VIFOR-PHARMA
3.11.2020 07:02:06 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Regulatory News:
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201102005955/en/
Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (VFMCRP) Ltd. and ChemoCentryx, Inc., today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) accepted to review the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for avacopan for the treatment of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (granulomatosis with polyangitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA)), a group of rare and severe autoimmune diseases with high need for targeted therapies.
If approved, avacopan would be the first orally administered selective complement 5a receptor inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. Data from the global pivotal phase-III ADVOCATE trial demonstrated statistical superiority in sustaining remission at 52 weeks in the avacopan group compared to the prednisone group. In the trial, the avacopan group also showed significantly lower glucocorticoid toxicity, greater improvement in kidney function and greater improvement in health-related quality of life measures compared to the prednisone group.
The EMA will review the application under the centralized marketing authorization procedure. If approved avacopan would receive marketing authorization in all member states of the European Union (EU), as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Approval is expected H2, 2021.
Vifor Pharma Group is a global pharmaceuticals company. It aims to become the global leader in iron deficiency, nephrology and cardio-renal therapies. The company is a partner of choice for pharmaceuticals and innovative patient-focused solutions. Vifor Pharma Group strives to help patients around the world with severe and chronic diseases lead better, healthier lives. The company develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products for precision patient care. Vifor Pharma Group holds a leading position in all its core business activities and consists of the following companies: Vifor Pharma and Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (a joint company with Fresenius Medical Care). Vifor Pharma Group is headquartered in Switzerland, and listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX Swiss Exchange, VIFN, ISIN: CH0364749348).
For more information, please visit viforpharma.com
About ChemoCentryx
ChemoCentryx is a biopharmaceutical company developing new medications for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and cancer. ChemoCentryx targets the chemokine and chemoattractant systems to discover, develop and commercialize orally-administered therapies. ChemoCentryx’s lead drug candidate, avacopan (CCX168), successfully completed a pivotal Phase III trial in ANCA-associated vasculitis.
ChemoCentryx also has early stage drug candidates that target chemoattractant receptors in other inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and in cancer.
About ADVOCATE and ANCA-Associated Vasculitis
The ADVOCATE trial of avacopan was a global double-blind double-dummied Phase III trial of 331 patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (ANCA vasculitis) in 20 countries.
ANCA vasculitis is a systemic disease in which over-activation of the complement pathway further activates neutrophils, leading to inflammation and destruction of small blood vessels. This results in organ damage and failure, with the kidney as a major target. Treatment for ANCA vasculitis consists of courses of immuno-suppressants (cyclophosphamide or rituximab), combined with high-dose and often prolonged use of glucocorticoids which can be associated with significant adverse events. ANCA vasculitis is relapsing and remitting long term condition and patients are at risk of cumulative organ damage.
About Avacopan
Avacopan is an orally-administered small molecule that is a selective inhibitor of the complement C5a receptor C5aR1. By precisely blocking the receptor (the C5aR) for the pro-inflammatory complement system fragment, C5a on destructive inflammatory cells such as blood neutrophils, avacopan arrests the ability of those cells to do damage in response to C5a activation, which is known to be the driver of ANCA vasculitis. Avacopan therapy was designed to deliver effective control of the inflammatory vasculitic process and prevent relapse while also reducing the risk of treatment related damage. Moreover, avacopan’s selective inhibition of only the C5aR1 leaves the beneficial C5a l pathway through the C5L2 receptor functioning normally.
ChemoCentryx is also developing avacopan for the treatment of patients with C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted avacopan orphan-drug designation for ANCA-associated Vasculitis, C3G and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome. The European Commission has granted orphan medicinal product designation for avacopan for the treatment of two forms of ANCA Vasculitis: microscopic polyangiitis and granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly known as Wegener's granulomatosis), as well as for C3G.
