Neurocrine Biosciences Announces U.S. FDA Accepts New Drug Applications and Grants Priority Review for Crinecerfont for Pediatric and Adult Patients with CAH

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. on July 1 announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its two New Drug Applications (NDA) with Priority Review designations for crinecerfont in the treatment of children, adolescents, and adults with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). If approved, crinecerfont would be the first new treatment option for CAH in 70 years and a first-in-class therapy, with a novel approach for the treatment of this rare and serious endocrine disorder.

The submitted crinecerfont NDAs included: the primary presentation of efficacy and safety of crinecerfont for the treatment of classic CAH as (1) a capsule formulation (NDA# 218808); and (2) as an oral solution formulation (NDA# 218820). The agency set Prescription Drug User Fee (PDUFA) target action dates of December 29 and December 30, 2024, respectively. The FDA stated it is not currently planning to hold an advisory committee meeting to discuss these applications.

Priority Review designation by the FDA accelerates the review timeline by four months – and means the agency recognizes CAH is a serious condition with high unmet medical need and crinecerfont is a treatment that provides significant benefit over current therapy. Should crinecerfont receive FDA approval, it will enable Neurocrine Biosciences to activate its Rare Pediatric Disease Designation Priority Review Voucher – a designation granted in September 2020.

“Receipt of a Priority Review reflects the FDA’s agreement that CAH is a serious condition and there is an urgent need for patients to have access to new treatments,” says Eiry W. Roberts, MD, chief medical officer at Neurocrine Biosciences. “Crinecerfont’s compelling efficacy results and excellent safety profile support our filing, and we look forward to working with the FDA as we head toward the PDUFA dates at the end of 2024.”

Crinecerfont previously was granted Orphan Drug designation in March 2019 and Breakthrough Therapy designation in December 2023.

Orphan Drug designation means the company will be exempt from paying PDUFA user fees, receive tax credits for qualified clinical trials, and has the potential of seven years of market exclusivity should crinecerfont be approved.

Breakthrough Therapy designation is a process developed by the FDA to expedite development and review of drugs that are intended to treat a serious condition and where clinical evidence indicates that the potential drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over available therapy on a clinically significant endpoint(s). Breakthrough Therapy designation was granted based on the strong results and excellent safety profile seen from the CAHtalyst™ Phase 3 Pediatric and Adult study data announced in fall 2023 and published in June.

CAHtalyst Phase 3 data results in pediatric and adult patients with CAH due to 21-OHD were published in online issues of The New England Journal of Medicine on June 2 and June 1, respectively, and presented at ENDO 2024.

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