Pfizer's
Novel HIV/AIDS Treatment Selzentry Becomes the Latest Fully Approved Antiretroviral
for Treatment-Experienced HIV Patients New
York, NY, November 25, 2008 ---The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
granted Selzentry (maraviroc) full (traditional) approval for use in treatment-experienced
adults with CCR5-tropic HIV-1 in combination with other antiretrovirals. Selzentry
was originally granted accelerated conditional approval in August 2007 based on
24-week data from pivotal Phase 3 studies. Selzentry now becomes the latest fully
approved treatment for HIV.
"New,
effective and well-tolerated treatment options are critical for treatment-experienced
persons living with HIV infection," said W. David Hardy, MD, Chief of the
Division of Infectious Diseases, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Associate Professor
of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California,
Los Angeles (UCLA). "Selzentry, the first oral entry inhibitor, has proven
to be an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for treatment-experienced
patients whose HIV has become resistant to other treatments, but remains susceptible
to this new class of medications." The
full approval of Selzentry is based on 48-week data from the MOTIVATE
(Maraviroc Plus Optimized Therapy in Viremic Antiretrovial Treatment Experienced
Patients) studies. The studies compared the safety and effectiveness of Selzentry
plus optimized background therapy to placebo plus optimized background therapy
in treatment-experienced CCR5-tropic HIV-1 patients. Accelerated
conditional approval is granted to medicines that provide a meaningful therapeutic
advantage over existing treatments for serious or life-threatening diseases. FDA
grants full approval status once it is satisfied with longer-term safety and efficacy
data. Once full approval is granted, restrictions on promotion and/or distribution
that apply to conditionally approved medicines are removed. "
Selzentry has been on a long journey, from its initial discovery by Pfizer scientists
in 2000 to this full FDA approval," said Dr. Howard Mayer, Pfizer's executive
director, and development team leader for HIV/AIDS. "We are extremely excited
with this important milestone in Selzentry's lifecycle and the potential improvement
it may bring to treatment-experienced people living with HIV/AIDS." Results
at Week 48 from the MOTIVATE studies were recently
published in the October 2, 2008 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
About
Selzentry Selzentry
is part of a new class of drugs called CCR5 antagonists, providing a new approach
to HIV treatment. A diagnostic test confirms whether a patient is infected with
CCR5-tropic HIV-1, which is also known as "R5 virus." Selzentry blocks
viral entry into CD4 T-cells that express the CCR5 co-receptor, stopping the R5
virus on the outside surface of the cells before it enters, rather than fighting
the virus inside the cell, as do all other classes of oral HIV medicines. Data
Supporting Selzentry Full Approval The
full approval is based on 48-week data which showed that a greater log reduction
in viral load from baseline was seen in patients receiving Selzentry plus optimized
background therapy, compared to those patients receiving placebo plus optimized
background therapy (MOTIVATE 1 and 2 pooled data = -1.68 log10 copies and -1.84
log10 copies/mL for Selzentry once-daily and twice-daily, respectively, compared
with -0.79 log10 copies/mL for placebo). More
than twice as many patients receiving Selzentry plus optimized background therapy
over 48-weeks achieved undetectable viral loads (< 50 copies/mL HIV RNA) compared
with those receiving placebo plus optimized background therapy in treatment-experienced
CCR5-tropic HIV-1-infected patients (MOTIVATE 1 and 2 pooled data = 43 percent
and 46 percent for Selzentry once-daily and twice-daily, respectively, compared
with 17 percent for placebo). Patients
treated with Selzentry plus optimized background therapy achieved a significantly
higher increase in CD4 cells than those receiving placebo plus optimized background
therapy (MOTIVATE 1 and 2 pooled data = +116 and +124 cells/mm3 for SELZENTRY
once-daily and twice-daily, respectively, vs. +61 cells/mm3 for placebo). Results
analyzed at 48-weeks showed no clinically relevant differences in the safety profile
between the study treatment groups and remained consistent with 24-week results.
The most common adverse events included upper respiratory tract infections, cough,
pyrexia, rash, and dizziness. Indication Selzentry,
in combination with other antiretroviral agents, is indicated for treatment-experienced
adult patients infected with only CCR5-tropic HIV-1, who have evidence of viral
replication and HIV-1 strains resistant to multiple antiretroviral agents. This
indication is based on analyses of plasma HIV-1 RNA levels in two controlled studies
of Selzentry of 48 weeks duration. Both studies were conducted in clinically advanced,
3-class antiretroviral (NRTI, NNRTI, PI, or enfuvirtide) treatment-experienced
adults with evidence of HIV-1 replication despite ongoing antiretroviral therapy. The
following points should be considered when initiating therapy with Selzentry:
(1)
tropism testing is required for the appropriate use of Selzentry;
(2)
use of Selzentry is not recommended in patients with dual/mixed or CXCR4-tropic
HIV-1 as efficacy was not demonstrated in a Phase 2 study of this patient group;
and
(3) the safety and efficacy of
Selzentry have not been established in treatment-naive adult patients or pediatric
patients.
For
more information on the approved U.S. label, including a boxed warning, please
see full prescribing information available at www.selzentry.com. About
Pfizer Founded
in 1849, Pfizer is the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company taking
new approaches to better health. We discover, develop, manufacture and deliver
quality, safe and effective prescription medicines to treat and help prevent disease
for both people and animals. We also partner with healthcare providers, governments
and local communities around the world to expand access to our medicines and to
provide better quality health care and health system support. At Pfizer, more
than 80,000 colleagues in more than 90 countries work every day to help people
stay happier and healthier longer and to reduce the human and economic burden
of disease worldwide. |