Wave Life Sciences Gets Fast Track Designation from FDA

Wave Life Sciences (NASDAQ:WVE) has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded the company fast track designation for its drug candidate suvodirsen to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

As quoted in the press release:

The designation was based on comprehensive in vitro and in vivo nonclinical data that support the potential for suvodirsen to address a significant unmet medical need.

“Our goal for Wave’s Duchenne programs is to urgently develop therapies that restore functional dystrophin to levels that have the potential to result in meaningful clinical benefit,” said Michael Panzara, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer of Wave Life Sciences. “We are thrilled to have received Fast Track designation from the FDA for suvodirsen, a decision which we believe reflects its potential to provide a meaningful option for those living with this dreadful genetic disease. We look forward to continuing to work with regulatory authorities with the hope of bringing suvodirsen to the Duchenne community as quickly as possible.”

Fast Track designation is granted by the FDA for products that are intended for the treatment of serious or life-threatening disease or conditions, which demonstrate the potential to address an unmet medical need. The designation offers the opportunity for frequent interactions with the FDA to discuss the drug’s development plan and ensure collection of appropriate data needed to support drug approval, as well as eligibility for rolling submission of a New Drug Application (NDA).

Suvodirsen is currently being evaluated in an ongoing open-label extension (OLE) study for DMD patients amenable to exon 51 skipping. Wave remains on track to deliver an interim analysis of dystrophin expression from muscle biopsies in boys receiving suvodirsen in the OLE study in the fourth quarter of 2019. Pending positive clinical dystrophin expression data, the company expects to file for an accelerated approval of suvodirsen in the U.S. in the second half of 2020. Suvodirsen is also currently being studied in DYSTANCE 51, a global Phase 2/3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that will evaluate the efficacy and safety of suvodirsen. Results from the DYSTANCE 51 trial are intended to support global regulatory filings for suvodirsen. The study is also the first ever selected by the FDA for its Complex Innovative Trial Design (CID) pilot program.

Click here to read the full press release.