All NewsBio/Pharma News
All PublicationsPharmTechPharmTech Europe
MarketplaceICH Q9 Revision: A Comprehensive Resource on Quality Risk ManagementPeer-Reviewed ResearchPharmTech ProductsPharma InsightsSponsored PodcastsSponsored VideosSponsored eBooksWhitepapers
Webcasts
All VideosAsk the ExpertBehind The HeadlinesBuy, Sell, HoldDrug Digest VideosDrug Solutions PodcastPeer ExchangeSexy ScienceTech Talk
Conference CoverageConference ListingEvents
Subscribe
AnalyticsAnalyticsAnalytics
Data and Artificial Intelligence
Dosage FormsDosage FormsDosage FormsDosage FormsDosage Forms
Drug DevelopmentDrug DevelopmentDrug DevelopmentDrug DevelopmentDrug DevelopmentDrug Development
ManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturing
OutsourcingOutsourcingOutsourcingOutsourcingOutsourcingOutsourcingOutsourcing
Quality SystemsQuality SystemsQuality SystemsQuality Systems
Spotlight -
  • Analytics
  • Dosage Forms
  • Drug Development
  • Manufacturing
  • Outsourcing
  • Quality Systems
IS1
  • Applied Clinical Trials

  • BioPharm International

  • Cannabis Science and Technology

  • Chromatography Online

  • Nutritional Outlook

  • Pharmaceutical Commerce

  • Pharmaceutical Executive

  • Pharm Tech

  • Spectroscopy Online

  • Turbo Machinery Magazine

AnalyticsAnalyticsAnalytics
Data and Artificial Intelligence
Dosage FormsDosage FormsDosage FormsDosage FormsDosage Forms
Drug DevelopmentDrug DevelopmentDrug DevelopmentDrug DevelopmentDrug DevelopmentDrug Development
ManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturingManufacturing
OutsourcingOutsourcingOutsourcingOutsourcingOutsourcingOutsourcingOutsourcing
Quality SystemsQuality SystemsQuality SystemsQuality Systems
IS1
  • Applied Clinical Trials

  • BioPharm International

  • Cannabis Science and Technology

  • Chromatography Online

  • Nutritional Outlook

  • Pharmaceutical Commerce

  • Pharmaceutical Executive

  • Pharm Tech

  • Spectroscopy Online

  • Turbo Machinery Magazine

    • Webcasts
    • Subscribe
Advertisement

News

Article

December 16, 2024

Several Orphan Drugs Among Medicines Recommended for Approval by EMA in December

Author(s):

Susan Haigney

EMA recommended 17 drugs for marketing authorization in December, including treatments for rare heart conditions, anemia, and liver disease.

Text sign showing Industry News. Business photo text delivering news to the general public or a target public | Image Credit: © Artur - © Artur - stock.adobe.com

Text sign showing Industry News. Business photo text delivering news to the general public or a target public | Image Credit: © Artur - © Artur - stock.adobe.com

The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA’s) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended 17 drugs for market authorization at its December meeting, EMA announced on Dec. 13, 2024. The approvals include five orphan drug recommendations and six biosimilar recommendations.

Among the approval recommendations is a monoclonal antibody, Kavigale (sipavibart), for COVID-19 prevention in immunocompromised people aged 12 and older. “Following the recommendation for approval of Kavigale, EMA’s Emergency Task Force (ETF) has issued an updated statement on the loss of activity of anti-spike protein monoclonal antibodies due to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and recommends healthcare professionals to check the current epidemiological situation in their region,” the agency stated in a press release (1). Kostaive (zapomeran), a self-amplifying messenger RNA vaccine, was also recommended for the prevention of COVID-19.

