USFDA grants priority review for Winrevair label update based on ZENITH Trial: Merck
Rahway: Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted and granted priority review for a new supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) seeking approval to update the U.S. product label based on the Phase 3 ZENITH trial for WINREVAIR (sotatercept-csrk).
In 2024, WINREVAIR was approved for the treatment of adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, Group 1 PH) to increase exercise capacity, improve WHO functional class (FC), and reduce the risk of clinical worsening events.
The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), or target action date, of Oct. 25, 2025.
The sBLA is based on data from the Phase 3 ZENITH trial. The ZENITH trial was the first PAH Phase 3 outcome study to use a primary endpoint comprised entirely of major morbidity and mortality events. It was also the first PAH Phase 3 study stopped early by an independent data monitoring committee for overwhelming efficacy. In ZENITH, WINREVAIR demonstrated a 76% reduction in the risk of a composite of all-cause death, lung transplantation, and hospitalization for PAH ≥24 hours compared to placebo. Improvement was observed early in treatment with increasing benefit throughout the study. The safety profile of WINREVAIR in ZENITH was generally consistent with that observed in previous studies. These results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“We are pleased that the FDA has accepted our sBLA for WINREVAIR and granted a priority review to consider an update to labeling for WINREVAIR to include the impressive results of ZENITH. There remains a significant unmet medical need for patients living with PAH who, despite being on background therapy, remain at higher risk of morbidity and mortality,” said Dr. Joerg Koglin, senior vice president, global clinical development, Merck Research Laboratories. “The FDA’s Priority Review designation acceptance of our sBLA reinforces our confidence in WINREVAIR for a broad range of patients and represents a critical step toward advancing the treatment of PAH.”
WINREVAIR is currently approved in more than 45 countries based on the results from the STELLAR trial. WINREVAIR is the subject of a licensing agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare, progressive and life-threatening blood vessel disorder characterized by the constriction of small pulmonary arteries and elevated blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation. The disease progresses rapidly for many patients. PAH results in significant strain on the heart, leading to limited physical activity, heart failure and reduced life expectancy. The five-year mortality rate for patients with PAH is approximately 43%.
