Zogenix to Proceed with Resubmission of Fintepla NDA
Zogenix Announces FDA Agreement to Proceed with Resubmission of FINTEPLA® NDA
NDA resubmission, anticipated in third quarter 2019, can proceed without additional chronic toxicity studies
EMERYVILLE, Calif., June 27, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zogenix, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZGNX), a global pharmaceutical company developing rare disease therapies, today announced that following receipt of final minutes from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the Type A meeting held on May 30, 2019, the Company intends to resubmit its New Drug Application (NDA) for FINTEPLA® (ZX008, fenfluramine) for the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome in the third quarter of this year.
The Type A meeting was conducted to review the two issues identified in the Refusal to File (RTF) letter issued by the FDA on April 5, 2019: first, certain non-clinical studies were not submitted to allow assessment of the chronic administration of fenfluramine; and, second, the application contained an incorrect version of a clinical dataset. Based on the final meeting minutes received, the FDA has agreed to Zogenix’s plan to resubmit the NDA for FINTEPLA without the inclusion of the new chronic toxicity studies requested in the RTF letter. With regards to the second issue, the Company conducted and discussed with the FDA a root cause analysis to explain the incorrect clinical dataset submitted in the original NDA, and the FDA is in agreement with the Company’s plan for resubmission of the datasets in the NDA.
“We are very pleased with the outcome of our meeting with the FDA and appreciate their thoughtful approach in considering the totality of the data from our drug development program, along with additional clinical and non-clinical literature that will be referenced in our resubmission,” said Stephen J. Farr, Ph.D., President and CEO of Zogenix. “We now have the clarity required to successfully resubmit our FINTEPLA NDA, which we anticipate will occur in the third quarter.”
Separately, the FDA has rescinded Breakthrough Therapy Designation for FINTEPLA for the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome because there are now two approved therapies for the disease and, therefore, the administrative criteria for designation are no longer met. The results from the FINTEPLA clinical program demonstrated that patients adding FINTEPLA to a stiripentol-based regimen (stiripentol is one of the recently approved treatments) experienced a 54.7% greater reduction in mean monthly convulsive seizure frequency compared to patients adding placebo (p<0.001). However, no such comparisons were possible with cannabidiol (the second recently approved drug) since it was an investigational product at the time the FINTEPLA pivotal trials were conducted and was therefore an excluded treatment. Zogenix does not expect the rescission of Breakthrough Therapy Designation to limit the potential for Priority Review status (6-month review) for the Company’s resubmitted NDA.
About Zogenix
Zogenix is a global pharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing transformative therapies to improve the lives of patients and their families living with rare diseases. The Company’s lead candidate, FINTEPLA® (ZX008, fenfluramine) for the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome, has been accepted for review by the European Medicines Agency and is in development in Japan. Zogenix is preparing to resubmit its New Drug Application for the same indication to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FINTEPLA is also being evaluated in a multi-national Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome.
Forward Looking Statement
Zogenix cautions you that statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “indicates,” “will,” “intends,” “potential,” “suggests,” “assuming,” “designed,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include the potential timing of the resubmission of the NDA for FINTEPLA and whether Zogenix has adequately addressed the issues in the RTF letter to allow FDA acceptance of the resubmission; and Zogenix’s expectations that the rescission of Breakthrough Therapy Designation will not limit the potential for receiving priority review status of the FINTEPLA NDA. These statements are based on Zogenix’s current beliefs and expectations. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Zogenix that any of its plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ from those set forth in this release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in Zogenix’s business, including, without limitation: the FDA may refuse to accept the NDA following our planned resubmission, and the FDA may conclude that the existing safety and efficacy data is not sufficient to allow substantive NDA review and/or approval, or that an NDA submission that excludes the chronic toxicity study data identified in the RTF letter is not sufficient to allow substantive NDA review and/or approval; the FDA may not agree with Zogenix’s interpretation of the results of the clinical trials of FINTEPLA; later developments with the FDA that may be inconsistent with feedback received at the Type A meeting; additional data from Zogenix’s ongoing studies may contradict or undermine the data submitted in the NDA for FINTEPLA; the FDA may not grant priority review status for the Company’s resubmitted NDA; the uncertainties associated with the clinical development and regulatory approval of product candidates such as FINTEPLA; unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate therapeutic efficacy of FINTEPLA that could limit approval and/or commercialization, or that could result in recalls or product liability claims; and other risks described in Zogenix’s prior press releases as well as in public periodic filings with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and Zogenix undertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
CONTACTS:
Zogenix
Melinda Baker
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
+1 (510) 788 8732 | [email protected]
Investors
Andrew McDonald
Founding Partner, LifeSci Advisors LLC
+1 (646) 597-6987 | [email protected]
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