The FDA has granted Priority Review for the biologics license application (BLA) for Eli Lilly’s olaratumab, a PDGFRα antagonist, in combination with doxorubicin, for the potential treatment of people with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) not amenable to curative treatment with radiotherapy or surgery.

Lilly has received additional designations for olaratumab from the FDA, including Breakthrough Therapy, Fast Track and Orphan Drug, for this indication. According to the FDA, Breakthrough Therapy designation is a process designed to expedite the development of a potential medicine that is intended to treat a serious condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over available therapy on a clinically significant endpoint.

"We are encouraged that the FDA has granted Priority Review for olaratumab as a potential treatment for advanced soft tissue sarcoma," said Richard Gaynor, M.D., senior vice president, product development and medical affairs for Lilly Oncology. "We are hopeful that, if approved, olaratumab will provide a meaningful addition to the limited treatment options for this rare and difficult-to-treat disease."

Providing Priority Review status for olaratumab reinforces that olaratumab is a potential medicine that treats a serious condition and can provide significant improvement in the treatment of people with advanced STS. Submission was completed in the first quarter of 2016.

The BLA submission for olaratumab was based upon the results from a pivotal phase II trial, JGDG, an open-label, randomized study that compared olaratumab in combination with doxorubicin chemotherapy to doxorubicin alone in patients with advanced STS not amenable to curative treatment with surgery or radiotherapy.

Lilly also submitted olaratumab to the EMA in the first quarter of 2016, and the application is currently being reviewed under an accelerated assessment schedule.