Replimune Announces Biologics License Application Acceptance and Priority Review for RP1 for the Treatment of Advanced Melanoma
22 January 2025 - 12:00AM
Replimune Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: REPL), a clinical stage
biotechnology company pioneering the development of novel oncolytic
immunotherapies, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has accepted the Biologics License Application
(BLA) for RP1 (vusolimogene oderparepvec) in combination with
nivolumab for patients with advanced melanoma. The FDA granted the
BLA Priority Review with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA)
action date of July 22, 2025. The FDA also informed the Company
that they are not currently planning to hold an advisory committee
meeting in relation to this application, and at this time have not
identified any potential review issues. The BLA is supported by the
primary analysis data of the IGNYTE trial, evaluating RP1 combined
with nivolumab in patients with anti-PD-1 failed melanoma. A
confirmatory Phase 3 trial, IGNYTE-3, is currently underway with
over 100 sites planned globally.
“There are limited treatment options and a significant unmet
need for patients with advanced melanoma who previously received an
anti-PD-1 containing regimen,” said Sushil Patel, Ph.D., Chief
Executive Officer, Replimune. “The BLA acceptance is an important
milestone for Replimune, and we look forward to working closely
with the FDA on the review of our application.”
The FDA grants Priority Review to applications for medicines
that, if approved, provide significant improvements in the safety
or effectiveness of the treatment of a serious condition. Recently,
Replimune received Breakthrough Therapy designation for RP1 in
combination with nivolumab for the treatment of advanced melanoma,
based on the safety and clinical activity observed in the anti-PD-1
failed melanoma cohort of the IGNYTE clinical trial.
The confirmatory IGNYTE-3 trial is assessing RP1 in combination
with nivolumab in patients with advanced melanoma who have
progressed on anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 therapies or are ineligible
for anti-CTLA-4 treatment. For more information, please visit
https://replimune.com/clinical-trials/ignyte-3/.
About MelanomaMelanoma is the fifth most common
cancer, with approximately 100,000 new cases and 8,000 deaths
estimated in the U.S. in 2024.i Standard of care therapy includes
treatment with immune checkpoint blockade, to which approximately
half of patients will not respond or will progress after treatment.
Options are limited after immune checkpoint blockade therapy, with
no standard of care available to patients.
About RP1RP1 (vusolimogene
oderparepvec) is Replimune’s lead product candidate and is based on
a proprietary strain of herpes simplex virus engineered and
genetically armed with a fusogenic protein (GALV-GP R-) and GM-CSF,
intended to maximize tumor killing potency, the immunogenicity of
tumor cell death, and the activation of a systemic anti-tumor
immune response.
About Replimune Replimune Group,
Inc., headquartered in Woburn, MA, was founded in 2015 with
the mission to transform cancer treatment by pioneering the
development of novel oncolytic immunotherapies. Replimune’s
proprietary RPx platform is based on a potent HSV-1 backbone
intended to maximize immunogenic cell death and the induction of a
systemic anti-tumor immune response. The RPx platform is designed
to have a unique dual local and systemic activity consisting of
direct selective virus-mediated killing of the tumor resulting in
the release of tumor derived antigens and altering of the tumor
microenvironment to ignite a strong and durable systemic response.
The RPx product candidates are expected to be synergistic with most
established and experimental cancer treatment modalities, leading
to the versatility to be developed alone or combined with a variety
of other treatment options. For more information, please
visit www.replimune.com.
Forward Looking StatementsThis press release
contains forward looking statements within the meaning of Section
27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including
statements regarding the design and advancement of our clinical
trials, the timing and sufficiency of our clinical trial outcomes
to support potential approval of any of our product candidates, the
FDA review process, review timing and outcome of our BLA, our goals
to develop and commercialize our product candidates, patient
enrollments in our existing and planned clinical trials and the
timing thereof, and other statements identified by words such as
“could,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,”
“should,” “will,” “would,” or similar expressions and the negatives
of those terms. Forward-looking statements are not promises or
guarantees of future performance, and are subject to a variety of
risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, and
which could cause actual results to differ materially from those
contemplated in such forward-looking statements. These factors
include risks related to our limited operating history, our ability
to generate positive clinical trial results for our product
candidates, the costs and timing of operating our in-house
manufacturing facility, the timing and scope of regulatory
approvals, the availability of combination therapies needed to
conduct our clinical trials, changes in laws and regulations to
which we are subject, competitive pressures, our ability to
identify additional product candidates, political and global macro
factors including the impact of the coronavirus as a global
pandemic and related public health issues and the Russian-Ukrainian
and Israel-Hamas political and military conflicts, and other risks
as may be detailed from time to time in our Annual Reports on Form
10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports we file
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our actual
results could differ materially from the results described in or
implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as
required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise
these forward-looking statements.
Investor InquiriesChris BrinzeyICR
Healthcare339.970.2843chris.brinzey@icrhealthcare.com
Media InquiriesArleen
GoldenbergReplimune917.548.1582media@replimune.com
i American Cancer Society. “Cancer Facts and Figures 2024”.
Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2024.
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