Pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG) is the most common form of pediatric brain cancer. Day One’s OJEMDA™ is the first targeted treatment for pLGG tumors with BRAF fusions and mutations.
Last week, on April 23, 2024, Day One Biopharmaceuticals was granted Accelerated Approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for OJEMDA™ (tovorafenib). This new treatment is targeted for relapsed or refractory pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG) in patients aged 6 months and older with a BRAF fusion or rearrangement, or BRAF V600 mutation.
This FDA approval marks a significant advancement for children battling pLGG, providing a targeted treatment option. Jeremy Bender, Ph.D., CEO of Day One, expressed gratitude to the pLGG community, including patients, families, clinicians, and advocacy groups, for their collaboration and support in bridging the innovation gap for children awaiting new treatments. The approval of OJEMDA™ is an amazing milestone in pediatric cancer drug development, offering new hope for children and their loved ones facing a pLGG diagnosis.
We are proud to celebrate Day One’s Co-Founder, Dr. Blackman, who also serves on the CureSearch Board of Directors.
Day One Biopharmaceuticals describes itself as a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company that believes when it comes to pediatric cancer, we can do better. The company was founded to address a critical unmet need: the dire lack of therapeutic development in pediatric cancer. Day One’s values tie closely to ours, as we accelerate the development of new childhood cancer treatments and address areas of unmet need in childhood cancer. Co-Founder and Head of Research and Development, Dr. Blackman, serves on our CureSearch Board of Directors and has been instrumental to our impact, including playing a leading role in organizing our annual Pediatric Early Development Symposium. PEDS is a one-of-its kind collaborative meeting that brings together key players from across the global pediatric oncology arena to accelerate the pace of pediatric cancer drug development.
Prior to co-founding Day One, Dr. Blackman held various biotech leadership roles, including serving as Head of Clinical Development at Mavupharma, a drug discovery company focused on leveraging the immune system to treat cancer and infectious diseases. Prior to Mavupharma, he was Head of Clinical Development at Silverback Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing tissue-targeted therapeutics. He is a graduate of the pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship program at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital Boston, and the pediatric residency program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Blackman has served on the CureSearch Board of Directors since 2021 and previously served as Chair of the CureSearch Industry Advisory Council.
To learn more about Day One and OJEMDA™, including important safety guidelines, see the full announcement from Day One here.
May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month. CureSearch is actively funding 10 brain tumor-related projects. Learn more about our research projects here.
