Zai Lab Limited announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to ZL-1310, a potential highly active first-in-class DLL3 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), for the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
“Receiving an Orphan Drug Designation for ZL-1310 recognizes its potential to treat patients with SCLC. These patients have an urgent need for innovative treatment options with improved efficacy, safety and ready access in tertiary care and community settings,” said Rafael G. Amado, M.D., President, Head of Global Research and Development, Zai Lab. “ZL-1310 has demonstrated promising objective response rates and a favorable safety profile from the ongoing Phase 1 trial in patients with recurrent SCLC recently disclosed. We look forward to continuing to advance the clinical development of this promising asset across lines of therapy in SCLC and other DLL3-expressing tumors.”
ZL-1310 will be eligible for certain development incentives, including a waiver of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act registration application fee, tax credits for certain clinical trials and the potential to receive a seven-year U.S. market exclusivity period granted upon product approval.
This important regulatory designation follows promising data from the ongoing global Phase 1a/1b study in patients with previously treated extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC) after at least one prior platinum-based chemotherapy regimen, which was presented at the EORTC-NCI-AACR (ENA) Symposium 2024 in October 2024.