Wyeth Pharmaceuticals,
a division of Wyeth (NYSE: WYE), announced today that the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the file and granted priority review
status to the Company's New Drug Application (NDA) for the investigational
drug Torisel(TM) (temsirolimus). Wyeth Pharmaceuticals is seeking an
indication for Torisel for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma
(RCC). A priority designation can be given to an NDA for a drug that, if
approved, would be a significant improvement compared with existing
treatments.
The FDA previously granted fast track designation and orphan drug
status for investigational temsirolimus for the treatment of advanced RCC.
Torisel is the first mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) inhibitor to
be filed for approval for the treatment of a cancer. It is an
investigational drug that specifically inhibits the mTOR kinase, a protein
that regulates cell proliferation, cell growth and cell survival.
"Renal cell carcinoma continues to be an extremely difficult-to-treat
form of cancer, and there continues to be a need for new therapies. Torisel
has demonstrated its potential to help meet that important medical need,"
says Lee F. Allen, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President of Oncology Clinical
Research at Wyeth.
The registration dossier contains interim data from a three-arm, Phase
3 clinical trial of 626 patients who had received no prior systemic
therapy. The results showed that Torisel significantly increased overall
survival by 49 percent in patients with advanced RCC compared with
interferon-alpha, a treatment for advanced RCC.
In the United States, Torisel will be available prior to FDA approval
through an Expanded Access Program (EAP). For more information about the
Torisel EAP in the United States, please call (800) 234-8423. Additional
information about temsirolimus may be obtained by visiting
clinicaltrials.
About Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has leading products in the areas of women's
health care, cardiovascular disease, central nervous system, inflammation,
transplantation, hemophilia, oncology, vaccines and nutritional products.
Wyeth is one of the world's largest research-driven pharmaceutical and
health care products companies. It is a leader in the discovery,
development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines,
biotechnology products and non-prescription medicines that improve the
quality of life for people worldwide. The Company's major divisions include
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, and Fort Dodge Animal
Health.
The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are
forward-looking statements based on current expectations of future events
and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements.
These risks and uncertainties include risks associated with the inherent
uncertainty of the timing and success of product research, development and
commercialization (including with respect to our pipeline products), drug
pricing and payment for our products by government and third- party payors,
manufacturing, data generated on the safety and efficacy of our products,
economic conditions including interest and currency exchange rate
fluctuations, changes in generally accepted accounting principles, the
impact of competitive or generic products, trade buying patterns, global
business operations, product liability and other types of litigation, the
impact of legislation and regulatory compliance, intellectual property
rights, strategic relationships with third parties, environmental
liabilities, and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed
from time to time in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including our current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q and annual report on Form 10-K, particularly the
discussion under the caption "Item 1A, RISK FACTORS." We assume no
obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
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View drug information on Torisel.