Vertex, CRISPR Get Euro Priority Medicines Tag for 2nd Indication

 Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) and CRISPR Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CRSP) today announced the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted Priority Medicines (PRIME) designation to CTX001, an investigational, autologous, ex vivo CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited therapy for the treatment of transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia (TDT). CTX001 was previously granted PRIME designation for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) in 2020.

PRIME is a regulatory mechanism that provides early and proactive support to developers of promising medicines to optimize development plans and speed up evaluations so these medicines can reach patients faster. The goal of PRIME is to help patients benefit as early as possible from innovative new therapies that have demonstrated the potential to significantly address an unmet medical need. PRIME designation was granted based on clinical data from CRISPR and Vertex’s ongoing Phase 1/2 trial of CTX001 in patients with TDT.

Based on progress in this program to date, CTX001 has been granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT), Fast Track, Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for both TDT and SCD. CTX001 has also been granted Orphan Drug Designation from EMA for both TDT and SCD.

CTX001 is being investigated in two ongoing clinical trials as a potential one-time therapy for patients suffering from TDT and severe SCD.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/vertex-crispr-therapeutics-announce-priority-123000223.html