Dyax Corp. (NASDAQ: DYAX) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing the Company’s Biologics License Application (BLA) for DX-88 (ecallantide) for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) and has designated the application for Priority Review. Based on this designation, the FDA Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date is March 23, 2009, or six months from the BLA submission date of September 23, 2008. Priority Review designation is intended for those products that address unmet medical needs. DX-88 has previously been granted Orphan Drug designation as well as Fast Track status by the FDA.
“The FDA’s decision to grant Priority Review underscores the urgent need to address the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema,” commented Henry E. Blair, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dyax. “We are pleased to have received this designation and will continue to work closely with the FDA throughout the review period. This is an exciting milestone for Dyax, as it brings us one step closer to helping patients who have no therapeutic option approved for acute attacks of this potentially life-threatening condition.”
The BLA submission is based primarily on data from two placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical studies, EDEMA3 and EDEMA4, which, taken together, represent the largest placebo-controlled evaluation of any therapy used in the treatment of HAE. In these studies, DX-88 demonstrated statistically significant improvements over placebo in both the primary and secondary endpoints.
About DX-88 for HAE
The recombinant, small protein, DX-88, was discovered utilizing the Company’s proprietary phage display technology. DX-88 is a potent and selective plasma kallikrein inhibitor, a key mediator of inflammation in angioedema, and is being evaluated as a subcutaneous therapy for treating acute HAE attacks.
About HAE
Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) is an acute inflammatory condition characterized by episodes of severe, often painful swelling affecting the extremities, the gastrointestinal tract, the genitalia, and in potentially life-threatening cases, the larynx. HAE is caused by low or dysfunctional levels of C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH), a naturally occurring molecule that inhibits plasma kallikrein, a key mediator of inflammation, and other serine proteases in the blood.
About Dyax
Dyax is focused on advancing novel biotherapeutics for unmet medical needs, with an emphasis on oncology and inflammatory indications. Dyax utilizes its proprietary drug discovery technology to identify antibody, small protein and peptide compounds for clinical development. Dyax’s lead product candidate is DX-88 (ecallantide), a recombinant small protein that is currently being evaluated for its therapeutic potential in two separate indications. On September 23, 2008, Dyax submitted its Biologics License Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval of DX-88 for the treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE). DX-88 has orphan drug designation in the U.S. and E.U., as well as Fast Track designation in the U.S., for the treatment of acute attacks of HAE. Additionally, DX-88 is being evaluated for the prevention of blood loss during on-pump cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) through its partner, Cubist Pharmaceuticals. Dyax licensed to Cubist the intravenous formulation of DX-88 for surgical indications in North America and Europe. DX-88 and other compounds in Dyax’s pipeline were identified using its patented phage display technology, which rapidly selects compounds that bind with high affinity and specificity to therapeutic targets. Dyax leverages this technology broadly with over 70 revenue generating licenses and collaborations for therapeutic discovery, as well as in non-core areas such as affinity separations, diagnostic imaging, and research reagents. Dyax is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For online information about Dyax Corp., please visit dyax.
Dyax Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the prospects for therapeutic benefits and treatment advantages of DX-88 for HAE and the timing and prospects for review and FDA approval of the BLA for DX-88. Statements that are not historical facts are based on Dyax’s current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industry and markets in which Dyax competes. The statements contained in this release are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed in such forward-looking statements. Important factors which may affect the prospects for therapeutic benefits and treatment advantages of DX-88 for HAE, and the timing and prospects for review and FDA approval of the BLA for DX-88, include the risks that: DX-88 may not show sufficient therapeutic effect in clinical trials or could take a significantly longer time to gain regulatory approval than Dyax expects or may never gain approval; others may develop technologies or products superior to DX-88 or that are on the market before DX-88; DX-88 may not gain market acceptance; Dyax is dependent on the expertise, effort, priorities and contractual obligations of third parties in the clinical trials, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of DX-88; and other risk factors described or referred to Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in Dyax’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Dyax cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this release. These statements speak only as of the date of this release, and Dyax undertakes no obligations to update or revise these statements, except as may be required by law.
Dyax and the Dyax logo are registered trademarks of Dyax Corp. EDEMA3 and EDEMA4 are registered service marks of Dyax.
Dyax Corp.