Orphan drugs recommended by CHMP include the following:

  • Andembry(garadacimab), which prevents recurrent attacks of hereditary angioedema
  • Beyonttra (acoramidis), which treats a wild-type or variant transthyretin amyloidosis in adult patients with cardiomyopathy
  • Rytelo(imetelstat), which treats adults with transfusion-dependent anemia due to very low, low, or intermediate risk myelodysplastic syndromes
  • Seladelpar Gilead(seladelpar lysine dihydrate), which treats primary biliary cholangitis
  • Emcitate(tiratricol), which treats peripheral thyrotoxicosis in patients with Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome.

The following six biosimilars were recommended for authorization:

  • Avtozma (tocilizumab) was given positive recommendation for treating rheumatoid arthritis, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, giant cell arteritis, chimeric antigen T cell (CAR-T cell)-induced severe or life-threatening cytokine release syndrome and COVID-19.
  • Eydenzelt (aflibercept) treats eye diseases such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration, macular oedema secondary to retinal vein occlusion, diabetic macular oedema, and myopic choroidal neovascularization.
  • Osenvelt (denosumab) prevents bone complications in adults with advanced bone cancer and treats adults and skeletally mature adolescents with giant cell bone tumors.
  • Stoboclo (denosumab) treats osteoporosis in menopausal women, bone loss linked to hormone ablation in men at increased risk of fractures, and bone loss associated with long-term treatment with systemic glucocorticoid.
  • Yesintek (ustekinumab) treats adults and children with plaque psoriasis and adults with psoriatic arthritis or Crohn’s disease.
  • Zefylti (filgrastim) treats neutropenia and the mobilization of peripheral blood progenitor cells.

Other positive opinions given by CHMP include:

  • Nemluvio (nemolizumab), which treats atopic dermatitis and prurigo nodularis
  • Welireg(belzutifan), to treat tumors associated with von Hippel-Lindau disease and advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma
  • Paxneury (guanfacine), which treats children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
  • Tuzulby (methylphenidate hydrochloride) to treat children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The December recommendations bring the total of drugs recommended for approval by CHMP for 2024 to 114.

CHMP also extended recommendations for several drugs, including Ofev for the treatment of progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) in children and adolescents, Blincyto, Bridion, Flucelvax Tetra, Jemperli, Omvoh, Rekambys, and Vocabria.

Also during the December meeting, CHMP chose to withdraw Alofisel (darvadstrocel) from the market after data showed its effectiveness was not what had been anticipated. Alofisel had been approved to treat complex anal fistulas in adults with Crohn’s disease.

Reference

1. EMA. Meeting highlights from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use(CHMP) 9-12 December 2024. Press Release. Dec. 13, 2024.

Newsletter

Get the essential updates shaping the future of pharma manufacturing and compliance—subscribe today to Pharmaceutical Technology and never miss a breakthrough.

Subscribe Now!
Related Videos
A global supply chain map, visualizing the complex network of transportation routes and distribution centers | Image Credit: © venusvi - stock.adobe.com
Shortcut from point A to point B | Image Credit: © Olivier Le Moal - stock.adobe.com
Behind the Headlines, Episode 21: Waters-BD Merger, Merck’s $10B Bet, and Biotech’s Investment Frontiers
Wooden blocks spelling TARIFFS are placed on a map of North America, specifically over the United States and Mexico | Image Credit: © Rokas - stock.adobe.com
Jason Waite, International Trade Expert, Alston & Bird
Simona Guidi, Associate Director, ProPharma
Tore Bergsteiner
Behind the Headlines, Episode 20: CAR-T Milestones, Abbvie and Eli Lilly M&A Moves, and More
Related Content
Advertisement
Kratom or Mitragyna speciosa on natural background. | Image Credit: © wasanajai - stock.adobe.com
July 31st 2025

FDA Seeks Scheduling Action to Control Harmful Kratom Plant Byproduct

Patrick Lavery
7-OH and the leaf of the kratom plant are not analogous, but as the former is a derivative of the latter, it has opioid-like qualities that make its susceptibility to abuse concerning.
Drug Solutions Podcast: Growth and Advancements in Fill/Finish
July 31st 2025

