FDA Awards Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) To Paxalisib For Malignant Glioma, Including DIPG
9:14 pm ET August 23, 2020
Kazia Therapeutics Limited (NASDAQ: KZIA) is pleased to announce that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to Kazia's paxalisib (formerly GDC-0084) for the treatment of malignant glioma, which includes Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a rare and highly aggressive childhood brain cancer.
Key Points
Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) is a special status accorded to drugs which are considered promising potential treatments for rare ('orphan') diseases, generally defined as those which affect less than 200,000 cases per annum in the United States
ODD can provide drug developers with up to seven years of Orphan Drug Exclusivity (ODE), extending the effective life of a commercial product. It also provides opportunities for grant funding, protocol assistance, and financial benefits, such as a waiver of New Drug Application fees, and tax credits
Receipt of ODD follows award of Rare Pediatric Disease Designation (RPDD) for DIPG on 7 August 2020
Kazia CEO, Dr James Garner, commented, "Taken together, RPDD and ODD provide a powerful suite of incentives, opportunities, and protections for the development of paxalisib in DIPG. We look forward to seeing initial data from the ongoing phase I study in DIPG at St Jude Children's Research Hospital during the second half of calendar 2020. In parallel, we are working closely with collaborators, advisors, and researchers to determine the best path forward for paxalisib in this devastating disease."
He added, "This award of ODD concludes a program of regulatory optimisation that Kazia has initiated for paxalisib over the past six months. As we orient paxalisib towards commercialization, these special designations from FDA will allow us to move forward in the swiftest and most effective way possible."
