GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced the submission of a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for pazopanib as an oral therapy for patients with advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer. The incidence of RCC is rising throughout the world with 208,000 new cases diagnosed annually, and over 100,000 deaths. More than 10 per cent of new cases are diagnosed in Western Europe.
Pazopanib is an investigational, oral, angiogenesis inhibitor which targets key proteins responsible for tumour growth and survival.
The MAA submission is based on positive results from a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase-III study of pazopanib in treatment-naïve and cytokine-pre-treated patients with advanced RCC. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival. Secondary endpoints included overall survival, response rate and safety. From previously published studies the most common side-effects associated with pazopanib treatment include diarrhoea, hypertension, hair colour change, nausea, anorexia and vomiting. The complete results from the phase-III study will be presented at an upcoming medical conference.
In December 2008, GSK also completed the submission of a new drug application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pazopanib as an oral therapy for patients with advanced RCC. The filing is currently under regulatory review.
"If approved, pazopanib will offer physicians and patients a new therapeutic option for advanced kidney cancer and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the development of innovative and personalised treatments for patients with cancer," said Paolo Paoletti, senior vice president, R&D Oncology Unit.
"The MAA submission of pazopanib marks our fifth major submission since the formation of the R&D Oncology Unit in September 2008. Previous submissions included FDA filings for pazopanib and ofatumumab, and MAA submissions for ofatumumab and eltrombopag," said Moncef Slaoui, chairman, Research and Development. "These submissions underscore the value of a dedicated Oncology R&D Unit in capturing the many synergies that exist between discovery and development in oncology and in delivering more products of value."
Pazopanib is an investigational, oral, once-daily angiogenesis inhibitor targeting VEGFR, PDGFR and c-kit.5 VEGF and PDGF are growth factors critical to the development and growth of blood vessels - a process known as angiogenesis.