The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended seven medicines for approval at its December 10-13, 2018 meeting.
Two orphan medicines received a positive opinion from the Committee: Besremi (ropeginterferon alfa-2b), for the treatment of polycythaemia vera without symptomatic splenomegaly, and Trecondi (treosulfan), for the conditioning treatment prior to allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
The CHMP recommended granting a marketing authorisation for Lusutrombopag Shionogi (lusutrombopag), for the treatment of severe thrombocytopenia in adults with chronic liver disease undergoing invasive procedures.
Rizmoic (naldemedine) received a positive opinion for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation.
The Committee granted a positive opinion for Tobramycin PARI (tobramycin), a hybrid medicine for the management of chronic pulmonary infection due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients aged six years and older with cystic fibrosis. Hybrid applications rely in part on the results of pre-clinical tests and clinical trials of a reference product and in part on new data.
The biosimilar medicine Zirabev (bevacizumab) received a positive opinion for the treatment of carcinoma of the colon or rectum, breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell cancer and carcinoma of the cervix.
The Committee recommended for approval the generic medicine Miglustat Dipharma (miglustat), for the treatment of adult patients with mild to moderate type 1 Gaucher disease.
Six recommendations on extensions of therapeutic indication:
The Committee recommended extensions of indication for Adcetris, Rapiscan, Rubraca, Simponi, Sprycel and Trimbow.
The CHMP started a review of medicines containing the antibiotic fosfomycin, which is used in a number of EU Member States to treat a range of bacterial infections. The Committee will re-evaluate the uses and doses authorised in the light of up-to-date knowledge on antibacterial therapy.
Outcome of review on metamizole-containing medicines:
The CHMP recommended that the maximum daily dose of the painkiller metamizole and the contraindications to its use in pregnancy or in women who are breastfeeding should be harmonised for all products on the EU market. Metamizole medicines are marketed in many EU Member States to treat severe pain and fever that cannot be controlled with other treatments.
