ChemoCentryx (CCXI) Reports FDA Acceptance of the Avacopan NDA for Treatment of ANCA-Associated Vasculitis

ChemoCentryx, Inc., (NASDAQ: CCXI), today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the Company’s New Drug Application (NDA) for avacopan, an orally-administered selective complement 5a receptor inhibitor, for the treatment of ANCA-Associated Vasculitis and has set July 7, 2021 as the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date for the avacopan NDA. Avacopan is a first-in-class, orally administered therapy that employs a novel, highly targeted mode of action in the treatment of ANCA-associated vasculitis.

In its NDA acceptance letter, the FDA also indicated that it may, but has not yet determined whether to hold an advisory committee meeting to discuss the application per guidelines for new molecular entities.

The NDA included data from the global, Phase III ADVOCATE trial, which demonstrated statistical superiority in sustaining remission at 52 weeks in the avacopan group compared to the prednisone group. In the trial, the avacopan group also showed significantly lower glucocorticoid toxicity, greater improvement in kidney function and greater improvement in health-related quality of life measures compared to the prednisone group. Finally, avacopan demonstrated favorable safety results, with fewer patients having serious adverse events in the avacopan group than in the prednisone group.

About ADVOCATE and ANCA-Associated Vasculitis The ADVOCATE trial of avacopan was a global, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled, double-dummy Phase III trial of 331 patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis in 20 countries. Eligible study subjects were randomized to receive avacopan plus either rituximab or cyclophosphamide (followed by azathioprine/mycophenolate) or prednisone plus either rituximab or cyclophosphamide (followed by azathioprine/mycophenolate).

ANCA-associated vasculitis is a systemic disease in which over-activation of the complement pathway further activates neutrophils, leading to inflammation and destruction of small blood vessels. This results in organ damage and failure, with the kidney as the major target, and is fatal if not treated. Currently, treatment for ANCA-associated vasculitis consists of courses of non-specific immuno-suppressants (cyclophosphamide or rituximab), combined with the administration of daily glucocorticoids (steroids) for prolonged periods of time, which can be associated with significant clinical risk including death from infection.

About Avacopan Avacopan is a first-in-class, orally-administered small molecule that employs a novel, highly targeted mode of action in the treatment of ANCA-associated vasculitis and other complement-driven autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. By precisely blocking the receptor (the C5aR) for the pro-inflammatory complement system fragment known as C5a on destructive inflammatory cells such as blood neutrophils, avacopan arrests the ability of those cells to do damage in response to C5a activation, which is known to be the driver of ANCA-associated vasculitis. Current therapies for ANCA-associated vasculitis and other related illnesses typically include broad immunosuppression with daily doses of glucocorticoids (steroids) such as prednisone or methylprednisone, which can cause significant illness and even death. Avacopan therapy was designed to prevent these outcomes. Moreover, avacopan’s selective inhibition of only the C5aR leaves the beneficial C5a pathway through the C5L2 receptor functioning normally.

ChemoCentryx is also developing avacopan for the treatment of patients with C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted avacopan orphan drug designation for ANCA-associated vasculitis and C3G. The European Commission has granted orphan medicinal product designation for avacopan for the treatment of two forms of ANCA-associated vasculitis: microscopic polyangiitis and granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly known as Wegener's granulomatosis), as well as for C3G.

ChemoCentryx is responsible for the discovery and development of avacopan and owns and retains the commercial rights to the drug in the United States. ChemoCentryx's Kidney Health Alliance with Vifor Pharma provides Vifor Pharma with exclusive rights to commercialize avacopan in markets outside of the U.S.

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