Stealth BioTherapeutics Inc. is gambling that Barth syndrome patients and advocates can help carry its NDA for elamipretide forward despite the US FDA’s recommendation that a second clinical trial be conducted before submission.
Stealth Elamipretide NDA Tests Frontiers Of US FDA’s Flexibility In Rare Diseases
FDA wants another trial in ultra-orphan Barth syndrome, but could not identify a feasible design – so Stealth submitted the NDA anyways, based on a retrospective natural history control trial

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Not all companies will be able to access joint scientific consultations under the EU Health Technology Assessment Regulation, but success is still possible for those that engage with national agencies early on, says EUCOPE’s Alexander Natz.
Payers and health technology assessment bodies in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy are either unwilling to use real-world data in assessments or cannot due to their existing frameworks, say representatives from Gilead Sciences and Autolus Therapeutics.
Companies have until 17 March to respond to an EU consultation on a new strategy that will seek to simplify the regulatory framework and make it easier for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises to “access the capital they need” to scale up in the bloc.
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Director Peter Marks expects no fundamental changes in support for FDA initiatives and said the Rare Disease Innovation Hub, which promotes cross-center collaboration, is “consistent with what we're hearing in the current environment.”
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Pharmaceutical companies are being encouraged to reach out to NICE in relation to its HTA Innovation Lab, which provides a sandbox environment in which the health technology assessment body can test new methods of evaluating “innovative and disruptive” therapies.
The Brazilian medicines regulator will also offer more clarity on the requirements for radiopharmaceuticals that are exempt from registration.
South Korea announces planned revisions to a government scheme to designate "innovative" biopharma companies amid allegations of "discrimination" against foreign firms.