Christine Blank, Contributing Editor

FDA is re-examining the safety of a breakthrough Parkinson’s disease drug after reports of hundreds of deaths.

Pimavanserin (Nuplazid, Acadia Pharmaceuticals), the only drug approved to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson's disease psychosis, is suspected in hundreds of deaths voluntarily reported by caregivers, doctors and other medical professionals since it hit the market, 

"What does it take for a drug like this to be taken off the market?" asked US Rep. Rosa DeLauro, former chair of the congressional subcommittee responsible for funding and overseeing FDA, at a recent Congressional hearing, 

 reported. "How many more adverse events do we have to have reported? How many people, quite frankly, have to die?” DeLauro asked FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, at the hearing.

However, FDA had already begun conducting a new review of the drug because of "potential signals of serious risk/new safety information" in part by using adverse event data, 

 reported. However, the agency is not suggesting physicians stop prescribing the drug while a safety evaluation is taking place.

Death reports citing Nuplazid have typically involved elderly patients with advanced-stage Parkinson's disease who suffered from numerous medical conditions, according to FDA.

However, the high number of death reports deserved a closer look to determine whether they were related to the drug, sooner, medical experts and physicians told 

. “They also recommended further testing of Nuplazid, worrying that the drug had been approved too quickly, based on too little evidence that it was safe or effective,” 

Nuplazid's review was expedited by FDA because it had been designated a breakthrough therapy.

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FDA reviewing safety of Parkinson’s drug

After FDA approved the first epinephrine injection specifically for infants and toddlers last year, the drug is now on the market.

The epinephrine injection (AUVI-q, Kaleo) 0.1 mg for infants and toddlers has a shorter needle length and lower dose of epinephrine than other FDA-approved epinephrine auto-injectors (EAIs), kalÃ©o said in a statement.

The product is needed, according to the pharma manufacturer, because there was an estimated 130% increase in emergency room visits for anaphylaxis among children four years old and younger between 2005 and 2014.

“Before the introduction of AUVI-q 0.1 mg, the youngest and most vulnerable population did not have a treatment for anaphylaxis designed for them,” said Eric S. Edwards, MD, PhD, vice president of innovation and research & development at kalÃ©o. “This day means a lot to me personally, as I suffer from life-threatening allergies and have a child who was diagnosed with life-threatening allergies as an infant.”

“I would have loved to have had the AUVI-q 0.1 mg available back when my son was an infant and was first diagnosed with an egg and wheat allergy,” said Todd Mahr, MD, a pediatric allergist and president-elect of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, in the statement. “Prior to this, there was no EAI specifically designed for infants and toddlers weighing 16.5 to 33 pounds, so the AUVI-q 0.1 mg helps to address that significant unmet need.”

Each AUVI-q 0.1 mg prescription includes 2 auto-injectors and 1 Trainer for patients and caregivers to practice administration before an allergic emergency. AUVI-q 0.1 mg features a voice instruction system that helps guide caregivers step-by-step through the injection process, as well as a needle that automatically retracts following administration.

 First infant epinephrine injector on market

	Walmart, CVS Health, and a number of other healthcare organizations are supporting a new multi-million dollar consumer campaign to combat high prescription drug prices.

	The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP), a coalition of leaders that also includes AARP, the American Hospital Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians, launched the nationwide campaign in early May “to hold Big Pharma accountable for their out-of-control prescription drug prices,” the group said in a statement.

	CSRxP debuted the first in a series of nationwide advertisements, “

,” on broadcast and cable television that will run in Washington, D.C., and in the districts of key lawmakers around the country.

	The ads highlight the “hypocrisy of Big Pharma’s claims that out-of-control prescription drug prices are necessary to fund research and development,” CSRxP said. “The truth is, nine out of 10 of the biggest drug manufacturers in the United States spend more on advertising than they do on R&D,” the group said.

	“American Society of Health-System Pharmacists members have identified this as a huge problem and a growing burden on hospital pharmacy budgets,” Joseph Hill, director of ASHP’s Government Relations Division, told 

 “The new advertising campaign is a way to reach consumers directly and let them know this is a significant problem and that they’re not alone.”

Trump's drug pricing comments create debate

	However, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) denounced the new price gouging campaign. “Rather than offering solutions, this advertisement makes light of the real challenges patients are facing when trying to access the health care they need,” Holly Campbell, senior director of public affairs for PhRMA, told 

We believe the focus should be on advancing common sense, practical solutions that 

	“On average, biopharmaceutical companies invest 20% of their revenue in R&D-far more than any other industry in the U.S. economy,” Campbell said.

 of a medicine with more than a third being rebated back to insurance companies, PBMs and the government, Campbell said.

Walmart, CVS Health, and a number of other healthcare organizations are supporting a new multi-million dollar consumer campaign to combat high prescription drug prices.

Campaign gears up to combat high drug prices

	Late last week, FDA approved a new drug to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the first treatment for Batten disease, and expanded the use of a current drug to treat liver cancer.

) was approved to treat adults with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who have a specific genetic mutation called FLT3, in combination with chemotherapy. The drug is approved for use with a companion diagnostic, the LeukoStrat CDx FLT3 Mutation Assay (

), used to detect the FLT3 mutation in patients with AML.
	 
	“Rydapt is the first targeted therapy to treat patients with AML, in combination with chemotherapy,” said Richard Pazdur, MD, acting director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence. “The ability to detect the gene mutation with a diagnostic test means doctors can identify specific patients who may benefit from this treatment.”

First drug for rare skin cancer wins approval

	AML is a rapidly progressing cancer that forms in the bone marrow and results in an increased number of white blood cells in the bloodstream. The National Cancer Institute estimated that approximately 19,930 people would be diagnosed with AML in 2016 and 10,430 were projected to die of the disease.

	FDA also expanded the approved use of regorafenib (Stivarga, 

) to include treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC or liver cancer) who have been previously treated with the drug sorafenib.

	“This is the first FDA-approved treatment for a liver cancer in almost a decade,” FDA said in a statement.

	Plus, limited treatment options are available for patients with liver cancer, said Richard Pazdur, MD, acting director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence, in the statement.

	According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 40,710 people will be diagnosed with liver cancers in 2017 and approximately 28,920 will die of these diseases. HCC originates in the liver and is the most common form of liver cancer.

	Stivarga is a kinase inhibitor that works by blocking several enzymes that promote cancer growth, including enzymes in the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway. Stivarga is also approved to treat colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors that are no longer responding to previous treatments.

	Meanwhile, FDA also approved the first treatment for a specific form of Batten disease: cerliponase alfa( Brineura (

), to slow loss of walking ability in symptomatic pediatric patients aged 3 years and older with late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2 (CLN2), also known as tripeptidyl peptidase-1 (TPP1) deficiency.

	“The FDA is committed to approving new and innovative therapies for patients with rare diseases, particularly where there are no approved treatment options,” said Julie Beitz, MD, director of the Office of Drug Evaluation III in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Approving the first drug for the treatment of this form of Batten disease is an important advance for patients suffering with this condition.”

	CLN2 disease is one of a group of disorders known as neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs), collectively referred to as Batten disease. CLN2 disease is a rare inherited disorder that primarily affects the nervous system. In the late infantile form of the disease, signs and symptoms typically begin between ages 2 and 4.

	Batten disease is relatively rare, occurring in an estimated 2 to 4 of every 100,000 live births in the United States.

	The efficacy of Brineura was established in a non-randomized, single-arm dose escalation clinical study in 22 symptomatic pediatric patients with CLN2 disease and compared to 42 untreated patients with CLN2 disease from a natural history cohort (an independent historical control group) who were at least aged 3 years old and had motor or language symptoms.

	Taking into account age, baseline walking ability and genotype, Brineura-treated patients demonstrated fewer declines in walking ability compared to untreated patients in the natural history cohort.

Late last week, FDA approved a new drug to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the first treatment for Batten disease, and expanded the use of a current drug to treat liver cancer.