Progenics gets FDA OK for neuroendocrine cancer med

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PGNX) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the New Drug Application (NDA) for AZEDRA (iobenguane I 131) 555 MBq/mL injection for intravenous use.

AZEDRA, a radiotherapeutic, is indicated for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older with iobenguane scan positive, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma who require systemic anticancer therapy. AZEDRA is the first and only approved therapy for this indication.

AZEDRA can cause serious side effects including risk from radiation exposure, bone marrow problems and other cancers (myelosuppression and secondary malignancies), thyroid problems (hypothyroidism), elevations in blood pressure, kidney problems (renal toxicity), respiratory problems (pneumonitis), pregnancy warning (embryo-fetal toxicity), and fertility problems.

Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma are neuroendocrine cancers that arise from cells in and around the adrenal glands. Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma tumors frequently secrete high levels of hormones that can lead to life-threatening high blood pressure, heart failure, and stroke in these patients. Metastatic pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma may result in unresectable disease with a poor prognosis, including a five-year survival rate as low as 12%1. Before AZEDRA’s approval, there were no FDA-approved anti-tumor therapeutics for these cancers.

‘AZEDRA is a true breakthrough in treating pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma delivering an effective anticancer therapy to these tumors,’ said Dr. Daniel Pryma, Associate Professor of Radiology & Radiation Oncology and Chief, Division of Nuclear Medicine & Clinical Molecular Imaging at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the trial’s lead investigator. ‘With this innovative, rationally designed treatment, we finally have a therapeutic option that helps address patients’ needs.’

‘As the first FDA approved therapy for unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma who require systemic anticancer therapy, AZEDRA provides a new treatment option for physicians and their patients,’ said Mark Baker, Chief Executive Officer of Progenics. ‘AZEDRA has been shown to decrease the need for blood pressure medication and reduce tumor size in some patients. We are extremely grateful to the patients, their families and the investigators who participated in AZEDRA’s clinical development program. We also thank those who have contributed to the development of AZEDRA over many years.’

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