Anoro® Ellipta® (umeclidinium/vilanterol) gains approval in Japan for the treatment of COPD
GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) and Theravance, Inc. (NASDAQ: THRX) today announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has approved Anoro® Ellipta® (umeclidinium/vilanterol) for the relief of various symptoms due to airway obstruction with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (chronic bronchitis, pulmonary emphysema) (in the case where concurrent use of long-acting inhaled muscarinic antagonist and long-acting inhaled beta2 agonist is required).
Anoro is a once-daily combination treatment comprised of two bronchodilators, umeclidinium (UMEC), a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), and vilanterol (VI), a long-acting beta2 agonist (LABA), in a single inhaler, the Ellipta. The approved dose in Japan is UMEC/VI 62.5/25mcg delivered once daily.
Darrell Baker, SVP Head, GSK Global Respiratory Franchise, said, “There are many people living with COPD in Japan whose ability to breathe is compromised by their condition. Our goal at GSK is to provide physicians with an expanded range of COPD medicines which enable a patient-centric approach to treatment, as recommended by global guidelines. We are delighted that Anoro Ellipta is now approved in Japan, making it the first GSK COPD treatment to gain Japanese regulatory approval in five years, and we believe it will be an important new once-daily dual bronchodilator treatment option for appropriate COPD patients.”
“We are very pleased with this latest regulatory approval for Anoro Ellipta,” said Rick E Winningham, Chief Executive Officer of Theravance. “This milestone is a further demonstration of the ongoing successful Theravance and GSK collaboration in respiratory medicine and we are looking forward to being able to make this new medicine available for appropriate COPD patients in Japan.”
Under the terms of the 2002 LABA collaboration agreement, Theravance is obligated to make a milestone payment of $10 million (USD) to GSK following MHLW approval of UMEC/VI in Japan.
Following this approval, it is expected that launch will take place in Japan in Q3 2014.
The MHLW assessment of UMEC/VI involved a review of eight phase III clinical trials, evaluating approximately6,000 COPD patients worldwide, including a specific 52 week, open-label, long-term safety study in Japanese patients.
Japanese Drug Information will be available soon at http://glaxosmithkline.co.jp/healthcare/. Prior to the label being posted online, a copy of the label may be requested from one of the GSK Media or Investor Relations contacts listed in the “GlaxoSmithKline Enquiries” section at the end of this document.
About Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) COPD is a disease of the lungs that includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema or both. It is characterised by obstruction to airflow that interferes with normal breathing. COPD is thought to affect approximately 8.6% of the population aged over 40 in Japan.[i]
Long-term exposure to lung irritants that damage the lungs and the airways are usually the cause of COPD. Cigarette smoke, breathing in second hand smoke, air pollution, chemical fumes or dust from the environment or workplace can all contribute to COPD. Most people who have COPD are at least 40 years old when symptoms begin.[ii]
Important Safety Information for Anoro Ellipta
The following Important Safety Information (ISI) is based on a summary of the Japanese Drug Information for Anoro Ellipta. Please consult the full Drug Information for all the labeled safety information for Anoro Ellipta.
Anoro Ellipta is contraindicated in patients with narrow-angle glaucoma, impaired urination or a history of hypersensitivity to any component of Anoro Ellipta.
Anoro Ellipta should be administered with care in patients with hyperthyroidism, cardiac disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus or prostatic hyperplasia.
Anoro Ellipta is not intended to treat bronchial asthma, and therefore should not be used as such. If Anoro Ellipta is used in patients with COPD complicated with bronchial asthma, care should be taken to ensure that bronchial asthma is sufficiently managed.
Anoro Ellipta is not intended to treat an acute exacerbation of COPD. In patients who do not respond to Anoro Ellipta even when it is given in accordance with the recommended dosage and administration, Anoro Ellipta should be discontinued.
Anoro Ellipta can produce paradoxical bronchospasm, which may be life threatening. If paradoxical bronchospasm occurs Anoro Ellipta should be discontinued immediately and alternative therapy should be instituted.
When excessive use of Anoro Ellipta is continued, arrhythmia, and cardiac arrest in some cases, may occur. Patients should be instructed not to use more than the recommended dose of Anoro Ellipta.
In two global phase III clinical studies, adverse reactions including laboratory abnormalities were reported in 61 (7.5%) of a total of 816 patients (including 39 Japanese patients) treated with Anoro Ellipta or UMEC/VI 125/25mcg*. The most common adverse reactions were headache reported in 7 patients (0.9%), dry mouth in 7 patients (0.9%), cough in 6 patients (0.7%) and taste disorder in 5 patients (0.6%).
In a Japanese 52 week long-term administration study, adverse reactions including laboratory abnormalities were reported in 8 (6.0%) of a total of 130 patients treated with UMEC/VI 125/25mcg*. The most common adverse reaction was hypertension reported in 2 patients (1.5%).
* The approved dose of Anoro Ellipta in Japan is UMEC/VI 62.5/25mcg once daily.
Atrial fibrillation may occur. If any abnormality is observed, treatment should be discontinued and appropriate measures should be taken.
Anoro® and Ellipta® are trademarks of the GSK group of companies.
GSK – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For further information please visit www.gsk.com.
Theravance, Inc., A Royalty Management Company – is focused on maximizing the potential value of the respiratory assets partnered with Glaxo Group Limited (GSK), including RELVAR®/BREO® ELLIPTA® and ANORO™ ELLIPTA®, with the intention of providing capital returns to stockholders. Under the Long-Acting Beta2 Agonist (LABA) Collaboration Agreement with GSK, Theravance is eligible to receive the associated royalty revenues from RELVAR®/BREO® ELLIPTA® (fluticasone furoate/vilanterol, “FF/VI”), ANORO™ ELLIPTA® (umeclidinium bromide/vilanterol, “UMEC/VI”) and if approved and commercialized, VI monotherapy. Theravance is also entitled to a 15% economic interest in any future payments made by GSK relating to the combination of UMEC/VI/FF and the Bifunctional Muscarinic Antagonist-Beta2 Agonist (MABA) program, as monotherapy and in combination with other therapeutically active components, such as an inhaled corticosteroid, and any other product or combination of products that may be discovered and developed in the future under its LABA Collaboration Agreement with GSK (other than RELVAR®/BREO® ELLIPTA®, ANORO™ ELLIPTA® and VI monotherapy). For more information, please visit Theravance’s web site at www.thrxinc.com.
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