Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: JAZZ) today announced that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing with Priority Review its recently submitted New Drug Application (NDA) for defibrotide. Defibrotide is an investigational agent proposed for the treatment of patients with hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD), also known as sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS), with evidence of multi-organ dysfunction (MOD) following hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT).
Priority Review status is designated for drugs that may offer major advances in treatment or provide a treatment where no adequate therapy exists. Based on timelines established by the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), FDA review of the NDA is expected to be completed by March 31, 2016.
“The FDA’s acceptance for filing and Priority Review status of the NDA for defibrotide is an important milestone for Jazz and reflects our commitment to bringing meaningful medicines to patients who have significant unmet needs,” said Karen Smith, M.D., Ph.D., Global Head of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer of Jazz Pharmaceuticals. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with the FDA to obtain approval for defibrotide for patients with hepatic VOD with evidence of MOD in the U.S. as quickly as possible, as there are no other approved therapies for treating this rare, often fatal complication of HSCT.”
The NDA includes safety and efficacy data from three clinical studies of defibrotide for the treatment of hepatic VOD with MOD following HSCT, as well as a retrospective review of registry data from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research. The safety database includes over 900 patients exposed to defibrotide in the clinical development program for the treatment of hepatic VOD.
“We applaud the FDA for working with Jazz in accepting this application for a timely review as bone marrow transplant patients who develop VOD with MOD currently have no effective options for this potentially life-threatening syndrome,” said Susan K. Stewart, Executive Director, BMT InfoNet (Blood & Marrow Transplant Information Network).