FDA Cancels Advisory Committee Meeting for Icatibant in the Treatment of HAE - Priority Review of Jerini's NDA Continues
Jan 08, 2008 (Hugin via COMTEX) -- Berlin, January 8, 2008 - Jerini AG (FSE:JI4) announced today that it has received notification from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the agency's decision to cancel the Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for February 20, 2008.
The meeting was originally planned to provide a forum for FDA advisors to discuss the data included in Jerini's New Drug Application (NDA) for Icatibant in the treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE: 58.94, -1.10, -1.83%), a disease for which there is currently no approved treatment in the US. The FDA has communicated to the company that an advisory committee meeting is no longer necessary, and that the agency will continue its priority review of the NDA.
"The results of our Phase 3 studies demonstrate Icatibant's safety and efficacy in treating HAE. We look forward to the FDA's decision and to our receipt of the agency's action letter, which is expected on April 26, 2008," said Jens Schneider-Mergener, CEO of Jerini.
About Icatibant Icatibant, a synthetic peptidomimetic, works by blocking the B2 receptor as an antagonist to the peptide hormone bradykinin. Bradykinin has been shown to be elevated in HAE patients and responsible for edema formation during HAE attacks. Icatibant has been granted orphan drug status for the treatment of angioedema by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA), potentially securing upon approval, market exclusivity for seven and ten years, respectively.
About HAE HAE is a debilitating and potentially life-threatening genetic disease characterized by unpredictable recurring swelling attacks of the hands, feet, face, larynx, and abdomen. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 patients in the United States and Europe have been diagnosed with HAE. HAE attacks affecting the hands, face, and feet can be disfiguring, while attacks in the gastrointestinal tract result in severe pain caused by swelling of the intestinal wall. Attacks that affect the larynx are life-threatening because swelling of the larynx constricts the upper airways and can lead to death by suffocation. The prevalence of HAE is estimated between one in 50,000 and one in 10,000 individuals, and it is estimated that between 15,000 and 75,000 people are affected with HAE in the European Union and the United States.
About Jerini Jerini is a pharmaceutical company based in Berlin, Germany, focusing on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel peptide-based drugs. The company pursues disease indications that have limited or no treatment options and has built a drug pipeline composed of its own programs, as well as others in collaboration with established partners. In August 2007, the company's marketing authorization application for Icatibant in the treatment of hereditary angioedema was accepted for review by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency and granted accelerated assessment by the agency. Based on its technology platform, Jerini has also established several in-house development programs, which address indications within the therapeutic areas of ophthalmology, oncology, and inflammatory disease. ISIN: DE0006787476
For questions, please contact: Stacy Wiedenmann Director Investor Relations & Corporate Communications Jerini AG Invalidenstr. 130 10115 Berlin T + 49 - 30 - 97893 - 285 X + 49 - 30 - 97893 - 599 [email protected] www.jerini.com