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Celgene Joins Troubled MS Club With Refuse To File For Ozanimod From US FDA

 
• By Jessica Merrill

Other multiple sclerosis contenders – including Sanofi's Lemtrada, Acorda's Ampyra, and Merck KgAA's cladribine – have also been RTFed. Question now for Celgene is how long the delay will be. 

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A refuse to file letter for a late-stage blockbuster contender like Celgene Corp.'s ozanimod is always embarrassing, but they aren't entirely uncommon from the US FDA, particularly when it comes to multiple sclerosis. Three other MS drugs filed in the last 10 years also received RTFs, with a varying degree of delays and outcomes. The question now is which path ozanimod will take.

Celgene announced the regulatory update on ozanimod Feb. 27 after market close, sparking a sell-off as investors reacted to more disappointing news from a company that's recently had several setbacks

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US FDA Advisory Committee Misperceptions Abound … At HHS

 
• By Michael McCaughan

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regularly decries the “conflicts of interest” he believes abound in advisory committees, but his concerns, as well as a recent “policy directive” eliminating industry representatives, seem driven by a misunderstanding of the panels’ jobs.

US FDA Layoffs Hit Conflict-Of-Interest Screening For ODAC Meeting

 
• By Sue Sutter and Derrick Gingery

Screening for conflicts and finding the right expertise for a two-day Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee meeting on four products has been complicated by the Trump Administration’s initial communications freeze and subsequent layoffs in CDER.

FDA Adcomms Are Back: Four Cancer Drugs, COVID-19 Vaccine Formulations To Get Reviews

 
• By Sue Sutter and Bridget Silverman

The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will meet for two days in mid-May, followed by a Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee’s review of the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine formulation.

Unlocking Opportunities: How To Engage With The EMA On Animal Testing Alternatives

 
• By Neena Brizmohun

The European Medicines Agency, like its counterpart in the US, is increasingly focusing on the use of alternatives to animal testing.

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EU Wants Industry To Define ‘Trade Secrets’ Under Health Data Sharing Regulation

 
• By Eliza Slawther

The European Health Data Space Regulation is deliberately “vague” when it comes to defining trade secrets because the EU wants the pharma industry to make recommendations on safeguarding intellectual property, a policy officer for the European Commission says.

Safety Review Prompts EMA to Suspend Ixchiq Chikungunya Vaccine For Seniors

 
• By Neena Brizmohun

The European Medicines Agency is investigating whether Valneva’s Ixchiq is safe to use in the elderly, following reports of 17 serious adverse events, including two cases resulting in death, in people aged 62 to 89 years who received the vaccine. This follows actions by US and French authorities last month regarding Ixchiq’s use in people over 65.

US FDA’s Expanded Surprise Foreign Inspections: Impact And Enforcement Hoops

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

As the US FDA expands unannounced foreign inspections building on pilots in India and China, experts expect higher scrutiny of overseas sites and perhaps even an industry shakeout in the longer term, though staffing and enforcement challenges could slow things down.