Immunotherapy for Uveal Melanoma is on Track for Early Access in the UK

immunocore imcgp100 pim designation

The UK grants Immunocore access to a fast-track scheme that will make its immunotherapy IMCgp100 available to patients with uveal melanoma before approval. 

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has deemed Immunocore’s technology worth being used by patients before it’s approved. The regulatory agency has granted Promising Innovative Medicines (PIM) designation to IMCgp100 for the treatment of metastatic uveal melanoma.

IMCgp100 is a T-cell receptor (TCR) that binds to the glycoprotein gp100 expressed by melanoma cells. It then directs T cells in the body to attack the tumoral cells. The immunotherapy has successfully completed Phase I trials, where, according to Immunocore, the drug was able to nearly double the survival rate after one year — though results were not so positive in terms of stopping the progression of the disease.

By receiving PIM designation, IMCgp100 becomes a candidate to enter the UK’s Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS). This scheme lets patients in the UK start using promising drugs that have not yet received a marketing authorization by the EMA when they address a big medical need. This is clearly the case of uveal melanoma, a form of cancer for which there are no effective treatment options currently available.


Image via Lukas Gojda /Shutterstock

 

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