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- 02/07/2017

Regorafenib granted priority review in the U.S. for second-line treatment of liver cancer

Pharma Horizon

Bayer announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted priority review designation to the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for regorafenib for the second-line treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) in the U.S.

“Liver cancer is one of the leading cancer-related causes of death world-wide and more than 30,000 cases of liver cancer are diagnosed in the U.S each year. As the first and only approved systemic treatment for HCC, Nexavar was a significant step in addressing the unmet need in this field, but effective second-line treatment options are urgently needed for patients,” said Dr. Joerg Moeller, member of the Executive Committee of Bayer AG’s Pharmaceutical Division and Head of Development. “The priority review for regorafenib in the U.S. is great news for patients as it supports our efforts to make this treatment available as early as possible in the second-line setting for HCC in the U.S.”

The FDA grants priority review to medicines that if approved, would be significant improvements in the safety or effectiveness of the treatment for serious conditions. Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), the FDA aims to complete its review within six months (compared to 10 months under standard review).

Regorafenib is already approved under the brand name Stivarga® in many countries, including the U.S., to treat metastatic colorectal cancer and unresectable and/or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

The regulatory submission for regorafenib is based on data from the international, multicenter, placebo-controlled Phase III RESORCE [REgorafenib after SORafenib in patients with hepatoCEllular carcinoma] trial.

The trial investigated regorafenib in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) whose disease had progressed during treatment with sorafenib (Nexavar®) tablets. Results showed that regorafenib significantly improved overall survival (OS) compared to placebo (HR 0.63; 9

 

Regorafenib has also been submitted to regulatory authorities in Japan and the EU for the treatment of second-line HCC and submissions in additional countries are in progress.