Takeda announced that LIVTENCITY (maribavir) has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China for the treatment of adult patients with post-hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) or solid organ transplant (SOT) cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection/disease that is refractory to treatment (with or without genotypic resistance) with ganciclovir, valganciclovir, cidofovir or foscarnet. LIVTENCITY is the first and only inhibitor of CMV-specific UL97 protein kinase in China for this indication. LIVTENCITY was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by China Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) in 2021.
“The approval of LIVTENCITY by the NMPA of China recognizes the critical need for post-transplant care and that CMV infection, when not successfully treated, can pose serious challenges to transplant recipients that can lead to complications such as increased organ rejection and hospitalization rates,” said Ramona Sequeira, president, Global Portfolio Division, Takeda. “This approval will help redefine the CMV treatment landscape for transplant patients in China and is a positive step forward toward addressing an unmet need for this community.”
The NMPA approval is based on the results of the Phase 3 SOLSTICE trial, which evaluated the safety and efficacy of maribavir versus conventional antiviral therapies – ganciclovir, valganciclovir, cidofovir or foscarnet – for the treatment of patients with CMV infection/disease refractory* to prior therapies. In the SOLSTICE trial, LIVTENCITY was superior to conventional therapies at Week 8 for the primary endpoint of confirmed CMV viremia clearancea in post-transplant adults with refractory* CMV infection.
The NMPA approval marks the 12th approval of LIVTENCITY around the world for post-transplant CMV refractory* to prior therapies, including four other major markets beyond China: the United States, Canada, Australia and the European Union.
Out of the estimated 200,000 adult transplants per year globally, CMV is one of the most common infections experienced by transplant patients with an estimated incidence rate of 16%-56% in SOT and 30%-80% in HSCT recipients.
LIVTENCITY (maribavir), an orally bioavailable anti-CMV compound, is the first and only antiviral agent that targets and inhibits the UL97 protein kinase and thus its natural substrates. It is approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China for the treatment of adults with post-HSCT or SOT cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection/disease that is refractory to treatment (with or without genotypic resistance) with ganciclovir, valganciclovir, cidofovir or foscarnet.
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