Amgen reports that the Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee (CTGTAC) and the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will jointly review the company’s Biologics License Application (BLA) for talimogene laherparepvec, an immunotherapy for treating melanoma. The FDA is currently reviewing the talimogene laherparepvec BLA for the treatment of patients with injectable regionally or distantly metastatic melanoma. The advisory committees will review talimogene laherparepvec at a meeting on April 29, 2015. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date for completion of FDA review of the talimogene laherparepvec BLA is Oct. 27, 2015.

Talimogene laherparepvec is an investigational oncolytic immunotherapy designed to selectively replicate in tumors (but not normal tissue) and to initiate an immune response to target cancer cells that have metastasized. Talimogene laherparepvec was designed to work in two important and complementary ways. First, it is injected directly into tumors where it replicates inside the tumor’s cells causing the cell to rupture and die in a process called lysis. The rupture of the cancer cells can release tumor-derived antigens, along with GM-CSF, that can stimulate a system-wide immune response where white blood cells are able to seek out and target cancer that has spread throughout the body.

The CTGTAC is a FDA committee that reviews and evaluates data relating to the safety, effectiveness and appropriate use of human cells, human tissues, gene transfer therapies and xenotransplantation products which are intended for transplantation, implantation, infusion and transfer in the prevention and treatment of a broad spectrum of human diseases and in the reconstruction, repair or replacement of tissues for various conditions. The ODAC reviews and evaluates data concerning the safety and effectiveness of marketed and investigational human drug products for use in the treatment of cancer and makes recommendations to the FDA.

Source: Amgen