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Q&A: SCENESSE® successful in Phase IIa vitiligo study

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

We’ve just released the first results from our vitiligo program which you can view online here. Following their release, we expect a number of questions from the vitiligo community, some of which we hope to address below. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us via Facebook or email.

What was the CUV102 study?

CUV102 was an open-label Phase IIa study conducted in three US expert centres (The Vitiligo & Pigmentation Institute of Southern California in Los Angeles, The Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and Mount Sinai Hospital in New York). The trial was designed as a ‘proof-of-concept’: to explore the potential of SCENESSE® to repigment depigmented skin in vitiligo. In total, 54 patients enrolled in the study and 41 completed the full treatment course. All of these patients were of Fitzpatrick skin types III-VI, generally darker skin types. (more…)

Inside Clinuvel: Vitiligo and the “Michael Jackson skin disease”

Friday, November 23rd, 2012

I find vitiligo to be a fascinating, yet devastating disorder: almost overnight, patients see their skin colour erode and their identity change. Vitiligo has a serious impact on individuals and their family and professional relationships, something I’ve discussed before when looking at treatment challenges.

Because of this impact, we’ve been very careful of the way in which we discuss vitiligo publicly to ensure that, rather than adding to the distress of those affected, we can have a positive impact on disease awareness while we execute our clinical program. I’ve had the privilege to speak with individuals from a broad range of backgrounds living with, and treating, this disorder, with conversations ranging from disease impact, to treatments, to prevalence. During these discussions I also try to seek feedback on how we present the program: what we are doing and how we can do it better. This feedback has, in turn, led to changes, large and small, in our communications (and hopefully will continue to do so).

Yet, one story is often at the forefront when discussing vitiligo with investors, journalists and the broader public which we haven’t discussed until today: the case of Michael Jackson’s very public battle with vitiligo and pigment change. Often these conversations boil down quickly to the “Michael Jackson skin disease”. (more…)

Inside Clinuvel: EMA timelines and orphan drugs (part 2)

Thursday, September 13th, 2012

Last week I gave a snapshot of the formal process undertaken by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to review a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) dossier under the Centralised Procedure. While this provides some context, looking at historical review timelines provides some sense of how long a future application may take. This is far from an exact science, but given the queries we have received of late on approvals timelines, I felt it appropriate to provide some internal perspective.

The EMA’s timelines are confidential, with only set time points at which companies are allowed to publish information (CHMP meetings in particular). Once a drug has been approved by the EMA, however, the Agency issues a summary of the entire review process, known as an EPAR, or European Public Assessment Report. This document outlines the timeframes required by the EMA to perform the review, along with the names of the co-rapporteurs and a summary of the product in some depth, much of which likely reflects the dossier submitted, albeit in an abbreviated version. (The EPARs are published online by the EMA and are free to download.) (more…)

Inside Clinuvel: EMA timelines and orphan drugs (part 1)

Friday, September 7th, 2012

For many years we’ve taken an active interest in the time required by regulatory authorities globally to approve orphan drugs. Clearly this kind of activity is required for forecasting and planning, but it also helps in communications to give our broader audience a realistic idea of the timelines ahead and some of the hurdles we may face.

Predicting timelines in drug development is an imprecise business fraught – each case or drug needs to be indivudally assessed, there are no comparables – but it is nonetheless one method by which we can anticipate the period of time required before any decision from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is published. (more…)

Inside Clinuvel: NICE, QALYs and the UK’s reimbursement landscape

Wednesday, August 29th, 2012

Following much hype and fanfare at the Olympics, news reports have begun to trickle out on the costs of the Games and the longer term impact they might have on the British economy. While not immune to Europe’s economic spluttering across the Channel, many of the issues facing Britain’s bottom line are unique, and they may have broader implications for drug development, more specifically for drug pricing and reimbursement. (more…)

Inside Clinuvel: Vitiligo and treatment frustrations

Tuesday, August 14th, 2012

Since we publicly announced our vitiligo program in 2010, the entire Clinuvel team has aimed to gain a better understand this disease, its possible causes and how SCENESSE® (afamelanotide) may become a vital tool in a dermatologist’s arsenal for vitiligo.

We’ve also worked closely with the broader vitiligo community to better communicate the program’s goals and limitations (if you missed them, you can see the first two videos in a series of interviews between Mr Lee Thomas and our CEO here) as well as reaching out to individuals with vitiligo to better understand how this disease impacts upon lives. For me, one of the most prominent recurring topics in discussions, emails, phone calls and online is the lack of treatment for vitiligo and the frustrations of physicians and patients alike at treatment inconsistency. (more…)

Inside Clinuvel: SCENESSE® in acne?

Monday, August 6th, 2012

A new article was published last week looking at a small pilot study of SCENESSE® (afamelanotide) in acne vulgaris. Before discussing this piece specifically, I think it is relevant to briefly review melanocortins and their receptors.

The active ingredient in SCENESSE®, afamelanotide, has been the focus of over 80 peer reviewed journals (as well as being mentioned in at least 100 more) since the initial formulatory work with the drug began in the 1980s. In the last two years alone the drug and its actual or theoretical application in the clinic have been presented at least 20 times at various global scientific forums. This growing library of resources reflects the enthusiasm of the medical community to put a new compound through its paces, both in vitro and in vivo. (more…)

Inside Clinuvel: effective drug development

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

Take ten years, half a billion dollars and countless man hours from some of the most highly trained, intelligent individuals on the globe. You still stand a 90% chance of failure, some of which is totally out of your control. This is the apparent reality of modern drug development.

With the odds so stacked against it, it’s little wonder that the drug development sector is one requiring constant evolution in rethinking how to survive. In addition to the ‘regular’ risks of drug development, turmoil in global markets since 2007 has seen risk adverse investors shun drug development and biotechnology stocks for blue chip companies which are perceived as safer. The pressure to perform has increased for those companies who continue to work in the space.

In short, it’s forced even greater creativity to ensure survival and prosperity. (more…)

Inside Clinuvel

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

The last five years have brought much change in the global pharmaceutical industry. As one of thousands of firms working in the space, we’ve taken a novel approach to try and overcome the challenges such change has presented.

This approach has taken us close to achieving what few of these firms will – proving that a new drug is safe and effective in its treatment of a disease and getting the product approved by the regulatory authorities. Every day the team and I have learnt something new that has helped us in this quest.

Over the next few months – coming from a different perspective as head of communications – I will try to share some of this knowledge with you via the blog; looking at how and why we do what we do, and trying to address some of the most common questions the company encounters on a day to day basis. I welcome your thoughts and feedback, either through comments on the blog, via Facebook, or directly via email to mail@clinuvel.com

- Lachlan Hay, Head of Global Network and Communications, Clinuvel

Return to core pharma values

Monday, July 9th, 2012

Several recent stories have caught the industry’s attention and set media imaginations alight, but none moreso than last week’s record-breaking US$3B marketing settlement between pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline and the US government. In short, GSK plead guilty to withholding safety data and illegal marketing practices related to three drugs and agreed to pay US$1B in criminal fines and US$2B to resolve civil complaints with the federal and several state governments. (more…)

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