Country for PR: United Kingdom
Contributor: PR Newswire Europe
Friday, October 28 2022 - 16:00
AsiaNet
Pharming Announces European Medicines Agency (EMA) Validates its Marketing Authorisation Application under Accelerated Assessment for leniolisib
LEIDEN, Netherlands, Oct. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

-- Marketing authorisation in the European Economic Area anticipated in H1 2023

Pharming Group N.V. ("Pharming" or "the Company") (EURONEXT Amsterdam: PHARM / 
Nasdaq: PHAR) announces today that its Marketing Authorisation Application 
(MAA) for leniolisib has been validated for scientific evaluation under an 
accelerated assessment by the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for 
Medicinal Products for Human Use ( 
https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/glossary/committee-medicinal-products-human-use ) 
(CHMP ( https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/glossary/chmp )). The application, 
submitted earlier in October 2022, is for the investigational drug, leniolisib, 
an oral, selective phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta (PI3K delta) inhibitor, as a 
treatment for activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta syndrome (APDS), a rare 
primary immunodeficiency, in adolescents and adults 12 years or older.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1454235/Pharming_Group_NV_Logo.jpg

In August 2022, Pharming announced the leniolisib MAA was granted accelerated 
assessment by EMA’s CHMP. The accelerated assessment reduces the review 
timeframe from 210 days to 150 days. Upon request, EMA will grant an 
accelerated assessment of an MAA if they decide the product is of major 
interest for public health, and in particular, from the viewpoint of 
therapeutic innovation. Marketing authorisation for leniolisib in the European 
Economic Area is anticipated in H1 2023.

The MAA is supported by positive data from a Phase II/III study of leniolisib, 
announced on February 2, 2022, which met its co-primary endpoints of reduction 
in lymph node size and increase in percentage of naïve B cells in patients with 
APDS. Furthermore, safety data from the study showed that leniolisib was well 
tolerated by participants. Also submitted as part of the MAA were data from a 
long-term, open-label extension clinical trial in patients with APDS treated 
with leniolisib.

Anurag Relan, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer of Pharming, commented:
"EMA's validation for review of our MAA under an accelerated assessment pathway 
highlights Pharming’s ongoing commitment to advance leniolisib as a targeted 
treatment for adults and adolescents 12 years of age or older with APDS. We 
anticipate that leniolisib will fill an unmet need for patients with APDS, who 
currently rely on supportive therapies to treat their primary symptoms. This 
review constitutes a key milestone in Pharming's effort to give healthcare 
providers and their patients global access to leniolisib. We look forward to 
collaborating with EMA as needed throughout the regulatory process." 

About Activated Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Delta Syndrome (APDS)
APDS is a rare primary immunodeficiency that affects approximately 1 to 2 
people per million. APDS  is caused by variants in either of two genes, PIK3CD 
or PIK3R1, that regulate maturation of white blood cells. Variants of these 
genes lead to hyperactivity of the PI3K delta (phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta) 
pathway.(1,2) Balanced signaling in the PI3K delta pathway is essential for 
physiological immune function. When this pathway is hyperactive, immune cells 
fail to mature and function properly, leading to immunodeficiency and 
dysregulation.(1,3) APDS is characterized by severe, recurrent sinopulmonary 
infections, lymphoproliferation, autoimmunity, and enteropathy.(4,5) Because 
these symptoms can be associated with a variety of conditions, including other 
primary immunodeficiencies, people with APDS are frequently misdiagnosed and 
suffer a median 7-year diagnostic delay.(6) As APDS is a progressive disease, 
this delay may lead to an accumulation of damage over time, including permanent 
lung damage and lymphoma.(4-7) The only way to definitively diagnose this 
condition is through genetic testing.

