FDA’s new Rare Disease Framework Initiative is a thoughtful, ambitious, and laudable effort to build a regulatory structure that systematically supports rare disease therapeutic development and review. Detailed in the October 2026 white paper, A New Framework for Rare Disease Review, the initiative is led …
On July 22, 2026, FDA approved Outlook Therapeutics, Inc.’s (“Outlook”) Lytenava (bevacizumab-vikg) for the treatment of neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (“Wet AMD”). This approval was achieved after Outlook’s success through the Formal Dispute Resolution Request (“FDRR”) process following the receipt of multiple Complete Response …
February is Rare Disease Month, designated as such to raise awareness and to support the millions of individuals affected by rare diseases. It is also an extremely meaningful time for those of us at HPM who work regularly with sponsors to help get therapies to …
On January 12th, FDA approved Zycubo (copper histidinate) injection as the first treatment for Menkes disease in pediatric patients. Menkes disease is a rare, congenital X-linked genetic disorder characterized by impaired copper absorption, leading to severe copper deficiency, progressive neurologic deterioration, and death in early …
Commissioner Makary’s pronouncement in April of a new pathway for rare disease therapies based on a plausible mechanism of action or biological plausibility generated enormous excitement. The Commissioner’s general statement found meaningful expression in twin announcements this past Wednesday: one by Dr. Tidmarsh of a …
The rare pediatric disease priority review voucher program remains in its sunsetting state – the current authority only allows for granting of such vouchers if the drug was designated as a drug for a rare pediatric disease not later than December 20, 2024, and for …
On December 5, 2024, FDA published a new draft guidance on accelerated approval providing a much needed and substantial update to its guidance on the pathway. FDA’s application and use of accelerated approval has evolved dramatically since it was first developed by the Agency to …
The Winter Solstice, signifying the shortest day of the year, was Saturday, December 21. Although the earliest sunset of the year was actually in early December, this day also marked another premature sunset – the beginning of the end of the rare pediatric disease priority …
On July 17, 2024, FDA announced the establishment of a Rare Disease Innovation Hub (the “Hub”) to enhance and improve outcomes for patients with rare diseases and conditions by focusing on rare disease drug and biological product development across the Agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation …
Hyman, Phelps & McNamara (HPM) would like to congratulate the 7 rare disease programs selected for the inaugural class of the FDA’s “Support for clinical Trials Advancing Rare disease Treatment” (START) pilot program. The START pilot program was announced last September as a way to …
On March 21st, FDA announced the approval of the first nonsteroidal therapy for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) (FDA press release available here). Duvyzat (givinostat), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor developed by Italfarmaco, S.p.A., represents a new class of therapeutics to slow progression …
In 2009—15 years ago— the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) announced the first U.S. recognition of Rare Disease Day. NORD’s announcement followed in the footsteps of European rare disease patient organization, Eurodis, who had celebrated the first Rare Disease Day the year before. Time flies when …
On December 12, 2023, FDA announced the creation of a new advisory committee specifically for treatments for genetic metabolic diseases, the Genetic Metabolic Diseases Advisory Committee, or “GeMDAC.” As described by FDA’s press release, genetic metabolic diseases are conditions whereby a genetic mutation, generally one …
This time last year, we wrote about a long-overlooked FDA statutory authority and wondered if this provision, known colloquially as the “single study plus confirmatory evidence” pathway, was having a moment (previous post here). Two weeks ago, FDA published a draft of its latest drug …
In early 1984, a year after President Reagan signed the Orphan Drug Act into law, the FDA was not seeing the anticipated avalanche of requests for orphan drug designation. At that time, new Federal laws on drugs were far and few between. FDR signed the …
