FDA to discuss anti-NGF safety in March

FDA's Arthritis Advisory Committee will meet on March 12 to discuss safety issues possibly related to anti- nerve growth factor (NGF) compounds. The agency will ask the committee to determine whether reports of joint destruction indicate a safety signal for the class and whether the risk-benefit balance for these compounds favors continued development as analgesics. The meeting had been scheduled for last September, but was postponed to give the agency more time to review new information submitted by IND holders of anti-NGF candidates. In 2010, FDA placed clinical holds on at least three anti-NGF pain candidates due to safety concerns for the class (see BioCentury Extra, Sept. 9, 2011). ...