Oslo, Norway, February 16, 2018 Photocure ASA (OSE: PHO), announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its supplemental new drug application (sNDA) to extend the indication for Blue Light Cystoscopy (BLC(TM)) with Cysview® to include Flexible Cystoscopes, which are used in the ongoing surveillance of patients with bladder cancer. This is the only combination of drug and device approved for the detection of bladder cancer.
The approval of this new indication is based on the results from a large Phase 3 study using KARL STORZ blue light enabled rigid and flexible cystoscopes. This study showed that BLC(TM) significantly (p<0.0001) improves detection of patients with recurrent bladder cancer.
“This approval is an important milestone for Photocure. With 1.2 million surveillance cystoscopies performed annually in the U.S., this represents a significant opportunity for the company and allows us to bring solutions to current clinical challenges,” said Kjetil Hestdal M.D. Ph.D., President & CEO. “The expanded label now allows repetitive use in the same patient which enables physicians to provide an improved continuum of care to their bladder cancer patients and should lead to reduced cost.”
The expanded indication includes the combination of Cysview with the KARL STORZ PDD Flexible Blue Light Videoscope System. The approval also expands the indication in the current rigid setting (TURBT) by including the detection of carcinoma in situ (CIS) in bladder cancer patients as well as the repeated use of BLC with Cysview.
“This expanded approval in both rigid and flexible blue light cystoscopy (BLC) means that Cysview can now be used during transurethral resection of bladder cancer surgery for diagnosis and staging, as well as with follow-up surveillance of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Patients with NMIBC, especially high grade, require careful and frequent follow-up due to the high rate of recurrence and progression. Blue light cystoscopy with Cysview, will enable physicians to provide appropriate and more accurate treatment earlier, which in my experience results in improved outcomes for my patients. In my high-risk NMIBC clinical practice, I recognize the benefit of using BLC with Cysview to more readily detect carcinoma in-situ, i.e. aggressive high-grade flat lesions. In this study, an additional 35% of CIS patients were found by using BLC with Cysview alone and missed with white light,” says Gary Steinberg, M.D., The Bruce and Beth White Family Professor, Vice Chairman and Director of Urologic Oncology, University of Chicago Medicine.
In collaboration with KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc., Photocure plans to launch Cysview in combination with blue light enabled flexible video cystoscopy in mid-2018.
For more information about the study: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02560584
About Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. and is the fourth most common cancer found in men in the U.S.1,2,3 In 2016, it was estimated that 76,960 new cases of bladder cancer will occur along with 16,390 deaths due to bladder cancer.
Bladder cancer is one of the most expensive cancers to manage, accounting for approximately $3.7 billion in direct costs each year.4,5
Bladder cancer is classified into two types, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), depending on the depth of invasion in the bladder wall. 2 NMIBC remains in the inner layer of cells lining the bladder. These cancers are the most common (70%) of all BC cases and include the subtypes Ta, carcinoma in situ (CIS) and T1 lesions. MIBC is when the cancer has grown into deeper layers of the bladder wall. These cancers, including subtypes T2, T3 and T4, are more likely to spread and are harder to treat. 2
About Hexvix®/Cysview®
Hexvix®/Cysview® is a drug that is selectively taken up by cancer cells in the bladder making them glow bright pink during Blue Light Cystoscopy (BLCTM). BLCTM with Hexvix® /Cysview® improves the detection of tumors and leads to more complete resection, less residual tumors and better management decisions.
Cysview® is the tradename in the US and Canada, Hexvix® is the tradename in all other markets. Photocure is commercializing Hexvix®/Cysview® directly in the US and the Nordic region, and has strategic partnerships for the commercialization of Hexvix®/Cysview® in Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Please refer to https://www.photocure.com/Partnering-with-Photocure/Our-partners for further information on our commercial partners.
About KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc.
KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc., is an affiliate of KARL STORZ SE & Co. KG, an international leader for more than 70 years in reusable endoscope technology, encompassing all endoscopic specialties. Based in Tuttlingen, Germany, KARL STORZ SE & Co. KG is a family-owned company that designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets all its products with an emphasis on visionary design, precision craftsmanship and clinical effectiveness. For more information, call (800) 421-0837 or visit the company’s website at www.karlstorz.com.
About Photocure
Photocure, headquartered in Oslo Norway, is a specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on urology. Based on its unique proprietary Photocure Technology® platform, Photocure is committed to developing and commercializing highly selective and minimally invasive solutions to improve health outcomes for patients worldwide. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: PHO). More information about Photocure is available at www.photocure.com, www.hexvix.com, www.cysview.com
Company contacts:
Kjetil Hestdal, President and CEO
Tel: +47 913 19 535
Email: kh@photcure.no
Erik Dahl, Chief Financial Officer
Tel: +47 450 55 000
Email: ed@photocure.no
References:
1. SEER Cancer Statistics Factsheets: Bladder Cancer. National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD. http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/urinb.html. Accessed April 2016.
2. Bladder Cancer. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003085-pdf.pdf. Accessed April 2016.
3. Hall M, Chang S, Dalbagni G et al. Guideline for the Management of Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (Stages Ta, T1, and Tis): 2007 Update. J Urol. 2007;178(6):2314-2330.
4. Avritscher EB et al., Clinical model of lifetime cost of treating bladder cancer and associated complications. Urology. 2006; 68:549-553.
5. Botteman et al. Clinical model of lifetime costs of treating bladder cancer: a comprehensive review of the published literature. Pharmacoeconomics. 2003; 21:315-1330.
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