Drug Review Profile

Vadadustat's review overlapped with two other oral HIF-PH class drugs. Safety issues with FibroGen/AstraZeneca’s roxadustat drew attention during vadadustat's first-cycle review, while GSK’s Jesduvroq labeling and postmarketing requirements informed the second-cycle approval.

The Pink Sheet Drug Review Profile explores the US FDA’s approval of vadadustat to treat anemia in chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis. A complete response letter cited the risk of drug-induced liver injury, but postmarketing data from Japan reassured reviewers.

The Pink Sheet’s Drug Review Profile looks at the timeline behind the development and US FDA approval of Akebia’s Vafseo, a treatment for anemia in chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis.

Pink Sheet’s Drug Review Profile explores Amgen’s Wezlana, an interchangeable biosimilar to Janssen’s Stelara. FDA determined late in the review that switching studies generally would not be needed for interchangeable ustekinumab products, prompting Amgen to seek the designation.

Assigning different suffixes to the prefilled syringe and intravenous formulations of Amgen’s ustekinumab biosimilar could create confusion and would not further the goals of the naming convention, the FDA said in explaining why it departed from its January 2017 final guidance.

Pink Sheet’s Drug Review Profile looks at the timeline behind the development and FDA review of Amgen’s Wezlana (ustekinumab-auub), an interchangeable biosimilar to Janssen’s Stelara.

Pink Sheet’s Drug Review Profile looks at the timeline behind the development and FDA review of CellTrans’ treatment for type 1 diabetes.

Although the CRL delayed the cell therapy’s approval by almost two years, additional CMC-related testing requested by the FDA ultimately came to be seen as a good thing by sponsor CellTrans because it provided assurance of product consistency.

FDA's review of documents and source data files to assess product efficacy and subject safety was complicated by missing and inconsistent data, the clinical reviewer said, concluding there was insufficient data monitoring during clinical studies or in preparing the documents for regulatory submission.

Despite a host of challenges with donislecel’s development and BLA, the US FDA approved based on clinical data from only 30 patients, using a clinically meaningful insulin independence endpoint and in a more carefully tailored population. Pink Sheet’s Drug Review Profile takes a deep dive into the FDA review of the first approved allogenic pancreas islet cell product.