Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Announces Extension Of FUSILEV® (levoleucovorin) For Injection Patent Until 2022

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGS: SPPI), a biotechnology company with fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary focus in hematology and oncology, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has extended by more than two years U.S. Patent No. 6,500,829, which covers FUSILEV ^® (levoleucovorin) for injection. The extension was granted through the Hatch-Waxman Act and extends the original December 31, 2019 expiration date to March 7, 2022.

“The extension of the FUSILEV patent is an important development for Spectrum, adding more than two years of exclusive commercial rights for our top-selling oncology product,” stated Rajesh C. Shrotriya, M.D., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “We estimate that 50% of physicians treating colorectal cancer patients have not yet been contacted by a Spectrum sales representative. Through the expansion and realignment of our sales organization, we are able to contact more of these clinicians and expect to see further growth in the coming years.”

About FUSILEV ^® (levoleucovorin) for injection

FUSILEV, a novel folate analog, is approved as a ready-to-use solution (FUSILEV ^® Injection), and as freeze-dried powder (FUSILEV for Injection). FUSILEV is indicated for use in combination chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil in the palliative treatment of patients with advanced metastatic colorectal cancer. FUSILEV is also indicated for rescue after high-dose methotrexate therapy in osteosarcoma. FUSILEV is also indicated to diminish the toxicity and counteract the effects of impaired methotrexate elimination and of inadvertent overdosage of folic acid antagonists. FUSILEV, under various trade names, is marketed outside the United States by Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, and Takeda.

Important FUSILEV ^® (levoleucovorin) Safety Considerations

FUSILEV is dosed at one-half the usual dose of racemic d,l-leucovorin. FUSILEV is contraindicated for patients who have had previous allergic reactions attributed to folic acid or folinic acid. Due to calcium content, no more than 16-mL (160-mg) of levoleucovorin solution should be injected intravenously per minute. FUSILEV enhances the toxicity of fluorouracil. Concomitant use of d,l-leucovorin with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in HIV patients was associated with increased rates of treatment failure in a placebo-controlled study. Allergic reactions were reported in patients receiving FUSILEV. Vomiting (38%), stomatitis (38%) and nausea (19%) were reported in patients receiving FUSILEV as rescue after high dose methotrexate therapy. The most common adverse reactions ( > 50%) in patients with advanced colorectal cancer receiving FUSILEV in combination with 5-fluorouracil were diarrhea, nausea and stomatitis. FUSILEV may counteract the antiepileptic effect of phenobarbital, phenytoin and primidone, and increase the frequency of seizures in susceptible patients.

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