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Biogen/Ionis’ Tofersen Wins Accelerated Approval In ALS Subgroup – A Significant But Narrow Precedent

 
• By Sue Sutter

US FDA designates ongoing ATLAS trial in presymptomatic individuals with SOD1 mutation as confirmatory study. ‘Classic Biogen’ approval is first in ALS under the expedited pathway and could lead to more drugs reaching market on basis of a reduction in plasma neurofilament light chain concentration.

Footsteps on beach
Other ALS drug developers will look to follow Biogen/Ionis' lead in using reduction in neurofilament concentration as the basis for accelerated approval. • Source: Shutterstock

The US Food and Drug Administration opted for accelerated approval, rather than regular approval, for Biogen, Inc. and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s Qalsody (tofersen) in a genetically defined subset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients, banking that clinical benefit will be confirmed in an ongoing trial of presymptomatic individuals.

The agency approved tofersen, an antisense oligonucleotide, on 25 April for treatment of ALS in adults who have a mutation...

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More from Approvals

EU Decision Time For Madrigal’s MASH Drug Resmetirom And 11 Others

 
• By Eliza Slawther

Madrigal Pharmaceuticals’ resmetirom could become the first approved treatment for non-cirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis in the EU, if the European Medicines Agency issues a positive opinion for the drug later this week.

Blenrep’s Comeback Continues As England Becomes First To Fund Drug

 
• By Eliza Slawther

Blenrep, GSK’s multiple myeloma therapy, faced a major setback when it was withdrawn from the market in 2022. The drug has since made a return as a second-line therapy, and is on track to being reimbursed in England.

Argentina Speeds Up Market Access Process

 
• By Francesca Bruce

Companies operating in Argentina may get their medicines to the market more quickly thanks to new updates to the medicines authorization system.

US FDA’s June Approval Forecast: Infection Prevention, Cancer And HAE

 
• By Bridget Silverman

Upcoming FDA user fee goal dates include novel products from a busy lung cancer pipeline, a single-dose passive immunization against RSV for infants, what could be the first oral HAE acute treatment, and a first-in-class HAE preventive antibody.

More from Product Reviews

Recent And Upcoming FDA Advisory Committee Meetings

 
• By Sue Sutter

Recent and upcoming US FDA advisory committee meetings and a summary of the topics covered.

Blenrep’s Comeback Continues As England Becomes First To Fund Drug

 
• By Eliza Slawther

Blenrep, GSK’s multiple myeloma therapy, faced a major setback when it was withdrawn from the market in 2022. The drug has since made a return as a second-line therapy, and is on track to being reimbursed in England.

US FDA’s Rising First-Cycle Complete Response Rate Draws Congress’ Attention

 
• By Sue Sutter

The House Appropriations Committee wants an analysis of how issues that led to CRLs could have been resolved within the first review cycle and seeks an agency crackdown on counterfeit GLP-1 agonists.