The Medicines Company announced that the FDA has granted Fast Track Designation to the investigational agent CARBAVANCE® (meropenem-vaborbactam) for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI).
CARBAVANCE is the combination of the carbapenem antibiotic, meropenem, with the novel beta-lactamase inhibitor, vaborbactam (formerly known as RPX7009), that is being developed for the treatment of gram-negative infections, including those due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).
“We are excited about the potential to accelerate the regulatory evaluation for our novel investigational agent and potentially provide a new option for patients in the battle against gram-negative bacteria, including CRE, for which there is an unmet need,” said Michael Dudley, PharmD, Senior Vice President and Head of Health Science R&D, and Co-Leader of the Infectious Diseases Global Innovation Group at The Medicines Company. “The Medicines Company is committed to developing an innovative portfolio of antimicrobial drugs to tackle the most serious and urgent drug-resistant infections. The FDA Fast Track designation is an important regulatory process to help us meet that goal.”
CARBAVANCE, an investigational agent not approved for commercial use in any market, is administered as a fixed combination by IV infusion. There are currently two ongoing TANGO (Targeting Antibiotic Non-susceptible Gram-negative Organisms ) Phase 3 clinical trials. TANGO 1 is a randomized controlled trial in patients with cUTIs, and results are expected in the second half of 2016.
Antibiotic resistance in gram-negative bacteria has increased markedly in the last decade, leaving clinicians and critically ill patients few choices for treatment. The CDC has designated CRE as an urgent antimicrobial resistance threat. This has created an urgent need for new agents that has been recognized worldwide by health authorities.
In January 2014, the FDA designated CARBAVANCE® as a Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) for cUTIs, intra-abdominal infections, HABP/VABP, and febrile neutropenia. The QIDP designation provides CARBAVANCE priority review by the FDA, eligibility for the FDA’s “fast track” status, and an additional five years of exclusivity upon approval. The QIDP designation was granted pursuant to the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) Act, included in the FDA Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) that was signed into law in 2012.
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