemigatinib in previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements has been accepted for Priority Review by FDA.
In December 2018, Innovent and Incyte entered into a strategic collaboration for three clinical-stage product candidates discovered and developed by Incyte, including pemigatinib (FGFR1/2/3 inhibitor), itacitinib (JAK1 inhibitor) and parsaclisib (PI3Kδ inhibitor). Under the terms of the agreement, Innovent has received the rights to develop and commercialize the three assets in hematology and oncology in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. IND approvals for all three assets were granted by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in November 2019.
The NDA submission is based on data from Incyte's FIGHT-202 study evaluating pemigatinib as a treatment for patients with previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma. Study results, recently presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology ("ESMO") 2019 Congress, demonstrated that in patients harboring FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements (Cohort A), pemigatinib monotherapy resulted in an overall response rate ("ORR") of 36 percent (primary endpoint), and median duration of response ("DOR") of 7.5 months (secondary endpoint) with a median follow-up of 15 months. Adverse events were manageable and consistent with the mechanism of action of pemigatinib.
The FDA grants Priority Review to medicines that may offer a major advance in treatment where none currently exists. This designation shortens the review period to eight months compared to 12 months for Standard Review. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act ("PDUFA") target action date is May 30, 2020.
Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare cancer that forms in the bile duct. It is classified based on its origin: intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma ("iCCA") occurs in the bile duct inside the liver and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma occurs in the bile duct outside the liver. Patients with cholangiocarcinoma are often diagnosed at a late or advanced stage when the prognosis is poor. The incidence of cholangiocarcinoma varies regionally and ranges between 0.3 – 3.4 per 100,000 in North America and Europe. FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements occur almost exclusively in iCCA, where they are observed in 10-16 percent of patients.
