Sanofi’s investigational multiple myeloma (MM) therapy has been granted orphan drug designation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with relapsed or refractory disease.
The candidate, SAR446523, is currently being evaluated in a phase 1 clinical study and will now qualify for the benefits associated with FDA orphan drug designation, including tax credits for qualified clinical trials, exemption from user fees, as well as a potential seven years of market exclusivity after approval.
MM is the second most common haematological malignancy, with over 180,000 people worldwide diagnosed every year. Despite advances in treatment, the disease remains incurable, and most patients will eventually relapse and stop responding to therapies.
SAR446523 is an IgG1-based monoclonal antibody designed to target GPRC5D, which is highly expressed on plasma cells in MM patients. The drug features an engineered fragment crystallisable domain to “enhance antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity”, Sanofi said, adding that the approach aims to improve the efficacy of treatment for MM.
Alyssa Johnsen, global therapeutic area head, immunology and oncology development at Sanofi, said: “The orphan drug designation is a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to develop innovative treatments in MM.
“This underscores our commitment to MM, a disease for which we have acquired strong expertise with the development of another widely used and approved immunotherapy treatment.”
Sanofi’s anti-CD38 therapy Sarclisa (isatuximab) is already approved in the US to certain cases of relapsed or refractory MM, as well as newly diagnosed patients who are not eligible for autologous stem cell transplant.
The company is also investigating a subcutaneous (SC) formulation of Sarclisa, offering a potential new administration option for patients.
The ongoing IRAKLIA study has been comparing SC Sarclisa, delivered at a fixed dose with Enable Injections’s on-body delivery system, against weight-based doses of the drug’s approved intravenous (IV) formulation in adults with relapsed or refractory MM who have received at least one prior line of therapy, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor.