Insmed Incorporated (Nasdaq:INSM) today provides a regulatory and
clinical update on the Company’s development programs.
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Insmed has submitted its Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to
the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and is awaiting its validation.
The Company has been informed by the EMA that the remaining item to be
addressed prior to validation is the approval of the Pediatric
Investigation Plan (PIP) by the EMA’s Pediatric Committee, which is
expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2015.
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Insmed’s phase 3 pivotal trial for patients with treatment resistant
nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung infections (the “212” trial) is
on track. The protocol has been agreed upon following dialogue with
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. central
Institutional Review Board (IRB) submission is complete. The Company
expects to begin screening patients no later than January 2015, as
previously indicated.
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Insmed has completed a pre-investigational new drug (IND) meeting with
the FDA for INS-1009, its novel formulation of a proven prostacyclin
therapy for the treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) and
has clarified that, subject to final review of the pre-clinical data,
it would be eligible for a 505(b)(2) approval pathway.
About ARIKAYCETM
ARIKAYCETM is a form of the antibiotic amikacin, which is
enclosed in nanocapsules of lipid called liposomes. This advanced
pulmonary liposome technology prolongs the release of amikacin in the
lungs while minimizing systemic exposure. The treatment uses
biocompatible lipids endogenous to the lung that are formulated into
small (0.3 micron), charge-neutral liposomes. ARIKAYCE is administered
once-daily using an optimized, investigational eFlow® Nebulizer System
manufactured by PARI Pharma GmbH, a novel, highly efficient and portable
aerosol delivery system.
About eFlow® Technology and PARI Pharma
ARIKAYCE is delivered by an investigational eFlow® Nebulizer System
developed by PARI Pharma and optimized specifically for ARIKAYCE. The
optimized device uses eFlow Technology to enable highly efficient
aerosolization of medication including liposomal formulations via a
vibrating, perforated membrane that includes thousands of laser-drilled
holes. Compared with other nebulization technologies, eFlow Technology
produces aerosols with a very high density of active drug, a precisely
defined droplet size and a high proportion of respirable droplets
delivered in the shortest possible period of time. eFlow Technology is
not an ultrasonic nebulizer technology and is not a general purpose
electronic aerosol generator nebulizer technology. Combined with its
quiet mode of operation, small size, light weight and battery use, eFlow
Technology reduces the burden of taking daily, inhaled treatments.
About Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM)
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are organisms found in the soil and
water that can cause serious lung disease in susceptible individuals,
for which there are currently limited effective treatments and no
approved therapies. The prevalence of NTM disease is reported to be
increasing, and according to reports from the American Thoracic Society
is believed to be greater than that of tuberculosis in the U.S.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information,
epidemiological studies show that presence of NTM infection is
increasing in developing countries, perhaps because of the
implementation of tap water. Women with characteristic phenotype are
believed to be at higher risk of acquiring NTM infection along with
patients with defects on cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance
regulators.
NTM lung disease is often a chronic condition that can lead to
progressive inflammation and lung damage, and is characterized by
bronchiectasis and cavitary disease. NTM infections often require
lengthy hospital stays for medical management. Treatment usually
involves multi-drug regimens that can be poorly tolerated and have
limited effectiveness, especially in patients with severe disease or in
those who have failed prior treatment attempts. According to a
company-sponsored patient chart study conducted by Clarity Pharma
Research, approximately 50,000 patients suffering from NTM lung disease
visited physician offices in the U.S. during 2011.
About INS-1009
INS-1009 (treprostinil), the Company’s novel inhalation formulation of a
proven prostacyclin for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension
(PAH), a chronic, life-threatening disorder characterized by abnormally
high blood pressure in the arteries between the heart and lungs.
Insmed has applied its product design, drug development and
sustained-release formulation expertise to advance INS-1009 with the
goal of addressing current limitations of inhaled prostacyclin therapies
in the treatment of PAH. INS-1009 is expected to be delivered once-daily
via inhalation. It is designed to provide consistent, effective drug
levels and may also reduce the acute systemic effects of current
treatment options.
About Peripheral Arterial Hypertension (PAH)
Pulmonary arterial hypertension, or PAH, is a chronic, life-threatening
form of pulmonary hypertension that is characterized by abnormally high
blood pressure in the arteries between the heart and lungs. Pulmonary
arteries carry blood from the heart to the lungs, where it picks up
oxygen to be delivered throughout the body. In PAH, the pulmonary
arteries constrict abnormally. This forces the heart to pump harder to
maintain adequate blood flow, which causes blood pressure within the
lungs to rise. Common early symptoms include shortness of breath,
fatigue, weakness, chest pain and syncope (fainting), particularly
during physical activity. PAH worsens over time and is life-threatening
because the pressure in a patient's pulmonary arteries rises to
dangerously high levels, which strains the heart and may lead to heart
failure. The one-year mortality rate among patients with PAH is 15%
despite currently available treatments. The cause of some cases of PAH
is unknown and there is no cure. PAH is considered an orphan disease,
afflicting 30,000 to 40,000 people in the U.S. and 200,000 people
globally.
There are several prescription medications approved by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the symptoms of PAH and patients
typically are treated with combination therapy including endothelin
receptor antagonists, PDE-5 inhibitors and prostacyclin agonists. With
annual sales exceeding $1 billion, prostacyclins are the preferred
choice for treating late-stage disease. Prostacyclin formulations used
to treat PAH include oral, intravenous, subcutaneous and inhaled
formulations. All prostacyclin compounds have the limitation of a short
half-life in the body and require multiple dosing sessions per day for
inhaled and oral formulations, or the invasiveness of continuous
infusion for injectable formulations.
About Insmed
Insmed Incorporated is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to
improving the lives of patients battling serious lung diseases. Insmed
is focused on the development and commercialization of ARIKAYCETM,
or liposomal amikacin for inhalation, for at least two identified orphan
patient populations: patients with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)
lung infections and cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with Pseudomonas
aeruginosa lung infections. For more information, please visit http://www.insmed.com.
Forward-looking statements
This release contains forward-looking statements. Words, and variations
of words, such as “intend,” “expect,” “will,” “anticipate,” “believe,”
“continue,” “propose” and similar expressions are intended to identify
forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that such statements
in this release, including statements relating to the status, results
and timing of clinical trials and clinical data, the anticipated
benefits of Insmed’s products, the anticipated timing of regulatory
submissions, and the ability to obtain required regulatory approvals,
bring products to market and successfully commercialize products
constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties
include, without limitation, failure or delay of European, Canadian,
U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory reviews and
approvals, competitive developments affecting the Company’s product
candidates, delays in product development or clinical trials or other
studies, patent disputes and other intellectual property developments
relating to the Company’s product candidates, unexpected regulatory
actions, delays or requests, the failure of clinical trials or other
studies or results of clinical trials or other studies that do not meet
expectations, the fact that subsequent analyses of clinical trial or
study data may lead to different (including less favorable)
interpretations of trial or study results or may identify important
implications of a trial or study that are not reflected in Company’s
prior disclosures, and the fact that trial or study results or
subsequent analyses may be subject to differing interpretations by
regulatory agencies, the inability to successfully develop the Company’s
product candidates or receive necessary regulatory approvals, the
inability to make product candidates commercially successful, changes in
anticipated expenses, changes in the Company’s financing requirements or
ability to raise additional capital, and other risks and challenges
detailed in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2013 and its subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.
Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any
forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date of this news
release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances or changes
in its expectations.
Copyright Business Wire 2014