Pharming Group N.V., a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review Pharming’s supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Ruconest [Recombinant Human C1 Esterase Inhibitor/ conestat alfa] for routine prophylaxis to prevent attacks in adult and adolescent patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE).  The FDA has indicated that the sBLA is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review and has set an action date of September 21, 2018.

Ruconest is currently approved for the treatment of acute attacks in adult and adolescent patients with HAE. If approved for this new indication, Ruconest would become the first C1 inhibitor therapy that would be approved for both acute treatment and prophylaxis of HAE attacks.

Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) is a rare genetic disorder. It is characterized by spontaneous and recurrent episodes of swelling (edema attacks) of the skin in different parts of the body, as well as in the airways and internal organs. Edema of the skin usually affects the extremities, the face, and the genitals. Patients suffering from this kind of edema often withdraw from their social lives because of the disfiguration, discomfort and pain these symptoms may cause. Almost all HAE patients suffer from bouts of severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea caused by swelling of the intestinal wall.

Edema of the throat, nose or tongue can be particularly dangerous as this can lead to obstruction of the airway passages and be potentially life threatening. Although there is currently no known cure for HAE, it is possible to treat the symptoms associated with edema attacks. HAE affects about 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 50,000 people, worldwide experts believe that a lot of patients are still seeking the right diagnosis: although HAE is (in principle) easy to diagnose, it is frequently identified very late or not discovered at all. The reason HAE is often misdiagnosed is because the symptoms are similar to those of many other common conditions such as allergies or appendicitis by the time it is diagnosed correctly, the patient has often been through a long-lasting ordeal.

Ruconest (C1 esterase inhibitor [recombinant]) is indicated for the treatment of acute attacks in adult and adolescent patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE). Effectiveness in clinical studies was not established in HAE patients with laryngeal attacks.

Pharming is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing innovative products for the safe, effective treatment of rare diseases and unmet medical needs.