The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) and Theravance, Inc.'s New Drug Application (NDA) for the once-daily investigational medicine fluticasone furoate “FF”/vilanterol “VI” (FF/VI) for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The acceptance indicated that the application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review.

The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date has also been confirmed as May 12, 2013.

On July 13, 2012, GSK and Theravance announced the submission by GSK of regulatory applications in the US and European Union for FF/VI for patients with COPD and a regulatory application for asthma in the European Union. The Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) for FF/VI for COPD and asthma has been validated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

GSK also submitted a Japanese New Drug Application (JNDA) for FF/VI for patients with COPD and asthma on September 25, 2012.

FF/VI is one of several late-stage assets in the GSK respiratory development portfolio, which also includes the investigational LAMA/LABA combination umeclidinium bromide/vilanterol (UMEC/VI), VI monotherapy and MABA (GSK961081), developed in collaboration with Theravance, as well as GSK’s investigational medicines FF monotherapy, UMEC monotherapy and anti-IL5 MAb (mepolizumab).

FF/VI is administered by a new dry powder inhaler called Ellipta. FF/VI has the proposed brand name Relvar in Europe and Japan and Breo in the US.  FF/VI is an investigational medicine and is not currently approved anywhere in the world. Relvar, Breo and Ellipta are trademarks of the GlaxoSmithKline group of companies. The use of these brand names has not yet been approved by any regulatory authority.

Theravance – is a biopharmaceutical company with a pipeline of internally discovered product candidates and strategic collaborations with pharmaceutical companies.