The FDA has approved Koselugo (selumetinib) for the treatment of pediatric patients, 2 years of age and older, with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a genetic disorder of the nervous system causing tumors to grow on nerves. Koselugo is the first drug approved by the FDA to treat this debilitating, progressive and often disfiguring rare disease that typically begins early in life.
“Everyone’s daily lives have been disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in this critical time we want patients to know that the FDA remains committed to making patients with rare tumors and life threatening diseases, and their unique needs, a top priority. We continue to expedite product development for these patients,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence and acting director of the Office of Oncologic Diseases in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Koselugo is approved specifically for patients who have symptomatic, inoperable plexiform neurofibromas (PN), which are tumors involving the nerve sheaths (coating around nerve fibers) and can grow anywhere in the body, including the face, extremities, areas around the spine and deep in the body where they may affect organs. Koselugo is a kinase inhibitor, meaning it functions by blocking a key enzyme, which results in helping to stop the tumor cells from growing.
NF1 is a rare, progressive condition caused by a mutation or flaw in a particular gene. NF1 is usually diagnosed in early childhood and appears in an estimated 1 out of every 3,000 infants. It is characterized by changes in skin coloring (pigmentation), neurologic and skeletal impairments and risk for development of benign and malignant tumors throughout life. Between 30% and 50% of patients born with NF1 develop one or more PNs.
“We are committed to regulatory flexibility and providing extensive guidance to industry in an effort to bring drugs forward that fulfill unmet medical needs. Koselugo represents this commitment,” noted Pazdur. “For the first time, pediatric patients now have an FDA-approved drug to treat plexiform neurofibroma, a rare tumor associated with NF1.”
The FDA approved Koselugo based on a clinical trial conducted by the National Cancer Institute of pediatric patients who had NF1 and inoperable PN (defined as a PN that could not be completely removed without risk for substantial morbidity to the patient). The efficacy results were from 50 of the patients who received the recommended dose and had routine evaluations of changes in tumor size and tumor-related morbidities during the trial. Patients received Koselugo 25 mg/m2 orally twice a day until disease progression or until they experienced unacceptable adverse reactions. The clinical trial measured the overall response rate (ORR), defined as the percentage of patients with a complete response and those who experienced more than a 20% reduction in PN volume on MRI that was confirmed on a subsequent MRI within 3-6 months. The ORR was 66% and all patients had a partial response, meaning that no patients had complete disappearance of the tumor. Of these patients, 82% had a response lasting 12 months or longer.
Other clinical outcomes for patients during Koselugo treatment including changes in PN-related disfigurement, symptoms and functional impairments. Although the sample sizes of patients assessed for each PN-related morbidity (such as disfigurement, pain, strength and mobility problems, airway compression, visual impairment and bladder or bowel dysfunction) were small, there appeared to be a trend of improvement in PN-related symptoms or functional deficits during treatment.
The FDA granted approval of Koselugo to AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP.
For more information and fast delivery of the life-saving, latest FDA approved oncology drugs, please contact us at info@elixi-int.com
We are a Swiss pharmaceutical wholesaler, specialised in sourcing and delivering pharma products, medical devices and drugs from and to all over the world.
Related Posts
31 July 2024
Meet our AI- driven robot
We are more than proud to announce that, through a tight collaboration with SUPSI (Università della Svizzera Italiana) and our partner KeepOne Swiss Vision Technology, we have developed the…
9 January 2024
Please join us in congratulating Fabio for his first successful year in Elixi!
Let's put a face to a name! Let us introduce you to one of the "pillars" of our organisation, our Head of Quality and Medical department, the mighty Fabio Macchi! Fabio joined us exactly…
13 September 2023
Come and meet us at Expopharm 2023! 27 -30 September in DÜSSELDORF.
Come and meet us at Expopharm 2023! 27 -30 September in DÜSSELDORF. Our colleagues Luca Schincaglia and Marco Ferrario will be there and happy to chat with you! #expopharm2023 #expopharm…