FDA approves Incyte's treatment for chronic graft-versus-host disease
Rewrites throughout, adds analyst comment in paragraph 9
By Christy Santhosh and Sruthi Narasimha Chari
Aug 14 (Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Incyte's INCY.O treatment for chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a potentially fatal complication that could occur after a stem cell transplant.
The health regulator's nod for axatilimab-csfr, branded as Niktimvo, comes as Incyte faces loss of exclusivity for its biggest-selling drug Jakafi, later this decade.
Jakafi is approved in the U.S. for treating acute GvHD and is considered a remedy for certain bone marrow and blood disorders.
Niktimvo, co-developed with Syndax Pharmaceuticals SNDX.O, is approved for use in adult and pediatric chronic GvHD patients, weighing at least 40 kg, after the failure of at least two prior lines of therapy.
GvHD occurs when immune cells from transplanted tissue recognize the recipient's body as foreign and attack its cells.
It affects about 17,000 patients in the U.S., according to Incyte's estimates.
GvHD might happen during stem cell transplant, a process which replaces healthy blood cells in people who have had theirs destroyed by high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
The twomain types of GvHD are acute and chronic. Acute GvHD occurs shortly after the transplant, usually within the first 100 days and chronic GvHD typically starts within two years of the transplant and might affect more parts of the body.
BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman said he sees a market opportunity of about $200 million in peak sales for treatments in this indication, calling the approval "a comparatively small win" for Incyte against the Jakafi loss of exclusivity.
The approval for Niktimvo was based on a mid-stage trial where 75% of 79 patients treated with the drug showed a partial or complete response to the treatment.
Some other FDA approved treatments for chronic GvHD include AbbVie ABBV.N and Johnson & Johnson's JNJ.N Imbruvica and French drugmaker Sanofi's SASY.PA Rezurock.
Incyte and Syndax said they expect to launch Niktimvo by early first quarter 2025.
Reporting by Sruthi Narasimha Chari and Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi
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