U.S. FDA approves Ferring Pharma's first gene therapy for bladder cancer

[December 17, 2022]  (Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Swiss drugmaker Ferring Pharmaceuticals' first gene therapy for treating adult patients with a type of bladder cancer.

The therapy, Adstiladrin, is for patients with an aggressive form of the disease whose current options include having their bladder removed. The treatment, to be administered once every three months into the patient's bladder, triggers the body to make a protein to fight off cancer.

The safety and effectiveness of Adstiladrin was evaluated in a multi-center clinical study that included 157 patients, the FDA said.

Ferring said it was too early to comment on the pricing of Adstiladrin, but it is aiming to make the drug widely accessible to patients.

According to a 2021 report from drug pricing research group Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, the drug provides a good value for patients when it is priced in the range of $158,600-$262,000.

Signage is seen outside of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Adstiladrin is expected to be commercially available in the United States in the second half of 2023, Ferring said.

Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancer in the United States, with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) representing about 75% of all such cases.

(Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

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