FDA Approves Rezzayo (rezafungin for injection) for the Treatment of Candidemia and Invasive Candidiasis
SAN DIEGO & PARSIPPANY, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– March 22, 2023 — Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDTX) and Melinta Therapeutics, LLC today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Rezzayo (rezafungin for injection) for the treatment of candidemia and invasive candidiasis in adults with limited or no alternative treatment options. Rezzayo is the first new treatment option approved for patients with candidemia and invasive candidiasis in over a decade.
“The FDA approval of Rezzayo represents a significant milestone for Cidara, and for patients confronted with difficult-to-treat and often deadly candidemia and invasive candidiasis,” said Jeffrey Stein, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Cidara. “I am extremely proud of all of the Cidara employees who collectively advanced Rezzayo from preclinical development to NDA approval and am grateful to the many patients and healthcare teams who have participated in the clinical studies.”
George Thompson, M.D., principal investigator in the ReSTORE trial and professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, added, “The FDA approval of Rezzayo is tremendous news for those of us who have been hoping for a new option to treat our patients with these deadly fungal infections. Based on the totality of clinical data generated, Rezzayo has the potential to simplify the management of invasive candidiasis and enhance the continuity of echinocandin care.”
The FDA approval of once-weekly Rezzayo was based on clinical data from Cidara’s global ReSTORE Phase 3 trial and supported by the STRIVE Phase 2 clinical trial and extensive non-clinical development program. In clinical studies, Rezzayo, dosed once-weekly, met the FDA and EMA primary endpoints, demonstrating statistical non-inferiority versus caspofungin, a current once-daily standard of care. In addition, overall rates of adverse events and serious adverse events were comparable in patients receiving Rezzayo and caspofungin, while rates of adverse events leading to study drug discontinuation were also similar for Rezzayo and caspofungin. Based on Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) designation, Rezzayo was approved under Priority Review.
Christine Ann Miller, president and chief executive officer of Melinta Therapeutics, added, “We are thrilled that the FDA has approved Rezzayo, and are firmly committed to offering this innovative therapy to address unmet medical needs and simplify the treatment for patients suffering from invasive Candida infections. We intend to leverage our expansive commercial infrastructure and experience launching anti-infective drugs into acute care settings. We are working closely with Cidara and anticipate bringing Rezzayo, a differentiated once-weekly treatment to patients, this summer.”
Last year, Melinta announced that it had acquired the exclusive rights to commercialize Rezzayo in the U.S. from Cidara. Cidara retains the rights to rezafungin in Japan and has licensed the commercial rights to Melinta Therapeutics in the U.S. and Mundipharma in all other geographies. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) accepted the marketing authorization application (MAA) for rezafungin in August 2022 and it is currently under review.
About Rezzayo™ (rezafungin for injection)
Rezzayo (rezafungin for injection) is a novel once-weekly echinocandin approved in the United States for the treatment of candidemia and invasive candidiasis in adults. Rezzayo is currently being studied for the prevention of invasive fungal diseases in adults undergoing allogeneic blood and marrow transplantation. The structure and properties of Rezzayo are specifically designed to improve upon a clinically validated mechanism.
INDICATIONS AND USE
Rezzayo is an echinocandin antifungal indicated in patients 18 years of age or older who have limited or no alternative options for the treatment of candidemia and invasive candidiasis. Approval of this indication is based on limited clinical safety and efficacy data.
Rezzayo has not been studied in patients with endocarditis, osteomyelitis, and meningitis due to Candida.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Rezzayo is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to rezafungin or other echinocandins.
Rezzayo may cause infusion-related reactions, including flushing, sensation of warmth, urticaria, nausea, or chest tightness. If these reactions occur, slow or pause the infusion.
Rezzayo may cause photosensitivity. Advise patients to use protection from sun exposure and other sources of UV radiation.
Abnormalities in liver tests have been seen in clinical trial patients treated with Rezzayo. Monitor patients who develop abnormal liver tests and evaluate patients for their risk/benefit of continuing Rezzayo therapy.
Most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 5%) are hypokalemia, pyrexia, diarrhea, anemia, vomiting, nausea, hypomagnesemia, abdominal pain, constipation, and hypophosphatemia.
Please see the full Prescribing Information for Rezzayo (rezafungin for injection), available at www.Rezzayo.com.
About Cidara Therapeutics
Cidara is developing long-acting therapeutics designed to improve the standard of care for patients facing serious diseases. The Company’s portfolio is comprised of new approaches aimed at transforming existing treatment and prevention paradigms leveraging drug-Fc conjugates (DFCs) targeting viral and oncological diseases from Cidara’s proprietary Cloudbreak® platform. Cidara is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, please visit www.cidara.com.
About Melinta Therapeutics
Melinta Therapeutics, LLC provides innovative therapies to people impacted by acute and life-threatening illnesses. Our commercial portfolio currently includes the newly approved Rezzayo (rezafungin for injection), in addition to six commercial-stage products: Baxdela® (delafloxacin), Kimyrsa® (oritavancin), Minocin® (minocycline) for Injection, Orbactiv® (oritavancin), TOPROL-XL® (metoprolol succinate) and Vabomere® (meropenem and vaborbactam).
With an unsurpassed commitment to providers and the patients they serve, we work to ensure that all people who need our therapies can receive them. We focus our expanding portfolio on serving patients with an unmet need because that’s how we make the most meaningful impact. At Melinta, we’re visionaries dedicated to innovation while staying grounded in what matters most: patients. For additional information, including product and respective important safety information, please visit our website.
TOPROL-XL® is a registered trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “anticipates,” “expect,” “may,” “plan” or “will”. Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, statements related to whether Rezzayo will be commercially available for patients during summer 2023, whether Rezzayo, if available, will be prescribed by physicians or will represent an important treatment option for patients with serious fungal infections. Such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, such as delays in action by regulatory authorities due to limitations on inspections and other COVID-19-related effects, and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic or other obstacles on the enrollment of patients or other aspects of rezafungin development. These and other risks are identified under the caption “Risk Factors” in Cidara’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other filings subsequently made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made and are based on management’s assumptions and estimates as of such date. Cidara does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of the receipt of new information, the occurrence of future events or otherwise.
Source: Cidara Therapeutics, Inc.
Posted: March 2023
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Rezzayo (rezafungin) FDA Approval History
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