Medicine:First-in-class medication
A first-in-class medication is a prototype drug that uses a "new and unique mechanism of action" to treat a particular medical condition.[1] While the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research tracks first-in-class medications and reports on them annually, first-in-class is not considered a regulatory category. Although many first-in-class medications qualify as breakthrough therapies, Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapies or orphan drugs, first-in-class status itself has no regulatory effect.
Examples
| Drug | Class | Targeted conditions | Year approved
(FDA) |
Year approved
(EMA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inotuzumab ozogamicin
(Besponsa) |
Anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody-drug conjugate | Relapsed or refractory B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia[2] | 2017 | |
| Tagraxofusp
(Elzonris) |
Interleukin 3-diphtheria toxin fusion protein targeting plasmacytoid dendritic cells | Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm | 2018 | 2021 |
| Midostaurin
(Rydapt) |
Multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor not inhibited by the D816V cKit mutation | Systemic mastocytosis, myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia[3] | 2017 | 2017[4] |
| Teprotumumab
(Tepezza) |
Anti-IGF-1R monoclonal antibody | Graves' ophthalmopathy[5] | 2020 | |
| Romosozumab
(Evenity) |
Anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody | Osteoporosis[6] | 2019 | 2019 |
| Ocrelizumab
(Ocrevus) |
Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody | Multiple sclerosis[7] | 2017 | 2018 |
| Ivosidenib
(Tibsovo) |
Small molecule inhibitor of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 | Acute myeloid leukemia, cholangiocarcinoma[8] | 2018 | 2023 |
| Bempedoic acid
(Nexletol) |
Adenosine triphosphate-citrate lyase inhibitor | Hypercholesterolemia[9] | 2020 | 2020 |
| Tafamidis
(Vyndaqel, Vyndamax) |
Transthyretin chaperone (stabilizer) | Familial amyloid polyneuropathy and other transthyretin amyloidoses[10] | 2011 | 2019 |
| Voxelotor
(Oxbryta) |
Hemoglobin oxygen affinity modulator | Sickle cell disease[11] | 2019 | |
| Lonafarnib
(Zokinvy) |
Farnesyltransferase inhibitor | Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome[12] | 2020 | 2022 |
| Dupilumab
(Dupixent) |
Interleukin-4 receptor alpha subunit inhibitor | Asthma, atopic dermatitis, allergic diseases[13] | 2017 | |
| Lasmiditan
(Reyvow) |
Selective 5-HT1F serotonin receptor agonist | Migraine[14] | 2019 | 2022 |
| Tazemetostat
(Tazverik) |
Selective EZH2 inhibitor | Epithelioid sarcoma[15] | 2020 | |
| Tirzepatide
(Mounjaro) |
GLP-1 and GIP activator | adult type 2 diabetes[16] | 2022 | 2022 |
Controversy
Safety
By definition, a first-in-class drug does not have the safety evidence from analogous products that not-first-in-class drugs would have. However, a study investigating recalls and warnings in relation to first-in-class drugs approved between 1997 and 2012 by Health Canada has found that first-in-class drugs actually have a more favourable benefit-to-harm ratio.[17]
Economics
First-in-class drugs are often seen as commercially more attractive as they may tap into a market segment that has hitherto been underserved, but this may be illusory.[18] In fact, most blockbuster drugs (drugs with annual sales revenues exceeding US$1,000,000,000) were not first-in-class drugs.[18] The economic potential of a first-in-class drug, which is typically priced higher than later drugs in the same class, has been largely declining due to efforts by health insurers to restrict what specialty drugs are covered and prevent incumbency advantages.[19]
Costs
A lower number of available therapeutic options correlates with higher prices.[20] In addition, many first-in-class medications are specialty drugs and orphan drugs,[21] which means that manufacturers have to recoup development costs from a smaller market.[22] This raises ethical questions about the sustainability of the high prices on these costs.[23][24]
References
- ↑ Lanthier, Michael; Miller, Kathleen L.; Nardinelli, Clark; Woodcock, Janet (1 August 2013). "An Improved Approach To Measuring Drug Innovation Finds Steady Rates Of First-In-Class Pharmaceuticals, 1987–2011". Health Affairs 32 (8): 1433–1439. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0541. ISSN 0278-2715. PMID 23918488. https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0541.
- ↑ "BESPONSA 1 mg powder for concentrate for solution for infusion - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) - (emc)". https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/33679.
