Last week, Global Genes, a global rare disease patient advocacy organization, announced the 2019 RARE Champion of Hope Awardees, which included Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.’s very own, James Valentine. This is a great honor, bestowed upon “true champions for rare disease”, “people who inspire …
On May 24, 2019, FDA approved Avexis’s BLA for its gene therapy, Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec-xioi), for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). This represents the first approval of a systemically-administered somatic gene replacement therapy. (The first gene therapy approved by FDA was Luxturna in Dec. …
On March 25, 2019, FDA issued a draft guidance, “Rare Diseases: Natural History Studies for Drug Development,” to help inform the design and implementation of natural history studies that can be used to support the development of drugs and biological products for rare diseases (hereinafter …
As we celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Orphan Drug Act (see our 30th anniversary post here), periodic consideration of opportunities to reform and refine the approach to rare disease medical product regulation is warranted – similar to the review that occurred 10 years ago, which …
Today (October 12, 2017) FDA’s Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee unanimously recommended approval of Spark Therapeutics, Inc.’s Biologics License Application (BLA 125610) for Voretigene Neparvovec (also called LUXTURNA), a gene therapy for the treatment of patients with vision loss due to confirmed biallelic RPE65 …
If you read our blog, you already know that the 21st Century Cures Act included a provision that created the Regenerative Advanced Therapy designation program, or “RAT” (see our previous coverage of the Act here). You will also already know that the Center for Biologics …
On August 29, 2017, FDA approved Chemo Research’s NDA for benznidazole for treating children with Chagas disease and granted the sponsor a Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher (PRV) (see FDA Press Release here). This is the first drug to treat Chagas disease, a life-threatening parasitic disease that affects …
