Benzinga | Jan 29, 2021 01:38PM EST

Incyte Announces Positive CHMP Opinion For Pemigatinib

- If approved, pemigatinib will be the first targeted therapy indicated in the EU for this indication

Incyte (NASDAQ:INCY) today announced that the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has issued a positive opinion recommending the conditional marketing authorization of pemigatinib for the treatment of adults with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with a fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) fusion or rearrangement that is relapsed or refractory, after at least one line of systemic therapy.

"The positive CHMP opinion is a crucial milestone for patients with cholangiocarcinoma, who often have very limited treatment options due to the difficulty of identifying patients during the early disease stages," said Peter Langmuir, M.D., Group Vice President, Oncology Targeted Therapeutics, Incyte. "Following the recent FDA approval of pemigatinib (Pemazyre(r)), we are delighted to be closer to offering the first targeted therapy in Europe to benefit these patients."

The CHMP opinion is based on data from the FIGHT-202 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of pemigatinib in adult patients with previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with documented FGF/FGFR status. The CHMP's opinion to recommend the use of pemigatinib is now being reviewed by the European Commission, which has the authority to grant marketing authorizations for medicinal products in the European Union (EU). If approved, pemigatinib will be the first targeted treatment in the EU indicated for patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with a fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) fusion or rearrangement and would be commercialized under the brand name Pemazyre.

Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare cancer that forms in the bile duct. It is classified based on its origin: intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) occurs in the bile duct inside the liver and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma occurs in the bile duct outside the liver. Patients with cholangiocarcinoma are often diagnosed at a late or advanced stage when the prognosis is poor1,2. In Europe, the incidence of cholangiocarcinoma ranges between 6,000 -- 8,0003,4. FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements occur almost exclusively in iCCA, where they are observed in 10-16 percent of patients5,6,7.