Pharmacy Market
PRNewswire | August 08, 2023
Palatin Technologies, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class medicines based on molecules that modulate the activity of the melanocortin receptor system, today announced that it has entered a strategic partnership with UpScriptHealth, a leading direct-to-consumer telemedicine company providing telemedicine services to pharmaceutical and medical technology companies. Under terms of the agreement, UpScriptHealth will make Vyleesi available to the hundreds of thousands of patients in its proprietary Women's Telehealth Platform. Vyleesi is the first and only as-needed treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for premenopausal women with acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD).
"We are excited to partner with UpScriptHealth, a pioneer in telehealth," stated Carl Spana, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Palatin. "This partnership fortifies our existing telehealth programs and provides a platform to create greater awareness of HSDD and access to Vyleesi through UpScriptHealth's patient base of hundreds of thousands of women."
"UpScriptHealth's Women's Telehealth Platform was launched in 2015 to provide women with a convenient way to consult healthcare providers and obtain therapies to improve the quality of their lives," stated Peter Ax, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of UpScriptHealth. "The addition of Vyleesi furthers our female health strategy and provides our patient base with education surrounding HSDD as a significant and common condition, and importantly, access to a meaningful treatment option."
About Vyleesi® (bremelanotide injection) for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD)
Vyleesi is the first and only as-needed treatment approved by the FDA for premenopausal women with acquired, generalized HSDD.
Palatin is actively seeking Vyleesi collaborations for the United States and for territories outside the currently licensed territories of China and South Korea. Vyleesi is licensed to Fosun Pharma in China and Kwangdong Pharmaceuticals in South Korea.
About Palatin
Palatin is a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class medicines based on molecules that modulate the activity of the melanocortin receptor systems, with targeted, receptor-specific product candidates for the treatment of diseases with significant unmet medical need and commercial potential. Palatin's strategy is to develop products and then form marketing collaborations with industry leaders to maximize their commercial potential.
About UpScriptHealth
UpScriptHealth™ is the leading comprehensive, direct-to-consumer telehealth and virtual prescribing platform that has been innovating the way customers receive care and obtain medications for more than two decades. UpScriptHealth is committed to improving the lives of consumers by providing immediate and long-term convenient access to medical therapies. UpScriptHealth's philosophy of providing extraordinary care is strengthened through their core values of transparency, integrity and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
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Pharmacy Market
Globenewswire | August 23, 2023
Vincerx Pharma, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company aspiring to address the unmet medical needs of patients with cancer through paradigm-shifting therapeutics, today reported that it has received clearance for its Investigational New Drug (IND) application from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial for VIP943. Vincerx expects to enroll the first patient in the study early in the fourth quarter of 2023.
"The IND clearance by the FDA is a significant step forward for the VIP943 development program, our first candidate from our antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform to enter clinical trials," said Ahmed Hamdy, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Vincerx. "Our next-generation platform is designed to improve efficacy and address safety challenges associated with many ADCs. It combines an internalizing antibody binding to CD123, a novel KSPi payload, a selective and stable linker, and exclusive CellTrapper™ technology. We believe VIP943 has the potential to become a much needed treatment option for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We're eager to start the clinical program and unlock the potential therapeutic benefits of this compound."
Dr. Hamdy concluded by saying, “2023 is shaping up to be a very positive year for Vincerx. Within the last eight months, we successfully filed two INDs (VIP236 and VIP943) and swiftly garnered clearance from the FDA within 30 days. We believe these accomplishments highlight the strength of our development, drug manufacturing, and regulatory expertise. Looking ahead, in addition to beginning our Phase 1 trial for VIP943, we also expect to provide preliminary results for VIP236 by late 2023 or early 2024. Collectively, these milestones support the potential for our strategy to develop small molecule and antibody-based conjugate therapies to improve the care of patients with cancer.”
About VIP943
VIP943 is a novel ADC developed using Vincerx’s next-generation ADC technology designed to enhance intracellular accumulation of the KSPi payload (kinesin spindle protein inhibitor), potentially leading to higher efficacy, while limiting unwanted side effects. VIP943 binds to CD123, a validated target in myeloid malignancies. Once inside of the cell, it releases its KSPi payload. Vincerx’s CellTrapper™ technology ensures that the KSPi payload accumulates in the target cells, limiting uptake into non-target, non-dividing cells.
VIP943 has demonstrated increased survival and reduced tumor burden in AML (acute myelogenous leukemia) cell lines and patient-derived tumor models. In addition, Vincerx presented preclinical data on VIP943 at ASH 2022 demonstrating superiority against Mylotarg™, an approved ADC, with significantly improved safety in monkeys and better efficacy in a mouse model of acute leukemia. Preclinical data suggest that VIP943 does not induce significant cytokine release and demonstrated favorable safety in monkeys with an optimal drug, metabolism and pharmacokinetics profile.
The Phase 1 trial of VIP943 is intended to assess safety, pharmacokinetics/phamacodynamics, and preliminary efficacy of VIP943 in patients with advanced AML and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).
About Vincerx Pharma, Inc.
Vincerx Pharma, Inc. (Vincerx) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing differentiated and novel therapies to address the unmet medical needs of patients with cancer. Vincerx has assembled a seasoned management team with a proven track record of successful oncology drug development, approvals, and value creation. The company’s diverse pipeline consists of the next-generation antibody conjugate, VIP943, on track to begin a Phase 1 study in early Q4 2023; small molecule drug-conjugate, VIP236, in Phase 1; preclinical antibody drug conjugate, VIP924; CDK9 inhibitor, enitociclib, currently in an NIH-sponsored Phase 1; and its next-generation modular bioconjugation platform.
