Shire, the biotech leader in rare diseases, announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for SHP607 for the prevention of chronic lung disease in extremely premature infants. SHP607, currently in phase 2 clinical development, is a recombinant human version of the naturally occurring protein complex of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and its most abundant binding protein, IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3). IGF-1 plays an important role in the development of the fetus in the uterus.
The SHP607 Fast Track designation is supported by preclinical data and Phase 1 and 2 studies. The FDA’s Fast Track process is designed to facilitate the development, and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need. However, it does not guarantee that the FDA will ultimately approve SHP607 or the timing of any such approval.
“We are pleased to achieve this regulatory milestone as we progress this very important clinical development program,” says Howard Mayer, M.D., Shire’s Head of Research and Development, ad interim. “There are no approved treatment options for chronic lung disease for premature infants, and we are aiming to change that. We are continuing to advance the SHP607 clinical program, which is well aligned with Shire’s focus on bringing innovative therapies to patients with rare diseases worldwide.”
About the SHP607 Clinical Development Program
Prior to Shire adding SHP607 to its clinical development pipeline in 2013 when it acquired privately held Premacure AB, a Phase I clinical trial was conducted and its results showed that the levels of IGF-1 were increased to within physiological levels and that administration of the investigational protein to preterm infants. Shire took over Premacure’s Phase 2 clinical trial, reporting topline results in June 2016, which did not meet the study’s primary endpoint of reducing the severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a rare eye condition. The study, however, demonstrated clinically relevant effects in secondary endpoints related to the development of severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease, and severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), a type of brain injury, both of which have lifelong negative implications for normal development. There were no serious adverse events related to the investigational medicinal product.
Following the phase 2 study results, Shire initiated discussions with regulatory authorities in the United States, Europe and Japan to discuss an appropriate regulatory review pathway for SHP607. As a result of those discussions, Shire is in the process of developing a phase 2b/3 clinical trial SHP607 targeting a primary endpoint focused on chronic lung disease in extremely premature infants. Key secondary endpoints being explored include BPD and IVH.
Shire is currently conducting a five-year observational long-term outcomes study of patients who had been enrolled in the phase 2 study.
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
