Alkermes Receives FDA Fast Track Designation for Nemvaleukin Alfa for the Treatment of Mucosal Melanoma

Alkermes plc announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to nemvaleukin alfa (nemvaleukin), the company’s novel, investigational engineered interleukin-2 (IL-2) variant immunotherapy, for the treatment of mucosal melanoma. Earlier this year, the FDA also granted orphan drug designation to nemvaleukin for the treatment of mucosal melanoma. The company recently initiated enrollment in ARTISTRY-6, a global phase 2 trial evaluating the anti-tumor activity, safety and tolerability of nemvaleukin monotherapy in patients with melanoma who have been previously treated with anti-PD-(L)1 therapy. The study is evaluating intravenously administered nemvaleukin in patients with mucosal melanoma and subcutaneously administered nemvaleukin in patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma.

“Receiving Fast Track designation from the FDA for nemvaleukin for the treatment of mucosal melanoma is an important milestone for the nemvaleukin development program and underscores nemvaleukin’s potential clinical utility to address an unmet medical need in this difficult-to-treat tumor type,” said Craig Hopkinson, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of Research & Development at Alkermes. “We are committed to advancing this important research in mucosal melanoma, a rare and aggressive form of melanoma for which there are very limited treatment options, particularly for those patients previously treated with checkpoint inhibitors.”

Fast Track is an FDA process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of potential therapies that seek to treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need. A drug candidate that receives Fast Track designation is eligible for more frequent communication with the FDA throughout the drug development process and a rolling and/or priority review of its marketing application if relevant criteria are met.