Pfizer Announces FDA Acceptance Of Palbociclib New Drug Application With Priority Review

Pfizer Inc. today announced the New Drug Application (NDA) for palbociclib has been accepted for filing and granted Priority Review by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This NDA requests FDA approval of palbociclib, in combination with letrozole, as a first-line treatment for postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer who have not received previous systemic treatment for their advanced disease. The submission is based on the final results of PALOMA-1, a randomized, Phase 2 trial comparing palbociclib plus letrozole versus letrozole alone in this population of patients. The FDA's Priority Review status accelerates the review time from 10 months to a goal of six months from the day of acceptance of filing and is given to drugs that may offer major advances in treatment or may provide a treatment where no adequate therapy exists. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date for a decision by the FDA is April 13, 2015. Palbociclib received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the FDA in April 2013, for the first-line systemic treatment of women with advanced or metastatic ER+, HER2- breast cancer. "If approved as a first-line therapy in combination with letrozole, palbociclib will be an important new option for the thousands of women in the U.S. who are living with metastatic breast cancer," said Garry Nicholson, president, Pfizer Oncology. "We look forward to continuing to work closely with the FDA through the review process." Pfizer recently announced the initiation of a multi-center, open-label expanded access program (EAP) in the United States for palbociclib. Through the program, palbociclib is available to post-menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2- advanced breast cancer who are eligible for letrozole therapy and for whom enrolling in other palbociclib clinical trials is not an option. Healthcare professionals and patients can learn more about the palbociclib EAP by visiting www.clinicaltrials.gov (trial number: NCT02142868).