Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK), a prominent pharmaceutical company, announced on Friday that its drug, WELIREG (belzutifan), has received a positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP). The committee has advised conditional approval for two specific uses.
WELIREG, an oral inhibitor targeting hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2a), has been recommended as a standalone treatment for adult patients with certain tumors associated with Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease, as well as for specific adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma who have previously undergone treatment.
The European Commission will now review the CHMP's recommendation to consider granting marketing authorization within the European Union. A final decision is anticipated in the first quarter of 2025.
Upon approval, WELIREG would become the first and sole oral HIF-2a inhibitor available to these patient groups in the EU.
Eligible adult patients with VHL disease are those needing treatment for localized renal cell carcinoma, central nervous system hemangioblastomas, or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, where surgical options are not viable.
Moreover, WELIREG is suggested for treating adult patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma that has progressed post-treatment with a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor, in addition to at least two vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) targeted therapies.
The endorsement was supported by data from the Phase 2 LITESPARK-004 trial and the Phase 3 LITESPARK-005 trial. The CHMP's favorable opinion for VHL disease-associated tumors is grounded in the objective response rate and duration of response observed in the LITESPARK-004 trial.
If sanctioned, WELIREG would stand as the first and only systemic treatment available for patients with tumors linked to VHL disease in the EU.
WELIREG was earlier approved in the United States, in August 2021, for treating adult patients with VHL disease requiring intervention for related RCC, CNS hemangioblastomas, or pNET. For adult patients with advanced RCC, U.S. approval was granted in December 2023.
The material has been provided by InstaForex Company - www.instaforex.com
WELIREG, an oral inhibitor targeting hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2a), has been recommended as a standalone treatment for adult patients with certain tumors associated with Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease, as well as for specific adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma who have previously undergone treatment.
The European Commission will now review the CHMP's recommendation to consider granting marketing authorization within the European Union. A final decision is anticipated in the first quarter of 2025.
Upon approval, WELIREG would become the first and sole oral HIF-2a inhibitor available to these patient groups in the EU.
Eligible adult patients with VHL disease are those needing treatment for localized renal cell carcinoma, central nervous system hemangioblastomas, or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, where surgical options are not viable.
Moreover, WELIREG is suggested for treating adult patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma that has progressed post-treatment with a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor, in addition to at least two vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) targeted therapies.
The endorsement was supported by data from the Phase 2 LITESPARK-004 trial and the Phase 3 LITESPARK-005 trial. The CHMP's favorable opinion for VHL disease-associated tumors is grounded in the objective response rate and duration of response observed in the LITESPARK-004 trial.
If sanctioned, WELIREG would stand as the first and only systemic treatment available for patients with tumors linked to VHL disease in the EU.
WELIREG was earlier approved in the United States, in August 2021, for treating adult patients with VHL disease requiring intervention for related RCC, CNS hemangioblastomas, or pNET. For adult patients with advanced RCC, U.S. approval was granted in December 2023.
The material has been provided by InstaForex Company - www.instaforex.com