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Pharma Tech
Globenewswire | August 02, 2023
Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. a biopharmaceutical company, announced that it has completed enrollment of its potentially final, confirmatory Phase 3 RESILIENT trial of TNX-102 SL (cyclobenzaprine HCL sublingual tablets) 5.6 mg in fibromyalgia and expects topline data next quarter. A total of 457 participants were randomized. TNX-102 SL is in development as a non-opioid, centrally acting analgesic, to be taken daily at bedtime for the management of fibromyalgia. If successful, we believe this will be the final, well-controlled efficacy trial required for submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“The completion of enrollment in our Phase 3 RESILIENT trial is a significant milestone for both Tonix and the fibromyalgia community,” said Seth Lederman, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Tonix. “Currently-approved treatments have not fully met the needs of fibromyalgia patients and there has not been a new FDA-approved therapy for the condition since 2009. TNX-102 SL has the potential to be a new non-addictive, non-opioid bedtime medication with broad spectrum symptom coverage and which can be used on a chronic basis for the management of fibromyalgia. With all other clinical, nonclinical and CMC requirements for an NDA submission achieved, we are looking forward to the upcoming data readout and an expeditious filing of an NDA.”
In December 2020, Tonix reported positive results from the first Phase 3 study (RELIEF) of TNX-102 SL 5.6 mg for the management of fibromyalgia. TNX-102 SL met its pre-specified primary endpoint in the Phase 3 RELIEF trial, significantly reducing daily pain compared to placebo (p=0.01) in participants with fibromyalgia. Also, when the primary endpoint was analyzed as a ≥30% pain responder analysis, there was a higher rate of responders to TNX-102 SL (47%) than to placebo (35%; p=0.006). TNX-102 SL at 5.6 mg also showed activity in key secondary endpoints demonstrating improvements in sleep quality, mitigation of fatigue, and fibromyalgia-specific global symptomatic and functional recovery. TNX-102 SL was generally safe and well tolerated in patients with fibromyalgia, with overall adverse event profile comparable to prior fibromyalgia studies. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were oral hypoesthesia, oral paresthesia, and product taste abnormal.
About the Phase 3 RESILIENT Study
The RESILIENT study is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TNX-102 SL (cyclobenzaprine HCl sublingual tablets) in the management of fibromyalgia. The two-arm trial randomized 457 participants in the U.S. The first two weeks of treatment consist of a run-in period in which participants start on TNX-102 SL 2.8 mg (1 tablet) or placebo. Thereafter, all participants increase their dose to TNX-102 SL 5.6 mg (2 x 2.8 mg tablets) or two placebo tablets for the remaining 12 weeks. The primary endpoint is the daily diary pain severity score change (TNX-102 SL 5.6 mg vs. placebo) from baseline to Week 14 (using the weekly averages of the daily numerical rating scale scores), analyzed by mixed model repeated measures with multiple imputation.
About Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that is understood to result from amplified sensory and pain signaling within the central nervous system. Fibromyalgia afflicts an estimated 6-12 million adults in the U.S., approximately 90% of whom are women. Symptoms of fibromyalgia include chronic widespread pain, nonrestorative sleep, fatigue, and morning stiffness. Other associated symptoms include cognitive dysfunction and mood disturbances, including anxiety and depression. Individuals suffering from fibromyalgia struggle with their daily activities, have impaired quality of life, and frequently are disabled. Physicians and patients report common dissatisfaction with currently marketed products.
About TNX-102 SL
TNX-102 SL is a patented sublingual tablet formulation of cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride which provides rapid transmucosal absorption and reduced production of a long half-life active metabolite, norcyclobenzaprine, due to bypass of first-pass hepatic metabolism. As a multifunctional agent with potent binding and antagonist activities at the 5-HT2A-serotonergic, α1-adrenergic, H1-histaminergic, and M1-muscarinic receptors, TNX-102 SL is in development as a daily bedtime treatment for fibromyalgia, Long COVID (formally known as post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 [PASC]), alcohol use disorder and agitation in Alzheimer’s disease. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued United States Patent No. 9636408 in May 2017, Patent No. 9956188 in May 2018, Patent No. 10117936 in November 2018, Patent No. 10,357,465 in July 2019, and Patent No. 10736859 in August 2020. The Protectic™ protective eutectic and Angstro-Technology™ formulation claimed in the patent are important elements of Tonix’s proprietary TNX-102 SL composition. These patents are expected to provide TNX-102 SL, upon NDA approval, with U.S. market exclusivity until 2034/2035.
Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp.
Tonix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on commercializing, developing, discovering and licensing therapeutics to treat and prevent human disease and alleviate suffering. Tonix markets Zembrace® SymTouch® (sumatriptan injection) 3 mg and Tosymra® (sumatriptan nasal spray) 10 mg. Zembrace SymTouch and Tosymra are each indicated for the treatment of acute migraine with or without aura in adults. Tonix’s development portfolio is composed of central nervous system (CNS), rare disease, immunology and infectious disease product candidates. Tonix’s CNS development portfolio includes both small molecules and biologics to treat pain, neurologic, psychiatric and addiction conditions. Tonix’s lead CNS candidate, TNX-102 SL (cyclobenzaprine HCl sublingual tablet), is in mid-Phase 3 development for the management of fibromyalgia, having completed enrollment in a potentially registration-enabling study, with topline data expected in the fourth quarter of 2023. TNX-102 SL is also being developed to treat Long COVID, a chronic post-acute COVID-19 condition. Enrollment in a Phase 2 study has been completed, and topline results are expected in the third quarter of 2023.
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