Benzinga | Oct 13, 2021 05:14AM EDT

Novartis AnnounceD FDA and EMA Filing Acceptances of Beovu for Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema

Novartis today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company's supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) and that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has validated the type-II variation application for Beovu(r) (brolucizumab) 6 mg for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). Additionally, the Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) accepted an application for Beovu in the treatment of DME. Regulatory decisions for Beovu in DME are expected in mid-2022 for the US and Europe.

If approved, DME would be the second indication for Beovu following its approval for wet age-related macular degeneration in October 2019 (FDA) and February 2020 (European Commission)5,6. DME is the leading cause of blindness in adults in developed countries, affecting 12% of people with type 1 diabetes and 28% of those with type 2 diabetes1. Consistently high blood sugar levels associated with diabetes can damage small blood vessels in the eye, causing them to leak fluid1. Unmet needs in DME include improving fluid resolution and addressing the burden of frequent treatment schedules1-3.

"People living with diabetes often need to manage multiple comorbidities related to diabetes and there is a significant need to provide better disease management. If approved, Beovu has the potential to provide better fluid resolution and fewer injections during the loading phase and throughout maintenance treatment," said Jill Hopkins, SVP and Global Development Unit Head, Ophthalmology, Novartis Pharmaceuticals. "We look forward to bringing this potential new treatment option that may help to address unmet needs in the DME patient population."

The regulatory applications are based on year one data from the Phase III, randomized, double-masked KESTREL and KITE* studies, which met their primary endpoint of non-inferiority in change in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline versus aflibercept at year one4. In KESTREL and KITE, following the loading phase, over half of patients in the Beovu 6 mg arm remained on a 12-week dosing interval through year one4. Fewer eyes treated with Beovu had intraretinal and/or subretinal fluid (IRF/SRF) at week 32 and week 52 versus eyes treated with aflibercept4. The KESTREL and KITE trials are the first pivotal trials to assess an anti-VEGF treatment on six-week dosing intervals in the loading phase, suggesting Beovu may offer fewer injections from the start of treatment4.

Overall, Beovu demonstrated a favorable benefit-risk profile in KESTREL and KITE4. The most common ocular and non-ocular adverse events (5%) in KESTREL and KITE were conjunctival hemorrhage, nasopharyngitis and hypertension4. IOI rates in KESTREL were 4.7% for brolucizumab 3 mg (including 1.6% retinal vasculitis), 3.7% for Beovu 6 mg (including 0.5% retinal vasculitis), and 0.5% for aflibercept 2 mg4. IOI rates in KITE were equivalent (1.7%) between the Beovu 6 mg and aflibercept 2 mg arms with no retinal vasculitis reported4. Retinal vascular occlusion was reported in KESTREL for brolucizumab 3 mg (1.1%) and 6 mg (0.5%), and in KITE for brolucizumab and aflibercept (0.6% each)4. The majority of these events were manageable and resolved with or without treatment4.