FDA Approves Filgrastim Biosimilar Filgrastim-aafi
On July 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved filgrastim-aafi (Nivestym), a biosimilar to filgrastim (Neupogen), for all eligible indications of the reference product.
“The FDA approval of filgrastim-aafi marks an important step in helping expand access to critical treatment options for patients with neutropenia, many of whom have cancer and can be hospitalized for potentially life-threatening side effects stemming from chemotherapy,” said Berk Gurdogan, U.S. Institutions President, Pfizer Essential Health.
The FDA approval was based on a review of a comprehensive data package and totality of evidence demonstrating a high degree of similarity of filgrastim-aafi compared to its reference product.
In the United States, filgrastim-aafi is indicated:
- To decrease the incidence of infection, as manifested by febrile neutropenia, in patients with nonmyeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive anticancer drugs associated with a significant incidence of severe neutropenia with fever.
- For reducing the time to neutrophil recovery and the duration of fever, following induction or consolidation chemotherapy treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia.
- To reduce the duration of neutropenia and neutropenia-related clinical sequelae (eg, febrile neutropenia) in patients with nonmyeloid malignancies undergoing myeloablative chemotherapy followed by bone marrow transplantation.
- For the mobilization of autologous hematopoietic progenitor cells into the peripheral blood for collection by leukapheresis.
- For chronic administration to reduce the incidence and duration of sequelae of severe neutropenia (eg, fever, infections, oropharyngeal ulcers) in symptomatic patients with congenital neutropenia, cyclic neutropenia, or idiopathic neutropenia.
Filgrastim-aafi is expected to be available in the United States at a significant discount to the current wholesale acquisition cost of filgrastim. The wholesale acquisition cost is not inclusive of discounts to payers, providers, distributors, and other purchasing organizations.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
