News

CHMP recommends product for hemophilia A


 

Antihemophilic factor

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended marketing authorization for the recombinant factor VIII Fc fusion protein efmoroctocog alfa (Elocta) to treat patients with hemophilia A.

The CHMP’s recommendation will be reviewed by the European Commission (EC). The EC usually follows the CHMP’s recommendations and is expected to

deliver its final decision within 3 months.

If approved by the EC, efmoroctocog alfa would be the first hemophilia A treatment with prolonged circulation available in the European Union (plus Iceland, Lichtenstein, and Norway).

The CHMP’s positive opinion of efmoroctocog alfa was based on results from 2 phase 3 studies—A-LONG and Kids A-LONG.

A-LONG

The A-LONG study included 165 previously treated males 12 years of age and older with severe hemophilia A. Researchers evaluated individualized and weekly prophylaxis to reduce or prevent bleeding episodes and on-demand dosing to treat bleeding episodes.

Prophylaxis with efmoroctocog alfa resulted in low annualized bleeding rates, and a majority of bleeding episodes were controlled with a single injection of efmoroctocog alfa.

None of the patients developed neutralizing antibodies, efmoroctocog alfa was considered well-tolerated, and the product had a prolonged half-life when compared with rFVIII.

Kids A-LONG

The Kids A-LONG study included 71 boys (younger than 12) with severe hemophilia A who had at least 50 prior exposure days to FVIII therapies.

The children saw their median annualized bleeding rate decrease with efmoroctocog alfa, and close to half of the children did not have any bleeding episodes while they were receiving efmoroctocog alfa.

None of the patients developed inhibitors, and researchers said adverse events were typical of a pediatric hemophilia population.

ASPIRE

Participants in both the A-LONG and Kids A-LONG trials were able to enroll in ASPIRE, a phase 3 extension study evaluating the long-term safety and efficacy of efmoroctocog alfa.

Interim results of ASPIRE suggested that extended treatment with efmoroctocog alfa was largely safe and effective.

Efmoroctocog alfa development

Elocta is the European trade name for efmoroctocog alfa, which is known as Eloctate in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, where it is approved for the treatment of hemophilia A.

Biogen and Sobi are collaboration partners in the development and commercialization of efmoroctocog alfa for hemophilia A.

Last year, Sobi exercised its opt-in right to assume final development and commercialization of efmoroctocog alfa in the Sobi territories (essentially, Europe, North Africa, Russia, and certain countries in the Middle East). Biogen leads development for efmoroctocog alfa, has manufacturing rights, and has commercialization rights in North America and all other regions in the world excluding the Sobi territories.

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