Atara Bio Receives FDA Orphan Drug Designation for STM 434 for Ovarian Cancer

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. ATRA today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) granted orphan drug designation for the Company's activin inhibitor, STM 434, for ovarian cancer. "Ovarian cancer is an aggressive tumor type with a significant unmet need for patients," said Isaac Ciechanover, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Atara Bio. "The receipt of an orphan drug designation for STM 434 is another important milestone for Atara Bio and the progress of our molecularly targeted programs."  Orphan drug designation is granted by the FDA OOPD to novel drugs and biologics which are defined as those intended for the safe and effective treatment, diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases/disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S.  The OOPD provides incentives for sponsors to develop products for rare diseases, which may include tax credits towards the cost of clinical trials and prescription drug user fee waivers.  The orphan drug designation also See full press release