Posted by Michael Wonder on 29 Mar 2018
FDA expands approval of Blincyto for treatment of a type of leukaemia in patients who have a certain risk factor for relapse
29 March 2018 - The U.S. FDA granted accelerated approval to Blincyto (blinatumomab) to treat adults and children with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who are in remission but still have minimal residual disease.
Minimal residual disease (MRD) refers to the presence of cancer cells below a level that can be seen under the microscope. In patients who have achieved remission after initial treatment for this type of ALL, the presence of MRD means they have an increased risk of relapse.
This new indication for Blincyto was approved under the accelerated approval pathway, under which the FDA may approve drugs for serious conditions where there is unmet medical need and a drug is shown to have certain effects that are reasonably likely to predict a clinical benefit to patients. Further study in randomized controlled trials is required to verify that achieving undetectable MRD with Blincyto improves survival or disease-free survival in patients with ALL.
The FDA granted this application priority review and it received orphan drug designation, which provides incentives to assist and encourage the development of drugs for rare diseases.
