Guangzhou Xiangxue Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Xiangxue”) received news from Athenex, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATNX) that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing the Company’s New Drug Application (NDA) for oral paclitaxel and encequidar (Oral Paclitaxel) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and has granted the application Priority Review. The FDA grants Priority Review to applications for potential drugs that, if approved, would be significant improvements in the safety or effectiveness of the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of serious conditions when compared to standard applications. Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), the FDA has set a target action date of February 28, 2021. Additionally, the FDA has communicated that it is not currently planning to hold an advisory committee meeting to discuss the application.

The Oral Paclitaxel NDA submission is supported by data from a single pivotal Phase III study of Oral Paclitaxel for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. The study is a randomized, controlled clinical trial designed to compare the safety and efficacy of Oral Paclitaxel monotherapy versus IV paclitaxel monotherapy. The study achieved its primary endpoint showing statistically significant improvement in overall response rate, along with a lower neuropathy, for Oral Paclitaxel compared to IV Paclitaxel.