On August 31, 2016 Ignyta, Inc. (Nasdaq: RXDX), a biotechnology company focused on precision medicine in oncology, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an investigational device exemption (IDE) for its RNA-based companion diagnostic, next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay (Trailblaze Pharos) (Press release, Ignyta, AUG 31, 2016, View Source [SID:1234514819]). The Trailblaze Pharos assay is intended for use in identifying patients, including those who are treatment-naïve, who have solid tumors with NTRK1/2/3, ROS1, or ALK gene rearrangements leading to fusion proteins, to determine eligibility for enrollment into the global STARTRK-2 trial, a Phase 2 study of entrectinib, a novel, orally available, CNS-penetrant tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting tumors that harbor NTRK1/2/3 (encoding TrkA/TrkB/TrkC), ROS1, or ALK gene fusions. Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo! "We are pleased to have been granted this IDE approval for our investigational companion diagnostic assay, as it allows us to screen potential patients for STARTRK-2 who might not otherwise have access to tumor profiling for these fusions and therefore may never have been identified," said Jonathan Lim, M.D., Chairman and CEO of Ignyta. "We look forward to continuing to work with the FDA on developing and providing a robust assay to help physicians identify cancer patients who may be eligible for our clinical studies."
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An IDE allows an investigational device, in this case the Trailblaze Pharos assay, to be used in a clinical study in order to collect safety and effectiveness data required to support a Premarket Approval (PMA) application submission to FDA. An IDE application is approved only after direct review by the FDA on many aspects of the device validation and how clinical testing will be performed.
About Trailblaze Pharos
The Trailblaze Pharos assay for NTRK1/2/3, ROS1, and ALK gene rearrangements is a next-generation sequencing (NGS) based assay for the qualitative detection of fusions in the NTRK1/2/3, ROS1, or ALK genes in the RNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) human solid tumor tissue. The assay is intended to be used as an aid in selecting patients, including those who are treatment-naïve, with solid tumors that harbor a gene rearrangement in NTRK1/2/3, ROS1, or ALK, for whom enrollment in the STARTRK-2 study may be appropriate. A laboratory developed test (LDT) version of the Trailblaze Pharos assay was previously used to identify non-treatment-naïve patients with NTRK1/2/3, ROS1, or ALK gene rearrangements who might be eligible for the STARTRK-2 study.
About Entrectinib
Entrectinib is a novel, orally available, selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting tumors that harbor activating alterations to NTRK1/2/3 (encoding TrkA/TrkB/TrkC), ROS1, or ALK. Entrectinib is the most potent Trk inhibitor in the clinic, without undesirable off-target activity, and the only Trk inhibitor with clinically demonstrated activity against primary and metastatic CNS disease. This product candidate is in a Phase 2 clinical trial called STARTRK-2, which is the second of the "Studies of Tumor Alterations Responsive to Targeting Receptor Kinases." The trial is a global, multicenter, open label, potentially registration-enabling Phase 2 clinical trial of entrectinib that utilizes a basket design with screening of patient tumor samples for the relevant targets. Such a basket design takes full advantage of entrectinib’s demonstrated preliminary clinical activity across a range of different tumor types and molecular targets.