1. Pink Sheet
  2. >>Product Reviews
  3. >>Post-Marketing Regulation & Studies

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Squeezes Through: Is FDA Reversing Course Or In A Transition Period?

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith

Even as US FDA expressed concern about the perioperative trial design, AstraZeneca’s ability to snag NSCLC indication without demonstrating the benefits of both the neoadjuvant and adjuvant phases of therapy highlights slow pace of agency policy shifts.

series of doors starting with each door being more open than the last
Imfinzi's perioperative NSCLC indication got through FDA on a data set that may soon shut other sponsors out. • Source: Shutterstock

AstraZeneca PLC’s Imfinzi became the second cancer immunotherapy approved for perioperative use in resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) on 15 August, despite the US Food and Drug Administration’s prior suggestion that the first immunotherapy approved for this use, Merck & Co.’s Keytruda may have been a mistake.

Key Takeaways
  • Agency approves second checkpoint inhibitor for perioperative use in resectable NSCLC without data on the contribution of each phase of therapy, despite prior statements that suggested it...

FDA raised concerns about the need for both neoadjuvant (pre-surgery) and adjuvant (post-surgery) treatment for this lung cancer indication as well as in oncology more broadly, ahead of and during...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Pink Sheet for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Post-Marketing Regulation & Studies

EMA Touts Faster Global Post-Approval Changes Via Regulatory Reliance

 
• By Eliza Slawther

The European Medicines Agency says that a regulatory reliance pilot that it is supporting to speed up assessments of post-approval changes appears to be accelerating evaluation timelines in non-EU countries.

Novavax’s COVID-19 Vaccine Label Narrowed After Political Officials Intervened

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith

The label that Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine was slated to receive before political officials held up the approval was broader than was granted 16 May.

Opioid Safety: US FDA Hears Mixed Messages On Adding Posmarketing Studies To Labeling

 
• By Sue Sutter

Some advisory committee members said adding quantitative data on misuse, abuse, opioid use disorder and overdose to labeling would be helpful, but others worried the two epidemiological studies were not sufficiently generalizable to a broader population.

Updated: Makary Backs New Novavax COVID-19 Trial, Political Officials Take Over Product Review

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith

In an unusual move, Tracy Beth Høeg, a special assistant to FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, is leading the continued negotiations on Novavax’s delayed COVID-19 vaccine approval.

More from Product Reviews

US FDA Meeting Drought Ends … With A Vengeance

 
• By Michael McCaughan

The first 100 days of the Trump Administration were notable for an extraordinary decline in the number of public meetings hosted by the US Food and Drug Administration. But the schedule changed quickly.

EU CHMP Opinions And MAA Updates

 
• By Neena Brizmohun

This is an update of recommendations from the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use on the authorization of new medicines in the EU, and updates on EU marketing authorization changes recommended by the CHMP.

HHS Rescinds COVID-19 Vaccine Advice, Usurping US CDC Role

 
• By Sue Sutter

By stepping into the role of the Centers for Disease Control and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is causing further confusion and uncertainty about vaccine policy, experts say.