Indevus Receives Approvable Letter From FDA for Valstar for Bladder Cancer Therapy
LEXINGTON, Mass., Aug. 17 -- Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has received an approvable letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for VALSTAR. VALSTAR, a sterile solution of valrubicin for intravesical instillation, is the only product approved by the FDA for therapy of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)-refractory carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the urinary bladder.
VALSTAR was removed from the market in 2002 due to impurities in the original formulation and was placed on the FDA Drug Shortages List. Indevus solved the impurity issue and submitted a chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) NDA supplement to the FDA in May 2007. The FDA approvable letter was in response to this chemistry supplement.
In the approvable letter, the FDA asked for clarification regarding manufacturing validation protocols and for additional data on the manufacturing process.
"VALSTAR offers an effective alternative for bladder cancer patients who have failed BCG therapy and are not candidates for immediate cystectomy," stated Glenn L. Cooper, M.D., chairman and chief executive officer of Indevus. "The FDA requests in the approvable letter are easily addressable with existing data and the completion of a few brief process related investigations. We expect to supply the FDA with a complete response within the next two months. We remain on track for a late 2007 or early 2008 re- introduction."
About VALSTAR(R)
VALSTAR is indicated for intravesical therapy of BCG-refractory carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the urinary bladder in patients for whom immediate cystectomy would be associated with unacceptable morbidity or mortality.
In clinical trials, when provided after transurethral resection, VALSTAR patients had a median 21 months to documented recurrence of disease.
VALSTAR has been shown to induce complete response in only about 1 in 5 patients with BCG-refractory CIS. It is important to note that delaying cystectomy could lead to development of metastatic bladder cancer.
About Indevus
Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the acquisition, development and commercialization of products to treat conditions in urology and endocrinology. The Company's approved products include SANCTURA(R) XR and SANCTURA(R) for overactive bladder, VANTAS(R) for advanced prostate cancer, SUPPRELIN(R) LA for central precocious puberty and DELATESTRYL(R) to treat male hypogonadism. Indevus currently markets its products through an approximately 100-person specialty sales force. The Indevus development pipeline contains multiple compounds within the Company's core therapeutic areas in addition to several partnered or partnerable programs. The most advanced compounds in development include VALSTAR(R) for bladder cancer, NEBIDO(R) for male hypogonadism, PRO 2000 for the prevention of infection by HIV and other sexually-transmitted pathogens, and pagoclone for stuttering.