OREANDA-NEWS. October 15, 2015. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced today it has received a Complete Response Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for XELJANZ® (tofacitinib citrate) for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis. The Agency provided recommendations specific to the moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis sNDA. Pfizer will work with the Agency to determine an appropriate path forward to address their comments, including providing additional safety analyses of XELJANZ for the proposed indication.

“Pfizer remains committed to XELJANZ based on the strength of the clinical data for the treatment of psoriasis,” said Kenneth Verburg, PhD, senior vice president and head of global medicines development, Global Innovative Pharma Business. “It is our goal to work closely with the FDA to understand and address their comments about our filing for the use of XELJANZ in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis.”

Psoriasis affects 7.4 million people in the United States.1 The most common form is plaque psoriasis, which affects about 80 percent of people who have the condition.2a Of those, as many as 20 percent have moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis.2b

About XELJANZ

XELJANZ (tofacitinib citrate) is a prescription medicine called a Janus kinase (JAK) Inhibitor.

XELJANZ is the first and only JAK inhibitor approved in over 40 countries around the world for the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a second-line therapy after failure of one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The clinical profile of XELJANZ in RA has been studied in approximately 6,200 patients with approximately 16,800 patient-years of drug exposure in the global clinical development program for XELJANZ in moderate to severe RA.

Pfizer is committed to advancing the science of JAK inhibition and enhancing understanding of XELJANZ through a robust clinical development program in a range of immune-mediated inflammatory conditions in the areas of rheumatology, dermatology and gastroenterology.

XELJANZ U.S. Label Information

XELJANZ is a prescription medicine called a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor. The recommended dose is 5 mg twice-daily (BID). XELJANZ is used to treat adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis in which methotrexate (MTX) did not work well. XELJANZ may be used as a single agent or in combination with MTX or other non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Use of XELJANZ in combination with biologic DMARDs or potent immunosuppressants, such as azathioprine and cyclosporine is not recommended.

  • It is not known if XELJANZ is safe and effective in people with hepatitis B or C.
  • XELJANZ is not for people with severe liver problems.
  • It is not known if XELJANZ is safe and effective in children.

Important Safety Information

It is not known if XELJANZ will harm an unborn baby. To monitor the outcomes of pregnant women exposed to XELJANZ, a registry has been established. Physicians are encouraged to register patients and pregnant women are encouraged to register themselves by calling 1-877-311-8972.

Please click the direct link to the full prescribing information for XELJANZ, including boxed warning and Medication Guide: http://labeling.pfizer.com/ShowLabeling.aspx?id=959.

Pfizer Inc.: Working together for a healthier world®

At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world's best-known consumer health care products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, Pfizer has worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. To learn more, please visit us at www.pfizer.com.

DISCLOSURE NOTICE: The information contained in this release is as of October 14, 2015. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments.

This release contains forward-looking information about XELJANZ, including its potential benefits and a potential indication for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the possibility of unfavorable clinical and non-clinical trial results, including unfavorable new data and additional analyses of existing data; uncertainties regarding the company’s ability to address the comments in the complete response letter to the satisfaction of the FDA; whether and when any applications for XELJANZ may be filed with regulatory authorities in any other jurisdictions; whether and when the FDA or regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions may approve the sNDA or other applications for the potential indication, which will depend on the assessment by such regulatory authorities of the benefit-risk profile suggested by the totality of the efficacy and safety information submitted; decisions by regulatory authorities regarding labeling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of XELJANZ; and competitive developments.

A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Pfizer’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof captioned “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results”, as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov and www.pfizer.com.

____________________

1 Rachakonda T, Schupp CW, Armstrong AW. Psoriasis prevalence among adults in the United States. J Am Acad Dermatol 2014; 70 (3):512-16. [p1/Conclusions]
2 Menter A, Gottlieb A, Feldman SR, et al. Guidelines of care for the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: Section 1. Overview of psoriasis and guidelines of care for the treatment of psoriasis with biologics. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008;58(5):826-50.
  a. p828/col1/par4/ln1-2
  b. p828/col2/par1/ln6-11