ERYTECH (ERYP) More than Doubles as FDA Grants Fast Track Designation for Eryaspase in Hypersensitive ALL

ERYTECH Pharma (Nasdaq & Euronext: ERYP) gained 138% after-hours after the company announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted eryaspase Fast Track designation for the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) patients who have developed hypersensitivity reactions to E. coli-derived pegylated asparaginase (PEG-ASNase).

“This is yet another significant milestone and meaningful inflection point in advancing our lead product candidate eryaspase, further supporting our recently announced intention to submit a BLA for eryaspase in hypersensitive ALL patients,” said Gil Beyen, CEO of ERYTECH. “We believe that the FDA’s Fast Track designation for eryaspase underscores its potential to address this high unmet medical need.”

Asparaginase has been an integral component of ALL treatment for several years but is associated with treatment-limiting hypersensitivity in up to 30% of patients. Discontinuation of asparaginase therapy in ALL patients has been associated with inferior event free survival, highlighting the need for additional asparaginase based treatment options.

In December 2020, positive results from a Phase 2 trial evaluating the safety and enzyme activity of eryaspase in primarily pediatric ALL patients who developed hypersensitivity reactions to pegylated asparaginase were presented by the Nordic Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at the 2020 American Society of Hematology annual meeting. This data demonstrated that eryaspase, in combination with chemotherapy, administered every two weeks, provided a sustained asparaginase enzyme activity level, and was generally well tolerated with few hypersensitivity reactions.

The Company recently confirmed its intention to submit a Biologics License Application (BLA) for eryaspase in this indication in the fourth quarter of 2021 pending successful completion of remaining steps.

Fast Track is a program designed to facilitate the expedited development and review of a new drug, alone or in combination with other drugs, to treat serious or life-threatening conditions for which there is a demonstration of the potential to address an unmet medical need. The purpose is to advance new drugs earlier for patients who need them.

In April 2020, eryaspase was also granted Fast Track designation for the development of a second-line treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. A Phase 3 trial in this indication completed enrollment in January 2021 and final results are expected in the fourth quarter of 2021.

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