The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for priority review the supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for Amgen’s Blincyto (blinatumomab) to include new data supporting the treatment of pediatric and adolescent patients with Philadelphia chromosome‑negative (Ph-) relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Priority review is assigned to applications for drugs that treat serious conditions and would, if approved, provide significant improvements in the safety or effectiveness of the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of serious conditions. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date is Sept. 1, 2016.

Blincyto is a bispecific CD19-directed CD3 T cell engager (BiTE) antibody construct that binds specifically to CD19 expressed on the surface of cells of B-lineage origin and CD3 expressed on the surface of T cells. Blincyto was granted breakthrough therapy and priority review designations by the US Food and Drug Administration, and is now approved in the US for the treatment of Ph- relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor ALL. This indication is approved under accelerated approval. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification of clinical benefit in subsequent trials.

In November 2015, Blincyto was granted conditional marketing authorization in the European Union for the treatment of adults with Ph- relapsed or refractory B-precursor ALL.

Bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) antibody constructs are a type of immunotherapy being investigated for fighting cancer by helping the body’s immune system to detect and target malignant cells. The modified antibodies are designed to engage two different targets simultaneously, thereby juxtaposing T cells (a type of white blood cell capable of killing other cells perceived as threats) to cancer cells. BiTE antibody constructs help place the T cells within reach of the targeted cell, with the intent of allowing T cells to inject toxins and trigger the cancer cell to die (apoptosis). BiTE antibody constructs are currently being investigated for their potential to treat a wide variety of cancers.

Source: Amgen