ImmunityBio Addresses FDA Correspondence and Reaffirms Commitment to Advertising Compliance
- Company initiated a comprehensive review of promotional materials and is implementing enhanced advertising compliance measures, including expanded promotional review protocols, executive training, and external regulatory oversight
- Company has removed the identified podcast from its corporate website and formally requested its removal from all third-party hosting platforms
- Company confirmed that the television advertisement cited in the FDA correspondence was never broadcast, aired, or disseminated to the public
The response outlines the company's immediate and planned corrective actions and its ongoing commitment to ensuring all promotional communications for ANKTIVA® (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln) are accurate, balanced, and compliant with FDA regulations.
Commitment to Advertising Compliance and Resolution
“ImmunityBio takes promotional compliance with the utmost seriousness,” said
Upon receipt of the letter from OPDP,
The company is implementing a robust suite of corrective actions and compliance enhancements, including mandatory executive training, expanded Promotional Review Committee (PRC) protocols, and the engagement of external regulatory counsel to audit future high-visibility communications.
Clarifying the Context of Scientific Innovation
In its response,
Other key points of clarification include:
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The characterization of the IL-15 molecule, the foundation of ANKTIVA, as a highly promising agent was based on an independent assessment by the
National Cancer Institute (NCI) during itsImmunotherapy Agent Workshop datedJuly 12, 2007 .1 - The discussion focused on the investigational applications of the IL-15 platform across multiple oncology indications, where it is currently being studied under FDA-authorized investigational programs.
- References to "cancer vaccines" were intended to describe the mechanistic potential of immunotherapies that induce memory T cells, a fundamental goal of the company’s long-term research strategy, as stated in multiple scientific publications.2
About ANKTIVA® (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln)
The cytokine interleukin-15 (IL-15) plays a crucial role in the immune system by affecting the development, maintenance, and function of key immune cells—NK and CD8+ killer T cells—that are involved in killing cancer cells. By activating NK cells, ANKTIVA® overcomes the tumor escape phase of clones resistant to T cells and restores memory T cell activity with resultant prolonged duration of complete response. ANKTIVA® is a first-in-class IL-15 agonist IgG1 fusion complex, consisting of an IL-15 mutant (IL-15N72D) fused with an IL-15 receptor alpha, which binds with high affinity to IL-15 receptors on NK, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells. This fusion complex of ANKTIVA® mimics the natural biological properties of the membrane-bound IL-15 receptor alpha, delivering IL-15 by dendritic cells and driving the activation and proliferation of NK cells with the generation of memory killer T cells that have retained immune memory against these tumor clones.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
INDICATION AND USAGE: ANKTIVA® is an interleukin-15 (IL-15) receptor agonist indicated with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for the treatment of adult patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (CIS) with or without papillary tumors.
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS: Risk of Metastatic Bladder Cancer with Delayed Cystectomy. Delaying cystectomy can lead to the development of muscle-invasive or metastatic bladder cancer, which can be lethal. If patients with CIS do not have a complete response to treatment after a second induction course of ANKTIVA® with BCG, reconsider cystectomy.
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION: For Intravesical Use Only. Do not administer by subcutaneous or intravenous routes.
Please see the complete Indication and Important Safety Information and Prescribing Information for ANKTIVA® at Anktiva.com.
About
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding our planned corrective actions and compliance enhancements. These statements are based on the Company’s current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, and plans and involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the Company’s ability to successfully execute on these corrective action and compliance enhancement plans and the reliance on the cooperation of third-parties for certain corrective actions. More details about these and other risks that may impact ImmunityBio’s business are described under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on
References:
- Cheever, Martin A. Twelve immunotherapy drugs that could cure cancers. Immunological Reviews. 2008;222(1):357–368. doi:10.1111/j.1600-065X.2008.00604.x.
- Kartikasari AER, Prakash MD, Cox M, Wilson K, Boer JC, Cauchi JA, Plebanski M. Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines—T Cell Responses and Epigenetic Modulation. Front Immunol. 2019 Jan 25;9:3109.
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