Cancer Drug Enfortumab Vedotin Receives FDA Designation

The FDA granted a breakthrough therapy designation for Astellas Pharma and Seattle Genetics’ antibody-drug conjugate, enfortumab vedotin. The drug is intended for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who were previously being treated with checkpoint inhibitors.

The treatment targets Nectin-4, a cell adhesion molecule that Astellas determined to be expressed on many solid tumors. The technology, developed by Seattle Genetics, uses the targeting ability of antibodies to apply cell-killing agents to cancer cells.

The drug’s effectiveness is also being evaluated in other tumors, such as ovarian and non-small cell lung carcinoma.