Overview

On 13 November 2013, orphan designation (EU/3/13/1208) was granted by the European Commission to Katairo GmbH, Germany, for soraprazan for the treatment of Stargardt's disease.

Stargardt's disease is a genetic (hereditary) disorder of the eye that leads to progressive loss of sight. Stargardt's disease is caused by abnormalities in a gene called ABCA4. The ABCA4 gene is responsible for the production of a protein called ABCR that regulates the transport of substances in and out of some cells in the retina (the light-sensitive surface at the back of the eye). In patients with Stargardt's disease, ABCR does not work properly. This causes deposits to build up inside the retina cells, which become damaged and eventually die.

Stargardt's disease is a long-term debilitating disease because the patient's sight becomes progressively worse and eventually leads to blindness.

At the time of designation, Stargardt's disease affected approximately 1 to 1.3 in 10,000 people in the European Union (EU). This was equivalent to a total of between 51,000 and 67,000 people*, and is below the ceiling for orphan designation, which is 5 people in 10,000. This is based on the information provided by the sponsor and the knowledge of the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP).

*Disclaimer: For the purpose of the designation, the number of patients affected by the condition is estimated and assessed on the basis of data from the European Union (EU 28), Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. This represents a population of 512,200,000 (Eurostat 2013).

At the time of submission of the application for orphan designation, no satisfactory methods were authorised in the EU for the treatment of Stargardt's disease.

Soraprazan is expected to be able to enter the cells of the retina, where it attaches to the abnormal deposits that damage the retina cells. Although the way it works is not fully understood, soraprazan is thought to cause the deposits to break up and partly dissolve. The broken-down deposits can then be expelled by the cell's own natural mechanisms, reducing their build-up and therefore the damage to the cell.

At the time of submission of the application for orphan designation, the evaluation of the effects of soraprazan in experimental models was ongoing.

At the time of submission, no clinical trials with soraprazan in patients with Stargardt's disease had been started.

At the time of submission, soraprazan was not authorised anywhere in the EU for Stargardt's disease or designated as an orphan medicinal product elsewhere for this condition.

In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 141/2000 of 16 December 1999, the COMP adopted a positive opinion on 9 October 2013 recommending the granting of this designation.

  • the seriousness of the condition;
  • the existence of alternative methods of diagnosis, prevention or treatment;
  • either the rarity of the condition (affecting not more than 5 in 10,000 people in the EU) or insufficient returns on investment.

Designated orphan medicinal products are products that are still under investigation and are considered for orphan designation on the basis of potential activity. An orphan designation is not a marketing authorisation. As a consequence, demonstration of quality, safety and efficacy is necessary before a product can be granted a marketing authorisation.

EU/3/13/1208: Public summary of opinion on orphan designation: Soraprazan for the treatment of Stargardt’s disease

AdoptedReference Number: EMA/COMP/631348/2013

English (EN) (109.97 KB - PDF)

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Key facts

Active substance
Soraprazan
Intended use
Treatment of Stargardt's disease
Orphan designation status
Positive
EU designation number
EU/3/13/1208
Date of designation
Sponsor

Katairo GmbH
Lederstrasse 21
72127 Kusterdingen
Germany
Tel. +49 7071 5496184
Fax +49 7071 5496183
E-mail: info@katairo.com

Review of designation

The Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products reviews the orphan designation of a product if it is approved for marketing authorisation.

EMA list of opinions on orphan medicinal product designation

EMA publishes information on orphan medicinal product designation adopted by the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) on the IRIS online platform:

Patients' organisations

For contact details of patients’ organisations whose activities are targeted at rare diseases, see:

  • Orphanet, a database containing information on rare diseases, which includes a directory of patients’ organisations registered in Europe.

  • European Organisation for Rare Diseases (EURORDIS), a non-governmental alliance of patient organisations and individuals active in the field of rare diseases.

EU register of orphan medicines

The list of medicines that have received an orphan designation in the EU is available on the European Commission's website:

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