Critical Path Institute receives FDA Biomarker LOS for DIPI biomarkers

James Spargo | June 14, 2023 | News story | Research and Development Critical Path Institute, Endocrinology, FDA, biomarkers, pancreatic injury 

US-based Critical Path Institute (C-Path) has announced that the Biomarker Qualification Program (BQP) at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) in the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Biomarker Letter of Support (LOS) for four pancreatic injury safety biomarkers identified and evaluated by C-Path’s Predictive Safety Testing Consortium (PSTC)’s Pancreatic Injury Working Group (PIWG).

The biomarkers are microRNAs (miRNAs): miR-216a, miR-216b, miR-217 and miR-375 and, along with amylase and lipase, represent tools to detect drug-induced pancreatic injury (DIPI) in phase 1 clinical trials. It’s now recognised that DIPI biomarkers can lead to earlier detection of potential injury and determine if a novel therapy can be monitored more successfully than current options.

In its LOS, FDA stated, “We support PSTC’s initiative to encourage the voluntary and complementary use of these miRNAs in conjunction with amylase and lipase as exploratory nonclinical and clinical biomarkers of DIPI. We also support PSTC’s generation of additional nonclinical toxicology data and plan for exploratory early clinical studies to enable future formal qualification of these safety biomarkers.”

PSTC executive director Nicholas King MS, stated, “Collaboration and data sharing between PSTC’s members advanced us to this important step in the path to implementing safety biomarkers with the potential to improve detection of DIPI in drug development.”

Warren Glaab PhD, senior director of Systems Toxicology, Nonclinical Drug Safety at Merck & Co. and PSTC PIWG co-chair, commented: “The FDA LOS is a significant milestone demonstrating the added value of emerging safety biomarkers for drug-induced pancreatic injury. This also represents the first endorsement of miRNAs as safety biomarkers to monitor the onset of drug-induced injury. The LOS also provides the foundation for further translation to clinical settings and will further enable clinical qualification of these safety biomarkers.”

Michael Ringenberg PhD, senior scientific director of Pathology at GlaxoSmithKline and PIWG co-chair, said: “Through the identification of promising monitorable parameters, this LOS reinforces our consortia’s commitment to strengthened vigilance over drug safety in patients.”

James Spargo


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