Astellas Submits New Drug Applications for Approval of Gilteritinib for the Treatment of FLT3mut+ Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia

On April 23, 2018 Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., "Astellas" ) reported that it submitted on March 23, 2018, a new drug application (NDA) for marketing approval of gilteritinib (generic name) in Japan for the treatment of adult patients with FLT3 mutation-positive (FLT3mut+) relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Press release, Astellas Pharma US, APR 23, 2018, View Source [SID1234525608]). Astellas also submitted a NDA for approval of gilteritinib in the same patient population to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 29, 2018 (U.S. time) following the submission in Japan. The applications for marketing approval for gilteritinib are based on data from the ongoing pivotal Phase 3 ADMIRAL study investigating gilteritinib in adult patients with FLT3mut+ relapsed or refractory AML.

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Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world. (PRNewsFoto/Astellas Pharma Inc.)

AML is a cancer that impacts the blood and bone marrow, and its incidence increases with age. In Japan, approximately 5,500 patients are diagnosed with AML each year1. Gilteritinib is an investigational compound that has demonstrated inhibitory activity against both internal tandem duplication (ITD) and tyrosine kinase domain (TKD), FLT3 mutations that are seen in approximately one-third of patients with AML.

In October 2015, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) announced the selection of gilteritinib as one of the first products designated for SAKIGAKE2.

(1)

KantarHealth. TREATMENT ARCHITECTURE: JAPAN LEUKEMIA, ACUTE MYELOID. CancerMPact Japan, February 2017.

(2)

SAKIGAKE: SAKIGAKE designation system can shorten the review period with the following 3 approaches: 1) Prioritized Consultation, 2) Substantial Pre-application Consultation and 3) Prioritized Review.

And also, the system will help promote the development with the following 2 approaches: 4) Review Partner System (to be conducted by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency) and 5) Substantial Post-Marketing Safety Measures.

About Gilteritinib
Astellas is currently investigating gilteritinib in various FLT3 mutation-positive AML patient populations through several Phase 3 trials. Visit View Source to learn more about ongoing gilteritinib clinical trials.

Gilteritinib was discovered through a research collaboration with Kotobuki Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and Astellas has exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and potentially commercialize gilteritinib. Gilteritinib has been granted Orphan Drug and Fast Track designation by the U.S. FDA, Orphan Drug Designation by the European Commission, and SAKIGAKE Designation and Orphan Drug Designation by the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

About the ADMIRAL Study
The Phase 3 ADMIRAL trial is an open-label, multicenter, randomized study of gilteritinib versus salvage chemotherapy in adult patients with FLT3 mutations who are refractory to or have relapsed after first-line AML therapy. The co-primary endpoints of the trial are OS (Overall Survival) and CR (complete remission) / CRh (CR with partial hematological recovery) rate and the study is still ongoing. The study enrolled 371 patients with FLT3 mutations present in bone marrow or whole blood, as determined by central lab. Subjects have been randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive gilteritinib (120 mg) or salvage chemotherapy.