OSAKA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) (“Takeda”) today announced that the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion on a Type II Variation regulatory application and recommended the approval of a pre-filled syringe presentation of TAKHZYRO® (lanadelumab). TAKHZYRO is a subcutaneous injectable prescription medication approved in Europe for routine prevention of recurrent attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in patients aged 12 years and older. HAE is a rare genetic disorder that results in recurrent attacks of oedema – swelling – in various parts of the body, including the abdomen, face, feet, genitals, hands and throat.1,2,3
“Our goal is to continuously innovate in all areas of HAE management,” said Isabel Kalofonos, Global Product Strategy Lead, HAE, Takeda. “This positive opinion marks another important step forward as we aim to enhance the experience of treatment administration for people receiving TAKHZYRO. We look forward to bringing the pre-filled syringe innovation to the HAE community in Europe, starting later this year, and continue to progress plans to expand to other geographies in future months.”
TAKHZYRO received European approval in November 2018 based on results of the Phase 3 HELP (Hereditary Angioedema Long-term Prophylaxis) Study™, which measured the reduction in the number of mean monthly HAE attacks in patients receiving treatment with TAKHZYRO versus placebo.4 It is currently available as a 300 mg solution for injection, presented in a vial. The pre-filled syringe is a next generation fully assembled presentation that requires fewer preparation steps than the current TAKHZYRO vial injection, while also reducing supplies and waste.
The EMA’s Type II Variation to the terms of the marketing authorisation is for medicines that have some type of change, such as administration method, but it does not involve a change to the medicine’s active substance. The CHMP opinion states that the European Commission (EC) decision will be adopted within 12 months, and under the terms of this Type II Variation, Takeda can proceed to commence launches of the TAKHZYRO pre-filled syringe in Europe later this year.
Further regulatory submissions for the pre-filled syringe presentation are under review or planned in other countries during 2020 and beyond.
About Hereditary Angioedema
Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare genetic disorder that results in recurrent attacks of oedema – swelling – in various parts of the body, including the abdomen, face, feet, genitals, hands and throat. The swelling can be debilitating and painful.1,2,3 Attacks that obstruct the airways can cause asphyxiation and are potentially life threatening.2,3 HAE affects an estimated 1 in 50,000 people worldwide. It is often under-recognized, under-diagnosed and under-treated.1,5
About TAKHZYRO® (lanadelumab)
TAKHZYRO (lanadelumab) is a fully human monoclonal antibody that specifically binds and decreases plasma kallikrein activity. TAKHZYRO is produced in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells by recombinant DNA technology.6
TAKHZYRO is formulated for subcutaneous administration and has a half-life of approximately two weeks in patients with HAE. TAKHZYRO is intended for the self-administration or administration by a caregiver, only after training by a healthcare professional.6
TAKHZYRO Safety Information for Europe
Please consult the TAKHZYRO Summary Product Characteristics (SmPC) before prescribing. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/takhzyro-epar-product-information_en.pdf.
TAKHZYRO treatment should be initiated under the supervision of a physician experienced in the management of patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE). TAKHZYRO may be self-administered or administered by a caregiver only after training on SC injection technique by a healthcare professional.6
Contraindication
Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients.
Warnings and Precautions
Traceability: In order to improve the traceability of biological medicinal products, the name and the batch number of the administered product should be clearly recorded.
Hypersensitivity reactions have been observed. In case of a severe hypersensitivity reaction, administration of TAKHZYRO must be stopped immediately and appropriate treatment must be initiated.
General: TAKHZYRO is not intended for treatment of acute HAE attacks. In case of a breakthrough HAE attack, individualized treatment should be initiated with an approved rescue medication. There are no available clinical data on the use of lanadelumab in HAE patients with normal C1-INH activity.
Interference with coagulation test: Lanadelumab can increase activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) due to an interaction of lanadelumab with the aPTT assay. The reagents used in the aPTT laboratory test initiate intrinsic coagulation through the activation of plasma kallikrein in the contact system. Inhibition of plasma kallikrein by lanadelumab can increase aPTT in this assay. None of the increases in aPTT in patients treated with TAKHZYRO were associated with abnormal bleeding adverse events. There were no differences in international normalised ratio (INR) between treatment groups.
Sodium content: This medicinal product contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per vial, that is to say essentially 'sodium-free'.
Interactions
No dedicated drug-drug interaction studies have been conducted. Based on the characteristics of lanadelumab, no pharmacokinetic interactions with co-administered medicinal products is expected.
As expected, concomitant use of the rescue medication C1 esterase inhibitor results in an additive effect on lanadelumab-cHMWK response based on the mechanism of action (MOA) of lanadelumab and C1 esterase inhibitor.
Immunogenicity
Treatment with lanadelumab has been associated with development of treatment emergent anti-drug antibodies (ADA) in 11.9% (10/84) of subjects. All antibody titres were low. The ADA response was transient in 20% (2/10) of ADA positive subjects. 2.4% (2/84) of lanadelumab-treated subjects tested positive for neutralizing antibodies.
The development of ADA including neutralising antibodies against TAKHZYRO did not appear to adversely affect the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) profiles or clinical response.
Adverse Reactions
The most commonly observed adverse reaction (52.4%) associated with TAKHZYRO was injection site reactions (ISR) including injection site pain, injection site erythema and injection site bruising. Of these ISRs, 97% were of mild intensity, 90% resolved within 1 day after onset with a median duration of 6 minutes.
Hypersensitivity reaction (mild and moderate pruritus, discomfort and tingling of tongue) was observed (1.2%)
Very common (frequency ≥1/10): |
Injection site reactions* |
Common (≥1/100 to <1/10): |
Hypersensitivity**, dizziness, rash maclo-papular, myalgia, alanine aminotransferase increased, aspartate aminotransferase increased. |
*Injection site reactions include: pain, erythema, bruising, discomfort, haematoma, haemorrhage, pruritus, swelling, induration, paraesthesia, reaction, warmth, oedema and rash.
** Hypersensitivity includes: pruritus, discomfort and tingling of tongue.
For full U.S. Prescribing Information, including the approved indication and important safety information, please visit https://www.shirecontent.com/PI/PDFs/TAKHZYRO_USA_ENG.pdf.
About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to bringing Better Health and a Brighter Future to patients by translating science into highly-innovative medicines. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Diseases, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI). We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people's lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries.
For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.
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1 Cicardi M, Bork K, Caballero T, et al; on behalf of HAWK (Hereditary Angioedema International Working Group). Evidence based recommendations for the therapeutic management of angioedema owing to hereditary C1 inhibitor deficiency: consensus report of an International Working Group. Allergy. 2012; 67(2):147-157.
2 Zuraw BL. Hereditary angioedema. N Engl J Med. 2008;359(10):1027-1036.
3 Banerji A. The burden of illness in patients with hereditary angioedema. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2013;111(5):329-336.
4 Banerji A, Riedl MA, Bernstein JA, et al; for the HELP Investigators. Effect of lanadelumab compared with placebo on prevention of hereditary angioedema attacks: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2018;320(20):2108-2121.
5 Longhurst HJ, Bork K. Hereditary angioedema: causes, manifestations, and treatment. Br J Hosp Med. 2006;67(12):654-657.
6 TAKHZYRO® (lanadelumab) Summary of Product Characteristics.
