FDA to review supplemental Biologics License Application for Praluent® (alirocumab) Injection as potential treatment to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events

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BRIDGEWATER, N.J. and TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Sept. 12, 2018 FDA also recently approved Praluent label update for some patients currently requiring LDL apheresis therapy

/PRNewswire/ — Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Praluent® (alirocumab) Injection, a PCSK9 inhibitor. The sBLA outlines a proposed update to the Prescribing Information to include the effect of Praluent in reducing the overall risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). MACE is an umbrella term that includes heart attack, ischemic stroke, death from coronary heart disease and unstable angina requiring hospitalization. The FDA set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of April 28, 2019.

The sBLA is supported by data from ODYSSEY OUTCOMES, a Phase 3 cardiovascular outcomes trial that assessed the effect of Praluent in 18,924 patients who had an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), such as a heart attack, between 1-12 months (median 2.6 months) before enrolling in the trial. Results of the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial were presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 67^th Annual Scientific Session & Expo in March 2018.

The effect of Praluent on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, including MACE, is currently being reviewed and has not been fully evaluated by any regulatory authority.

Additional Treatment Option for Patients Who Currently Require Apheresis Therapy

In addition, the FDA recently approved an update to the Praluent Prescribing Information to include clinical information regarding its use in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) who require additional lowering of LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) along with diet and maximally-tolerated statin therapy and who are undergoing apheresis treatment. Apheresis is a procedure where LDL-C is removed from the blood, in a process similar to kidney dialysis. The recommended dose of Praluent in patients undergoing LDL apheresis is 150 mg once every 2 weeks. Praluent can be administered without regard to timing of apheresis.

The update is supported by data from the pivotal Phase 3 ODYSSEY ESCAPE trial of 62 patients with HeFH, an inherited form of high cholesterol, whose cholesterol levels required chronic, weekly or bi-weekly apheresis therapy.

About Praluent 

Praluent inhibits the binding of PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) to the LDL receptor and thereby increases the number of available LDL receptors on the surface of liver cells to clear LDL, which lowers LDL-C levels in the blood. Praluent is being developed by Regeneron and Sanofi under a global collaboration agreement.

Praluent is approved in more than 60 countries worldwide, including the U.S., Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Mexico and Brazil, as well as the European Union (EU). In the U.S., Praluent is approved for use as an adjunct to diet and maximally tolerated statin therapy for the treatment of adults with HeFH or clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who require additional lowering of LDL-C. The effect of Praluent on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has not been determined.

Important Safety Information for the U.S.  

Do not use Praluent if you are allergic to alirocumab or to any of the ingredients in Praluent.

Before you start using Praluent, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including allergies, and if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant or if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Tell your healthcare provider or pharmacist about any prescription and over-the-counter medicines you are taking or plan to take, including natural or herbal remedies.

Praluent can cause serious side effects, including allergic reactions that can be severe and require treatment in a hospital. Call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction including a severe rash, redness, severe itching, a swollen face, or trouble breathing.

The most common side effects of Praluent include: redness, itching, swelling, or pain/tenderness at the injection site, symptoms of the common cold, and flu or flu-like symptoms. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Talk to your doctor about the right way to prepare and give yourself a Praluent injection and follow the “Instructions for Use” that comes with Praluent.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. 

Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please click here for the full Prescribing Information.

About Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Regeneron (NASDAQ : REGN ) is a leading biotechnology company that invents life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led by physician-scientists for 30 years, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to six FDA-approved treatments and over a dozen product candidates, all of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, infectious diseases and rare diseases.

Regeneron is accelerating and improving the traditional drug development process through its proprietary VelociSuite®technologies, including VelocImmune® to yield optimized fully-human antibodies, and ambitious initiatives such as the Regeneron Genetics Center, one of the largest genetics sequencing efforts in the world.

For additional information about the company, please visit www.regeneron.com or follow @Regeneron on Twitter.

About Sanofi

Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions.

With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe.

Sanofi, Empowering Life

Source: Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN) (NYSE : SNY )

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This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties relating to future events and the future performance of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Regeneron” or the “Company”), and actual events or results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements.  Words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.  These statements concern, and these risks and uncertainties include, among others, the nature, timing, and possible success and therapeutic applications of Regeneron’s products, product candidates, and research and clinical programs now underway or planned, including without limitation Praluent^® (alirocumab) Injection; the likelihood, timing, and scope of possible regulatory approval and commercial launch of Regeneron’s late-stage product candidates and new indications for marketed products, such as the potential approval of the supplemental Biologics License Application (“sBLA”) for Praluent discussed in this news release by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”); whether the proposed update to the Prescribing Information for Praluent outlined in the sBLA will be acceptable to the FDA and result in any changes to such Prescribing Information; unforeseen safety issues resulting from the administration of products and product candidates in patients, including serious complications or side effects in connection with the use of Regeneron’s product candidates in clinical trials; the extent to which the results from the research and development programs conducted by Regeneron or its collaborators may be replicated in other studies and lead to therapeutic applications; ongoing regulatory obligations and oversight impacting Regeneron’s marketed products (such as Praluent), research and clinical programs, and business, including those relating to patient privacy; determinations by regulatory and administrative governmental authorities (such as the FDA) which may delay or restrict Regeneron’s ability to continue to develop or commercialize Regeneron’s products and product candidates, including without limitation Praluent; competing drugs and product candidates that may be superior to Regeneron’s products and product candidates; uncertainty of market acceptance and commercial success of Regeneron’s products and product candidates and the impact of studies (whether conducted by Regeneron or others and whether mandated or voluntary) on the commercial success of Regeneron’s products and product candidates; the ability of Regeneron to manufacture and manage supply chains for multiple products and product candidates; the ability of Regeneron’s collaborators, suppliers, or other third parties to perform filling, finishing, packaging, labeling, distribution, and other steps related to Regeneron’s products and product candidates; the availability and extent of reimbursement of the Company’s products (such as Praluent) from third-party payers, including private payer healthcare and insurance programs, health maintenance organizations, pharmacy benefit management companies, and government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid; coverage and reimbursement determinations by such payers and new policies and procedures adopted by such payers; unanticipated expenses; the costs of developing, producing, and selling products; the ability of Regeneron to meet any of its financial projections or guidance and changes to the assumptions underlying those projections or guidance; the potential for any license or collaboration agreement, including Regeneron’s agreements with Sanofi, Bayer, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. 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SOURCE Sanofi