Friday, March 10, 2017

Merck Receives FDA Request For Additional Data, In MSI-H Indication -- For A Keytruda® sBLA...


While this (MSI-H) is not one of the highest burden cancers in the US, it is worth noting that this indication had been granted both (i) a priority review, and (ii) breakthrough status by FDA, in late 2015.

Now the FDA staffers are asking for more data. The would-be FDA complete response date should have been March 8, 2017. That date miss would more than occasionally suggest some smallish off-target effect was emerging, in the data -- or there were questions about the efficacy, in this patient population. I suspect that it will all sort itself out, but this has to be disappointing news, to Kenilworth. From OncLive, then:

. . . .The sBLA for pembrolizumab is based on results from 5 open-label, multicohort phase I/II trials that evaluated pembrolizumab in patients with MSI-H tumors. The specific regimen would be a fixed dosed of 200 mg of pembrolizumab every 3 weeks.

In November 2015, the FDA granted a breakthrough therapy designation to pembrolizumab as a potential therapy for patients with MSI-H metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). . . .


As ever, very rare is the biologic that progresses in a straight line -- this we all know, from painful experience. Onward.

नमस्ते

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

ok~~off topic but I believe relevant (and mind you I do understand artistic license) however, using either the desert scene or an iceberg to argue against 'life...' just ain't so:

http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/05/17/icebergs-are-hotspots-for-life/

and

https://www.q-files.com/life/ecosystems/desert-life/

I know, not the 'best sources' but, you get my feelings.......

condor said...

Oh my.

Truly, Anon. -- I hear you. And what I'm driving at (badly it seems). . . Is the desolation -- the loneliness, and the futility, ultimately -- of conducting life science RESEARCH without the best team on the field.

I meant for the pictures to be devoid of. . . humans.

You are quite right (as we are very likely to learn -- even on Europa!) that life itself is abundant almost everywhere water flows.

I intended to make the point that restrictive immigration policy harms good science research.

Do stop back! I really do appreciate the dialogue!

Namaste

condor said...

Later I'll revise the copy to say "life science research programs". . .

Fair enough?

Smile. . .

Anonymous said...

we can accept that~~~

condor said...

Imagine my. . . relief!