Drug Solutions Podcast: Growth and Advancements in Fill/Finish

Felicity Thomas
In this episode, Hanns-Christian Mahler from ten23 Health chats about the advances in fill/finish.
Silver Spring, MD, USA - June 25, 2022: Closeup of the FDA sign seen at its headquarters campus in Silver Spring, Maryland. FDA is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. | Image Credit: © Tada Images - stock.adobe.com
July 31st 2025

3 Reasons FDA Says Quality Investments Are Essential for Drug Manufacturers and Patients

Patrick Lavery
FDA’s latest whitepaper shows how scalable quality management investments in pharma reduce costs, improve reliability, and help prevent drug shortages.
Drug Solutions Podcast: All About Data: Looking at the EHDS in More Detail
July 31st 2025

Drug Solutions Podcast: All About Data: Looking at the EHDS in More Detail

Felicity Thomas
In this episode, Alexander Natz from EUCOPE chats about the European Health Data Space.
Glass vials for liquid samples. | Image Credit: ©nordroden - stock.adobe.com
July 31st 2025

Flexibility Provides Solutions to Small-Batch Manufacturing Challenges

Susan Haigney
Modular process design, single-use technologies, and flexible filling lines are some of the ways manufacturers can combat challenges involved in small-batch manufacturing.
woman face and hand with syringe making injection | Image Credit: © Syda Productions - stock.adobe.com
July 31st 2025

Boehringer Ingelheim, Re-Vana Therapeutics to Collaborate on Long-Acting Ophthalmic Therapies

Patrick Lavery
Re-Vana’s drug delivery technology is designed to release treatments over a 6- to 12-month period, with the goal of reducing frequency of injections for patients.
Related Content
Advertisement
Kratom or Mitragyna speciosa on natural background. | Image Credit: © wasanajai - stock.adobe.com
July 31st 2025

FDA Seeks Scheduling Action to Control Harmful Kratom Plant Byproduct

Patrick Lavery
7-OH and the leaf of the kratom plant are not analogous, but as the former is a derivative of the latter, it has opioid-like qualities that make its susceptibility to abuse concerning.
Drug Solutions Podcast: Growth and Advancements in Fill/Finish
July 31st 2025

Drug Solutions Podcast: Growth and Advancements in Fill/Finish

Felicity Thomas
In this episode, Hanns-Christian Mahler from ten23 Health chats about the advances in fill/finish.
Silver Spring, MD, USA - June 25, 2022: Closeup of the FDA sign seen at its headquarters campus in Silver Spring, Maryland. FDA is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. | Image Credit: © Tada Images - stock.adobe.com
July 31st 2025

3 Reasons FDA Says Quality Investments Are Essential for Drug Manufacturers and Patients

Patrick Lavery
FDA’s latest whitepaper shows how scalable quality management investments in pharma reduce costs, improve reliability, and help prevent drug shortages.
Drug Solutions Podcast: All About Data: Looking at the EHDS in More Detail
July 31st 2025

Drug Solutions Podcast: All About Data: Looking at the EHDS in More Detail

Felicity Thomas
In this episode, Alexander Natz from EUCOPE chats about the European Health Data Space.
Glass vials for liquid samples. | Image Credit: ©nordroden - stock.adobe.com
July 31st 2025

Flexibility Provides Solutions to Small-Batch Manufacturing Challenges

Susan Haigney
Modular process design, single-use technologies, and flexible filling lines are some of the ways manufacturers can combat challenges involved in small-batch manufacturing.
woman face and hand with syringe making injection | Image Credit: © Syda Productions - stock.adobe.com
July 31st 2025

Boehringer Ingelheim, Re-Vana Therapeutics to Collaborate on Long-Acting Ophthalmic Therapies

Patrick Lavery
Re-Vana’s drug delivery technology is designed to release treatments over a 6- to 12-month period, with the goal of reducing frequency of injections for patients.
About Us
Advertise
Contact Us
Editorial Info
Editorial Advisory Board
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
Contact Info

2 Commerce Drive
Cranbury, NJ 08512

609-716-7777

© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.