Regeneron submits VEGF Trap-Eye BLA to FDA for treatment of wet AMD

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: REGN) announced that the company submitted a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for VEGF Trap-Eye for the treatment of the neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).  Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), the goal for a standard review time from submission to FDA action is ten months.  Regeneron's submission includes a request for Priority Review, which, if granted, would shorten the FDA's targeted goal for review time under PDUFA to six months.

"There have been significant advances in the treatment of wet AMD in recent years.  However, the need for monthly intravitreal injections to obtain optimal vision gains has resulted in a significant burden for physicians, patients, and their caregivers," said Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Regeneron.  "We are extremely proud to have conducted the largest global Phase 3 clinical program in patients with wet AMD, which demonstrated that patients treated with VEGF Trap-Eye 2 mg every two months, following three loading doses, were able to be dosed with fewer injections over one year without compromising efficacy.  We look forward to working closely with the FDA to bring this potentially important new medicine to patients with wet AMD."  

The VEGF Trap-Eye BLA is based on the positive results from two Phase 3 trials, the North American VIEW 1 trial and the global VIEW 2 trial.  In these trials, all regimens of VEGF Trap-Eye, including VEGF Trap-Eye dosed 2 milligrams (mg) every two months (following three loading doses), successfully met the primary endpoint of non-inferiority, compared to the current standard of care, ranibizumab 0.5 mg dosed every month.  The primary endpoint analysis was statistical non-inferiority in the proportion of patients who maintained (or improved) vision over 52 weeks compared to ranibizumab.  A generally favorable safety profile was observed for both VEGF Trap-Eye and ranibizumab.  The ocular adverse events were balanced across all treatment groups in both studies.  There were no notable differences in non-ocular adverse events among the study arms.