FDA OKs Abraxane With Gemcitabine for Pancreatic Cancer

U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION APPROVES ABRAXANE® IN COMBINATION WITH GEMCITABINE AS FIRST-LINE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC PANCREATIC CANCER

-Approval Based on MPACT Study of ABRAXANE in Combination with Gemcitabine Demonstrating a Clinically Meaningful Increase in Overall Survival-

-First New Treatment Approved for Metastatic Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas in Nearly 8 Years-

SUMMIT, New Jersey– (September 6, 2013) – Celgene Corporation  (NASDAQ: CELG) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Company’s supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) of ABRAXANE® (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound) as first–line treatment for patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, in combination with gemcitabine.  Adenocarcinoma, a sub-type of exocrine tumors, accounts for about 95% of cancers of the pancreas.

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http://www.pharmalive.com/fda-oks-abraxane-with-gemcitabine-for-pancreatic-cancer

Abraxane, a microtubule inhibitor, is an albumin-bound form of paclitaxel with a mean particle size of approximately 130 nanometers. Paclitaxel exists in the particles in a non-crystalline, amorphous state. Abraxane is supplied as a white to yellow, sterile, lyophilized powder for reconstitution with 20 mL of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP prior to intravenous infusion. Each single-use vial contains 100 mg of paclitaxel (bound to human albumin) and approximately 900 mg of human albumin (containing sodium caprylate and sodium acetyltryptophanate). Each milliliter (mL) of reconstituted suspension contains 5 mg paclitaxel. Abraxane is free of solvents.

The active agent in Abraxane is paclitaxel. The chemical name for paclitaxel is 5β,20-Epoxy-1,2α,4,7β,10β,13α-hexahydroxytax-11-en-9-one 4,10-diacetate 2-benzoate 13-ester with (2R,3S)-N-benzoyl-3-phenylisoserine.

Paclitaxel has the following structural formula:

Paclitaxel is a white to off-white crystalline powder with the empirical formula C47H51NO14 and a molecular weight of 853.91. It is highly lipophilic, insoluble in water, and melts at approximately 216°C to 217°C.