Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, specialty pharmaceutical company, announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion recommending the granting of a marketing authorisation for Envarsus for the prevention of organ rejection in adult transplant patients in the European Union (EU).
The positive opinion is for both kidney and liver transplant recipients and includes both the de novo transplant and "switch" settings, as well as for treatment of rejection episodes resistant to treatment with other immunosuppressive products in adult patients. The CHMP's decision will be referred to the European Commission (EC) and if approved by the EC, Veloxis will receive marketing authorisation for Envarsus in all member states of the EU. The EC is expected to render a final decision for Envarsus within three months of the opinion.
William Polvino, chief executive officer of Veloxis said, "The positive CHMP opinion for both the kidney and liver transplant patient populations in the European Union reflects the potential promise of Envarsus for the two largest segments of solid organ transplant recipients. This is an important milestone for Veloxis as we move closer to bringing Envarsus® to market in the European Union. Veloxis, and our European marketing partner, Chiesi Farmaceutici, look forward to making this important therapeutic option available to transplant recipients."
Tacrolimus is a leading immunosuppression drug used for the prevention of transplant allograft rejection after organ transplantation. Envarsus is an investigational drug that is being developed as a once-daily tablet version of tacrolimus, with improved bioavailability, consistent pharmacokinetic performance and reduced peak-to-trough variability when compared to currently approved tacrolimus products. Transplant patients need to maintain a minimum blood level of tacrolimus for the prevention of transplant allograft rejection, but excessive levels may increase the risk of serious side effects such as nephrotoxicity, tremor, diabetes, high blood pressure, and opportunistic infections. Therefore, tacrolimus levels need to be managed carefully, and transplant patients are typically obliged to make frequent visits to the hospital for monitoring and dose adjustments after receiving a new organ.