Acadia Pharmaceuticals announced last Friday that the FDA approved DAYBUE (trofinetide) for the treatment of Rett syndrome in adult and pediatric patients two years of age and older.
DAYBUE is the first and only drug approved for the treatment of Rett syndrome.
“Today marks an important milestone for the Rett community and Acadia. As the first FDA-approved drug for the treatment of Rett syndrome, DAYBUE now offers the potential to make meaningful differences in the lives of patients and their families who have lacked options to treat the diverse and debilitating array of symptoms caused by Rett syndrome,” said Steve Davis, CEO of Acadia. “We are grateful to all of the Rett syndrome patients, caregivers, clinical investigators, and our employees who have contributed to making today a reality and look forward to getting DAYBUE to patients as quickly as possible.”
Rett syndrome is a complex, rare, neurodevelopmental disorder typically caused by a genetic mutation on the MECP2 gene. It is characterized by a period of normal development until six to 18 months of age, followed by significant developmental regression with loss of acquired communication skills and purposeful hand use. Symptoms of Rett syndrome may also include development of hand stereotypies, such as hand wringing and clapping, and gait abnormalities. Rett syndrome is believed to affect 6,000 to 9,000 patients in the United States, with a diagnosed population of approximately 4,500 U.S. patients.
The FDA approval of DAYBUE was supported by results from the pivotal Phase III LAVENDER study evaluating the efficacy and safety of trofinetide versus placebo in 187 female patients with Rett syndrome five to 20 years of age. In the study, treatment with DAYBUE demonstrated statistically significant improvement compared to placebo on both co-primary efficacy endpoints, as measured by the change from baseline in Rett Syndrome Behavior Questionnaire (RSBQ) total score (p=0.018) and the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale score (p=0.003) at week 12. The RSBQ is a caregiver assessment that evaluates a range of symptoms of Rett syndrome including vocalizations, facial expressions, eye gaze, hand movements (or stereotypies), repetitive behaviors, breathing, night-time behaviors, and mood. The CGI-I is a global physician assessment of whether a patient has improved or worsened. In the study, the most common side effects were diarrhea (82%) and vomiting (29%).
“This is a historic day for the Rett syndrome community and a meaningful moment for the patients and caregivers who have eagerly awaited the arrival of an approved treatment for this condition,” said Melissa Kennedy, CEO of the International Rett Syndrome Foundation.
The NDA of trofinetide was accepted by the FDA for filing and review in September 2022. The company expects DAYBUE to be available by the end of April 2023.