About Leniolisib
Leniolisib is a small-molecule inhibitor of the delta isoform of the 110 kDa 
catalytic subunit of class IA PI3K. PI3K delta is expressed predominately in 
hematopoietic cells and is essential to normal immune system function through 
conversion of phosphatidylinositol-4-5-trisphosphate (PIP2) to 
phosphatidylinositol-3-4-5-trisphosphate (PIP3). Leniolisib inhibits the 
production of PIP3 and PIP3 serves as an important cellular messenger 
activating AKT (via PDK1) and regulates a multitude of cell functions such as 
proliferation, differentiation, cytokine production, cell survival, 
angiogenesis, and metabolism. Unlike PI3K alpha and PI3K beta, which are 
ubiquitously expressed, PI3K delta and PI3K gamma are expressed primarily in 
cells of hematopoietic origin. The central role of PI3K delta in regulating 
numerous cellular functions of the adaptive immune system (B-cells and, to a 
lesser extent, T cells) as well as the innate immune system (neutrophils, mast 
cells, and macrophages) strongly indicates that PI3K delta is a valid and 
potentially effective therapeutic target for immune diseases such as APDS. To 
date, leniolisib has been well tolerated during both the Phase 1 first-in-human 
trial in healthy subjects and the Phase II/III registration-enabling study in 
patients with APDS.

About Pharming Group N.V.
Pharming Group N.V. (EURONEXT Amsterdam: PHARM/Nasdaq: PHAR) is a global 
biopharmaceutical company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with 
rare, debilitating, and life-threatening diseases. Pharming is commercializing 
and developing an innovative portfolio of protein replacement therapies and 
precision medicines, including small molecules, biologics, and gene therapies 
that are in early to late-stage development. Pharming is headquartered in 
Leiden, Netherlands, and has employees around the globe who serve patients in 
over 30 markets in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and 
Asia-Pacific. 

For more information, visit www.pharming.com.

Forward-Looking Statements 
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking 
statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s 
current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and 
uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ 
materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. These 
forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases 
such as "aim", "ambition", "anticipate", "believe", "could", "estimate", 
"expect", "goals", "intend", "may", "milestones", "objectives", "outlook", 
"plan", "probably", "project", "risks", "schedule", "seek", "should", "target", 
"will" and similar terms and phrases.  Examples of forward-looking statements 
may include statements with respect to timing and progress of Pharming's 
preclinical studies and clinical trials of its product candidates, Pharming's 
clinical and commercial prospects, and Pharming's expectations regarding its 
projected working capital requirements and cash resources, which statements are 
subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, but not 
limited to the scope, progress and expansion of Pharming's clinical trials and 
ramifications for the cost thereof; and clinical, scientific, regulatory and 
technical developments. In light of these risks and uncertainties, and other 
risks and uncertainties that are described in Pharming's 2021 Annual Report and 
the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with 
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the events and circumstances 
discussed in such forward-looking statements may not occur, and Pharming's 
actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or 
implied thereby. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release 
are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements 
contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue 
reliance on forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements speak 
only as of the date of this press release and are based on information 
available to Pharming as of the date of this release. Pharming does not 
undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking 
statement as a result of new information, future events or other information.

Inside Information
This press release relates to the disclosure of information that qualifies, or 
may have qualified, as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of 
the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

References
1. Lucas CL, et al. Nat Immunol. 2014;15:88-97.
2. Elkaim E, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;138(1):210-218.
3. Nunes-Santos C, Uzel G, Rosenzweig SD. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 
2019;143(5):1676-1687.
4. Coulter TI, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017;139(2):597-606.
5. Maccari ME, et al. Front Immunol. 2018;9:543.
6. Jamee M, et al. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2019;May 21.
7. Condliffe AM, Chandra A. Front Immunol. 2018;9:338.

For further public information, contact:

Pharming Group, Leiden, The Netherlands
Heather Robertson, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications Manager
T: +31 71 524 7400
E: investor@pharming.com

FTI Consulting, London, UK
Victoria Foster Mitchell/Alex Shaw/Amy Byrne
T: +44 203 727 1000

LifeSpring Life Sciences Communication, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Leon Melens
T: +31 6 53 81 64 27
E: pharming@lifespring.nl

US PR:
Ethan Metelenis
E: Ethan.Metelenis@precisionvh.com
T: +1 (917) 882 9038

EU PR:
Dan Caley
E: Dan.caley@aprilsix.com
T: +44 (0) 787 546 8942

SOURCE Pharming Group N.V.
Translations

Japanese