- ↑ "Rydapt: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Warnings" (in en). https://www.drugs.com/rydapt.html.
- ↑ "Rydapt | European Medicines Agency". 30 April 2018. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/rydapt.
- ↑ Office of the Commissioner (24 March 2020). "FDA approves first treatment for thyroid eye disease" (in en). https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-treatment-thyroid-eye-disease.
- ↑ Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (24 January 2020). "New Drug Therapy Approvals 2019" (in en). FDA. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/new-drugs-fda-cders-new-molecular-entities-and-new-therapeutic-biological-products/new-drug-therapy-approvals-2019.
- ↑ "Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) Injection". https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/nda/2017/761053Orig1s000TOC.cfm.
- ↑ "Search Orphan Drug Designations and Approvals". https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/opdlisting/oopd/detailedIndex.cfm?cfgridkey=481515.
- ↑ "DailyMed - NEXLETOL- bempedoic acid tablet, film coated". https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=88d06d89-a3da-40b4-b273-8f4f7d56c4c9.
- ↑ "Tafamidis Monograph for Professionals" (in en). https://www.drugs.com/monograph/tafamidis.html.
- ↑ "DailyMed - OXBRYTA- voxelotor tablet, film coated". https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=3c557fac-29ec-483f-b691-8a935d4decc3.
- ↑ "DailyMed - ZOKINVY- lonafarnib capsule". https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=956a142f-35d6-4fe3-8aef-7e4878d275ed.
- ↑ "DailyMed - DUPIXENT- dupilumab injection, solution". https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=595f437d-2729-40bb-9c62-c8ece1f82780.
- ↑ "DailyMed - Search Results for Lasmiditan". https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=Lasmiditan.
- ↑ "Tazemetostat Monograph for Professionals" (in en). https://www.drugs.com/monograph/tazemetostat.html.
- ↑ "FDA Approves Novel, Dual-Targeted Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes" (in en). 13 May 2022. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-novel-dual-targeted-treatment-type-2-diabetes.
- ↑ Lexchin, Joel (November 2016). "How Safe and Innovative Are First-in-Class Drugs Approved by Health Canada: A Cohort Study". Healthcare Policy 12 (2): 65–75. ISSN 1715-6572. PMID 28032825.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Schulze, Ulrik; Ringel, Michael (1 June 2013). "What matters most in commercial success: first-in-class or best-in-class?" (in en). Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 12 (6): 419–420. doi:10.1038/nrd4035. ISSN 1474-1784. PMID 23722339. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd4035.
- ↑ Longman, Roger (20 July 2015). "The Shrinking Value of Best-in-Class and First-in-Class Drugs". https://invivo.pharmaintelligence.informa.com/IV004399/The-Shrinking-Value-Of-Best-In-Class-And-First-In-Class-Drugs.
- ↑ Kwa, Michael C.; Tegtmeyer, Kyle; Welty, Leah J.; Raney, Sam G.; Luke, Markham C.; Xu, Shuai; Kong, Betty (1 October 2020). "The relationship between the number of available therapeutic options and government payer (medicare part D) spending on topical drug products" (in en). Archives of Dermatological Research 312 (8): 559–565. doi:10.1007/s00403-020-02042-9. ISSN 1432-069X. PMID 32055932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-020-02042-9.
- ↑ Chambers, James D.; Thorat, Teja; Wilkinson, Colby L.; Neumann, Peter J. (1 August 2017). "Drugs Cleared Through The FDA's Expedited Review Offer Greater Gains Than Drugs Approved By Conventional Process". Health Affairs 36 (8): 1408–1415. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2016.1541. ISSN 0278-2715. PMID 28784733.
- ↑ Lieberman, Steven M.; Ginsburg, Paul B.; Patel, Kavita K. (2020). "Balancing Lower U.S. Prescription Drug Prices And Innovation – Part 1 | Health Affairs Blog" (in en). Health Affairs Forefront. doi:10.1377/forefront.20201123.804451. https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20201123.804451/full/.
- ↑ Herper, Matthew (23 December 2019). "The debate over America's drug-pricing system is built on myths" (in en-US). https://www.statnews.com/2019/12/23/debate-over-us-drug-pricing-system-time-to-face-reality/.
- ↑ Greene, Jan (January 2017). "EpiPen Controversy Reveals Complexity Behind Drug Price Tags" (in English). Annals of Emergency Medicine 69 (1): A16–A19. doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2016.10.025. ISSN 0196-0644. https://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(16)31329-4/fulltext.
