Hedgehog blocker wins Priority Review from US FDA

The US Food and Drug Administration has awarded New York-based Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Priority Review designation for glasdegib, an oral smoothened (SMO) inhibitor.

The candidate, which is thought to disrupt the body’s ‘Hedgehog’ pathway, is being evaluated as a first-line therapy for adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), in combination with chemo.

The firm’s chief development officer for oncology, Mace Rothenberg, said: “Patients with acute myeloid leukemia who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy are in critical need of new treatment options to improve their overall survival.”