Janssen submits supplemental new drug application to FDA seeking expanded pediatric indication for HIV-1 therapy Edurant

The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced the submission of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the FDA seeking to expand the indication of Edurant (rilpivirine) to include the treatment of HIV-1 infection in children weighing 10 kg or more. A parallel Marketing Authorization application has also been submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in support of a type II variation and line extension for expanded pediatric use in Europe. These applications reflect Janssen’s longstanding commitment to address the needs of adults, adolescents and children affected by the global HIV epidemic.

If the new applications are approved, Edurant, a product of Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, could be administered to younger pediatric patients via standard 25 mg tablets or new 2.5 mg tablets for oral dispersion that were developed to aid administration and weight-adjusted dosing for children.

The expanded pediatric applications are supported by data from the Phase II PAINT (NCT00799864) and PICTURE (NCT04012931) studies, which showed that Edurant in combination with other antiretroviral therapies, effectively maintains or suppresses the virus in treatment-experienced and treatment-naive pediatric patients, respectively. Given these data, Janssen is seeking an expanded indication to allow use in treatment-naïve children (with HIV-1 RNA <100,000 copies/mL) and treatment-experienced virologically suppressed children (with HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL) weighing 10 kg or more.