Therapy Areas: Oncology
US FDA Accepts Supplemental New Drug Application for Neratinib to Treat HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
16 September 2019 - - The US Food and Drug Administration has accepted for review US-based biopharmaceutical company Puma biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PBYI) supplemental New Drug Application for neratinib in combination with capecitabine for the treatment of patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have failed two or more prior lines of HER2-directed therapy (third-line disease), the company said.

The FDA has informed the company that it is not currently planning to hold an advisory committee meeting to discuss this application. The FDA confirmed that the review will have an action date of late April, 2020.

Neratinib was originally approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in July 2017 for the extended adjuvant treatment of adult patients with early stage HER2-overexpressed/amplified breast cancer following adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy and is marketed in the United States as NERLYNX tablets.

In September 2018 NERLYNX was granted marketing authorisation by the European Commission for the extended adjuvant treatment of adult patients with early stage hormone receptor-positive HER2-overexpressed/amplified breast cancer and who are less than one year from completion of prior adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy.

The sNDA is supported by the results of the Phase III NALA trial, a randomized controlled trial of neratinib plus capecitabine versus Tykerb (lapatinib) plus capecitabine in patients with third-line HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Approximately 20 to 25% of breast cancer tumors over-express the HER2 protein. HER2-positive breast cancer is often more aggressive than other types of breast cancer, increasing the risk of disease progression and death.

Although research has shown that trastuzumab can reduce the risk of early stage HER2-positive breast cancer returning after surgery, up to 25% of patients treated with trastuzumab experience recurrence.

The NALA trial is a randomized controlled Phase III trial of neratinib plus capecitabine versus Tykerb (lapatinib) plus capecitabine in patients with third-line HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

The trial enrolled 621 patients who were randomized to receive either neratinib plus capecitabine or lapatinib plus capecitabine. The trial was conducted globally at sites in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and South America.

The co-primary endpoints of the trial are centrally confirmed progression free survival and overall survival.

An alpha level of 1% was allocated to the PFS and 4% allocated to OS. The study was to be considered positive if either of the co-primary endpoints was positive.

Puma reached agreement with the FDA under a Special Protocol Assessment for the design of the Phase III clinical trial and the European Medicines Agency also provided follow-on scientific advice consistent with that of the FDA regarding the company's Phase III trial design and endpoints used in the trial.

Puma biotechnology is a biopharmaceutical company with a focus on the development and commercialisation of innovative products to enhance cancer care.

The company in-licenses the global development and commercialization rights to three drug candidates -- PB272 (neratinib, oral), PB272 (neratinib, intravenous) and PB357.

Neratinib, oral was approved by the FDA in July 2017 for the extended adjuvant treatment of adult patients with early stage HER2-overexpressed/amplified breast cancer, following adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy, and is marketed in the United States as NERLYNX (neratinib) tablets.

Nerlynx was granted marketing authorization by the European Commission in September 2018 for the extended adjuvant treatment of adult patients with early stage hormone receptor-positive HER2-overexpressed/amplified breast cancer and who are less than one year from completion of prior adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy.
Login
Username:

Password: