Avacincaptad pegol is submitted to MHLW (Japan) for the treatment of geographic atrophy secondary to AMD – Astellas

Astellas announced the submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for Conditional Approval of avacincaptad pegol intravitreal solution (ACP), a synthetic aptamer that inhibits the complement C5 protein, for the treatment of GA secondary to AMD. If approved, ACP has the potential to become the first and only GA treatment available in Japan.

GA is a progressive form of AMD that can cause irreversible vision loss, with no treatments currently approved outside the US or Australia. Globally, over five million people are estimated to have GA and, without timely treatment, an estimated 66% of people living with GA may become legally blind or severely visually impaired. As a result, GA secondary to AMD has a substantial impact on patients’ daily lives and psychological wellbeing.

The NDA submission is based on results of overseas clinical trials, including the GATHER1 and GATHER2 randomized, sham-controlled clinical trials, which evaluated the safety and efficacy of monthly 2mg intravitreal administration of ACP in patients with GA secondary to AMD. The data from both trials demonstrates that ACP slows GA lesion growth and has a favorable safety profile. Sustained efficacy of ACP, as shown in the restriction of lesion growth over time, was observed over a follow up of two years in GATHER1 and GATHER2 studies.^,