US FDA grants fast track designation to Midatech Pharma’s MTX110 to treat recurrent glioblastoma
Midatech Pharma PLC, an R&D biotechnology company, announced that upon submitting an application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), its development programme of MTX110 for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) has been granted Fast Track designation by the agency.
Fast Track is a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of treatments for serious conditions and that potentially address unmet medical needs. Drugs that are granted this designation are given the opportunity for more frequent interactions with the FDA, as well as potential pathways for expedited approval.
Commenting, Dmitry Zamoryakhin, CSO of Midatech, said: "rGBM is a devastating cancer marked by short survival rate and universal recurrence. Receiving Fast Track designation for MTX110 is an important milestone for the development of the drug as it demonstrates the need for novel and effective treatment options for this currently universally fatal disease. MTX110, our water-soluble formulation of Panobinostat, will soon start recruitment into a company-sponsored phase I study in patients with recurrent GBM."
MTX110 is a water-soluble form of panobinostat free base, achieved through complexation with hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (HPBCD), that enables convection-enhanced delivery (CED) at potentially chemotherapeutic doses directly to the site of the tumour. Panobinostat is a hydroxamic acid and acts as a non-selective histone deacetylase inhibitor (pan-HDAC inhibitor). The currently available oral formulation of panobinostat lactate (Farydak) is not suitable for treatment of brain cancers owing to poor blood-brain barrier penetration and inadequate brain drug concentrations. Based on favourable translational science data, MTX110 is being evaluated clinically as a treatment for DIPG (NCT03566199, NCT04264143) and recurrent medulloblastoma (NCT04315064), and preclinically for treatment of glioblastoma (SNO 2020 Abstract TMOD-27). MTX110 is delivered directly into and around the patient's tumour via a catheter system (e.g. CED or fourth ventricle infusions) to bypass the blood-brain barrier. This technique exposes the tumour to very high drug concentrations while simultaneously minimising systemic drug levels and the potential for toxicity and other side effects. Panobinostat has demonstrated high potency against DIPG tumour cells in in vitro and in vivo models, and in a key study it was the most promising of 83 anticancer agents tested in 14 patient-derived DIPG cell lines (Grasso et al, 2015. Nature Medicine 21(6), 555-559).
Midatech Pharma PLC is a drug delivery technology company focused on improving the bio-delivery and bio-distribution of medicines. The company combines approved and development medications with its proprietary and innovative drug delivery technologies to provide compelling products that have the potential to powerfully impact the lives of patients.
Friday, June 3, 2022
