AstraZeneca and MedImmune, announced the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) for MEDI8897, an extended half-life respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) F monoclonal antibody (mAb) being developed for the prevention of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) caused by RSV.
MEDI8897 is being developed in partnership with Sanofi Pasteur and received Fast Track designation from the US FDA in March 2015.
“MEDI8897 is our next-generation preventive medicine for respiratory syncytial virus, which has the potential to address an important unmet need for infants, families and caregivers. The Breakthrough Therapy Designation, together with its recent PRIME eligibility from the European Medicines Agency, will help us to bring MEDI8897 to all infants at risk for RSV as quickly as possible,” Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice-President, R&D BioPharmaceuticals, said.
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The BTD is based on the primary analysis of the Phase IIb trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MEDI8897, which met its primary endpoint defined as a statistically-significant reduction in the incidence of medically-attended LRTI caused by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction-confirmed RSV, for 150 days after dosing in healthy preterm infants. Full results from the Phase IIb trial will be presented at a forthcoming medical meeting.
MEDI8897 is an extended half-life RSV F mAb being developed for the prevention of LRTI caused by RSV. MEDI8897 is being developed for use in a broader infant population than the current standard of care for RSV prevention, Synagis (palivizumab), which in the US is only approved for use in high-risk infants. Additionally, MEDI8897 is being developed so that it may only require one dose during a typical five-month RSV season, vs. monthly injections with current standard of care.
The development programme for MEDI8897 also includes a Phase III trial in late preterm and healthy full-term infants. AstraZeneca will also conduct a Phase II/III study in Synagis-eligible paediatric patients to generate additional data for use in this population.
In February 2019, the EMA granted PRIME eligibility to MEDI8897.
In March 2017, AstraZeneca and Sanofi Pasteur announced an agreement to develop and commercialize MEDI8897 jointly. In November 2018, AstraZeneca announced Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (publ) (Sobi) has the right to participate in payments that may be received from the US profits or losses for MEDI8897.