AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces FDA Acceptance for Filing of Ferumoxytol New Drug Application in Chronic Kidney Disease.CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- AMAG AMAG African Microbicides Advocacy Group AMAG Agricultural Machinery Advisory Group Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on : AMAG) today announced that the New Drug Application (NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) An agreement signed between two parties that have to disclose confidential information to each other in order to do business. In general, the NDA states why the information is being divulged and stipulates that it cannot be used for any ) for ferumoxytol in chronic kidney disease Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also know as chronic renal disease, is a progressive loss of renal function over a period of months or years through five stages. Each stage is a progression through an abnormally low and progressively worse glomerular filtration rate, which is (CKD See count-key-data. ) has been accepted for standard review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. ). The Company is seeking marketing approval for ferumoxytol as an intravenous treatment of iron deficiency anemia Iron Deficiency Anemia Definition Anemia can be caused by iron deficiency, folate deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency, and other causes. The term iron deficiency anemia means anemia that is due to iron deficiency. in patients with CKD, including dialysis dependent and non-dialysis dependent patients. The Company expects FDA action on the NDA by late October 2008. The NDA is supported by data from four Phase III studies, which consisted of three open-label, multi-center, randomized ran·dom·ize tr.v. ran·dom·ized, ran·dom·iz·ing, ran·dom·iz·es To make random in arrangement, especially in order to control the variables in an experiment. efficacy and safety clinical studies and a fourth double-blind, multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled safety study. The results of each of the three efficacy and safety studies demonstrated a statistically significant achievement of all primary and secondary efficacy endpoints. In total, over 1,700 patients and healthy volunteers were treated with ferumoxytol in the Company's eleven clinical studies. "We are very pleased to receive the acceptance for filing of our NDA for ferumoxytol," stated Brian J.G. Pereira Brian J.G. Pereira is a nationally-recognized expert on kidney disease and nephrology. He is currently a Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and at the Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences of Tufts University. , M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of AMAG. "We believe that ferumoxytol has the potential to address the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in CKD patients and provide a more convenient and efficient method of intravenous iron administration." About Chronic Kidney Disease Kidney disease Kidney Disease Definition Kidney disease is a general term for any damage that reduces the functioning of the kidney. Kidney disease is also called renal disease. is the ninth leading cause of death in the United States1. CKD is associated with premature mortality, decreased quality of life, and increased health care expenditures. CKD can progress to end-stage renal disease End-stage renal disease (ESRD) Total kidney failure; chronic kidney failure is diagnosed as ESRD when kidney function falls to 5-10% of capacity. Mentioned in: Chronic Kidney Failure end-stage renal disease and require dialysis or kidney transplantation Kidney Transplantation Definition Kidney transplantation is a surgical procedure to remove a healthy, functioning kidney from a living or brain-dead donor and implant it into a patient with non-functioning kidneys. . The U.S. Renal Data System estimated that in 2005 the dialysis population was over 340,000 patients2. AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that utilizes its proprietary nanoparticle technology for the development and commercialization of therapeutic iron compounds to treat anemia, as well as novel imaging agents to aid in the diagnosis of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Ferumoxytol, the Company's key product candidate, is being developed for use as an intravenous iron replacement therapeutic for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in patients with CKD. The Company has released data on all four of its planned Phase III clinical trials of ferumoxytol as an intravenous iron replacement therapeutic in patients with CKD. The Company submitted the NDA to the FDA in December 2007. Sources: 1. Arias E, Anderson RN, Kung HC, Murphy SL, Kockanek KD. Deaths: Final data for 2001. National Vital Statistics Reports 2003;52(3):1-115. 2. End-Stage Renal Disease Incidence and Prevalence: United States Renal Data Systems 2007 Annual Data Report. 2007, pp 81-98. This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995 and other federal securities laws. Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts, including but not limited to, statements that we believe ferumoxytol has the potential to address iron deficiency anemia in CKD patients and provide a more convenient and efficient method of intravenous iron administration, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include the following: (1) the possibility that we may not be able to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals in order to market and sell ferumoxytol, or we may not obtain such approvals in a timely manner due to deficiencies in the design or oversight by us of these trials, the failure of our trials to demonstrate that ferumoxytol is safe and efficacious, or any other factor causing an increase in expenses, a delay and/or a negative effect on the results of the clinical studies for ferumoxytol; (2) the fact that we have limited sales and marketing expertise; (3) uncertainties regarding our ability to successfully compete in the intravenous iron replacement market; (4) uncertainties regarding our ability to obtain favorable coverage, pricing and reimbursement for ferumoxytol, if approved; (5) uncertainties regarding our ability to manufacture sufficient quantities of ferumoxytol to meet demand, if approved; (6) uncertainties relating to our patents and proprietary rights; and (7) other risks identified in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date they are made. We disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any such statements to reflect any change in expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. |
|
||||||||||||||||

Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion