The European Medicines Agency has begun a formal review of Tavneos (avacopan) after emerging information raised questions about the integrity of key clinical trial data supporting its EU authorisation, with potential implications for adults living with rare autoimmune vasculitis.

EMA starts review of Tavneos for rare autoimmune diseases GPA and MPA

Medicines

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) says its Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has started a review of Tavneos, a medicine authorised in the EU for adults with severe, active granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) or microscopic polyangiitis (MPA).

The review follows concerns about the reliability of information from the Advocate study, the main study used to support the medicine’s EU authorisation. For patients and families, reviews like this are a routine part of oversight and are designed to ensure decisions remain based on dependable evidence. People should not stop or change treatment without speaking with their clinical team.

According to the EMA, Tavneos was authorised in January 2022 based largely on the 331‑patient Advocate study, which compared Tavneos with high‑dose corticosteroids, with both given alongside standard treatment (either rituximab or cyclophosphamide followed by azathioprine).

The EMA says the way the study data were handled before authorisation may have affected conclusions about how well the medicine works. This focus on data quality and transparency is also central to ERDERA’s commitment to rigorous clinical research that people living with a rare disease can trust.

The EMA will now assess all available evidence and will recommend whether Tavneos’ EU authorisation should stay as it is, be changed, or be paused or withdrawn. The procedure was started at the request of the European Commission under Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004. Read the EMA announcement on the Tavneos review for details, follow updates via EMA news, or contact the Agency using the EMA online enquiry form.

News & Updates

You might also be interested in

This initiative is also highly relevant from a rare diseases perspective, as paediatric cancers are rare conditions where small patient populations make robust non‑clinical proof‑of‑concept data essential for responsible and ethical trial initiation.
For rare diseases, where research often relies on limited animal models and small development teams, the regulatory acceptance of virtual control groups could help streamline early non‑clinical studies while maintaining a strong focus on patient safety.
Bringing clinicians, researchers, patient representatives and families together, the event examined how shorter diagnostic pathways depend not only on better tests, but on shared expertise, structured phenotyping and patient-centred support.
ERDERA and the European Genomic Data Infrastructure have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen collaboration on secure cross-border access to genomic, clinical and other health-related data, supporting rare disease research and the development of personalised medicine in Europe.