Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, and Eisai Inc. announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing and review Arena's resubmission of the New Drug Application (NDA) for lorcaserin. The FDA considers the resubmission a complete, class 2 response, and assigned a new Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target date of June 27, 2012.
Lorcaserin is intended for weight management, including weight loss and maintenance of weight loss, in patients who are obese (Body Mass Index, or BMI, > 30) or patients who are overweight (BMI > 27) and have at least one weight-related co-morbid condition. Arena submitted the original NDA for lorcaserin in December 2009, and the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter (CRL) in October 2010. Arena submitted a response to the lorcaserin CRL in December 2011.
Lorcaserin is an investigational new chemical entity that is believed to act as a selective serotonin 2C receptor agonist. The serotonin 2C receptor is expressed in the brain, including the hypothalamus, an area believed to be involved in the control of appetite and metabolism. Arena has patents that cover lorcaserin in the United States and other jurisdictions that in most cases are capable of continuing into 2023 without taking into account any patent term extensions or other exclusivity Arena might obtain.
Arena's wholly owned subsidiary, Arena Pharmaceuticals GmbH, has granted Eisai Inc. exclusive rights to market and distribute lorcaserin in the United States subject to FDA approval of the lorcaserin NDA.
Arena is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing oral drugs that target G protein-coupled receptors, an important class of validated drug targets, in four major therapeutic areas: cardiovascular, central nervous system, inflammatory and metabolic diseases.
Eisai Inc. commercially focus on neurology, gastrointestinal disorders and oncology/critical care.