Forward-Looking Statements
ChemoCentryx cautions that statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Words such as "may," "could," "will," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "predict," "seek," "contemplate," "potential," "continue" or "project" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include the Company's statements regarding whether avacopan will be approved for the treatment of ANCA vasculitis. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by ChemoCentryx that any of its plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ from those set forth in this release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in the ChemoCentryx business and other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and ChemoCentryx undertakes no obligation to revise or update this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. Further information regarding these and other risks is included under the heading "Risk Factors" in ChemoCentryx's periodic reports filed with the SEC, including ChemoCentryx's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 10, 2020 and its other reports which are available from the SEC's website (www.sec.gov
) and on ChemoCentryx's website (www.chemocentryx.com
) under the heading "Investors." All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201102005955/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Barilla Opens Global Call for Startups Through Good Food Makers 202625.5.2026 11:47:00 CEST | Press release
The program has involved over 1,100 startups across 50+ countries, delivering 26 pilot projects. Barilla Group has opened applications for the 2026 edition of Good Food Makers, its global open innovation program designed to co-develop and test new innovative solutions with startups and innovators inside real industrial environments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260521973445/en/ Since its launch in 2019, the program has involved more than 1,100 startups from over 50 countries, leading to 26 pilot projects, with over 20 projects currently active thanks to the solutions developed by the program’s alumni. This highlights the program’s role as a concrete platform for industrial scalable innovation. The 2026 edition comes at a pivotal moment for the company, following the launch of BITE (Barilla Innovation & Technology Experience), the new innovation center dedicated to developing the next generation of food prod
JEOL: Sales Launch of the Laser SEM System “LazEdge”25.5.2026 10:16:00 CEST | Press release
JEOL Ltd. (President & CEO: Izumi Oi) has developed the “LazEdge”, an SEM system equipped with a laser processing system, and begins sales on May 25, 2026. Cross-section preparation instruments such as the focused ion beam system (FIB system), are widely used in science and technology fields across research institutes, universities, and industries. In recent years, demand is increasing for a system that can process large-areas at a high speed, while achieving high-quality of the processed surface. “LazEdge” is an instrument integrating JEOL’s SEM with the laser technology proprietary of Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., and enables laser processing inside the specimen chamber of the electron microscope. This system enables high-quality cross-section specimens produced through high-speed, large-area processing to be transferred seamlessly to subsequent analyses, such as SEM observation, elemental analysis, and crystal orientation analysis, without exposure to the external environment. As a resu
TFG-001, A Novel 3D Neural Microtissue Cell Therapy, Demonstrates Superior Functionality and Reinnervation for Parkinson’s Disease25.5.2026 08:00:00 CEST | Press release
TreeFrog Therapeutics, a regenerative medicine biotech company developing next-generation cell therapies, today announced that it will present new preclinical data on TFG-001 at the 7th World Parkinson’s Conference. TFG-001, a 3D neural microtissue cell therapy, demonstrated rapid dopamine release and extensive graft-derived reinnervation across multiple advanced translational Parkinson’s disease models—supporting its potential as a best-in-class candidate. The critical need for reinnervation in Parkinson's disease In Parkinson's disease, an estimated 60–80% of dopaminergic neurons are already lost before motor symptoms even appear. The nigrostriatal pathway degenerates, destroying the essential wiring that connects dopamine-producing neurons to movement control. While chemical dopamine replacements (like levodopa) can manage symptoms, they cannot restore the spatial precision, feedback loops, or dynamic regulation of a healthy brain network. To achieve true functional restoration, it
Galderma Receives U.S. FDA Approval for Differin® Epiduo® Acne Gel Prescription-to-OTC Switch22.5.2026 18:25:00 CEST | Press release
A unique Prescription-to-OTC switch in acne care, this approval expands access to a dermatologist-trusted, prescription-strength treatment for millions of acne sufferers ages 12 years and older Backed by more than 15 years of real-world dermatologist use and a robust clinical research program, this milestone demonstrates the depth of science behind the Differin® and Epiduo® heritage Adapalene plus benzoyl peroxide (0.1/2.5%) was the first FDA-approved, stable, fixed- dose prescription acne treatment to combine of benzoyl peroxide with a retinoid, and is now available over-the-counter The formulation is engineered to target multiple causes of acne more effectively than either of its individual active ingredients alone Galderma (SIX: GALD), the pure-play dermatology category leader, today announced that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Differin® Epiduo® Acne Gel (Adapalene 0.1% and Benzoyl Peroxide 2.5% Acne Treatment) for over-the-counter (OTC) us
Avanzanite Bioscience’s Partner Agios Announces PYRUKYND® (mitapivat) Approval in the European Union for Adults with Thalassaemia22.5.2026 16:18:00 CEST | Press release
Avanzanite will commercialise and distribute PYRUKYND in Europe under its exclusive agreement with Agios Avanzanite is committed to collaborating with local authorities in the EU to enable access to PYRUKYND for adult patients with thalassaemia Avanzanite Bioscience B.V., a rapidly growing commercial-stage European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on rare diseases, today reported that its partner, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGIO), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts focused on delivering innovative medicines for patients with rare diseases, announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for PYRUKYND® (mitapivat), an oral pyruvate kinase (PK) activator, in adults for the treatment of anaemia associated with transfusion-dependent and non-transfusion-dependent alpha- or beta-thalassaemia, with an orphan medicinal product designation. This press release features multimedia. View the full releas
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom