Delivers more “Good On” time with less frequent
dosing compared to Immediate Release CD/LD
Underscores Amneal’s leadership in Parkinson’s
disease and commitment to one million people currently living with
Parkinson’s disease in the U.S.
CREXONT commercial launch planned in September
2024
Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMRX) (“Amneal” or the
“Company”) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has approved CREXONT® (carbidopa and levodopa)
extended-release capsules for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease
(PD). CREXONT is a novel, oral formulation of carbidopa/levodopa
(CD/LD) that combines both immediate-release (IR) granules and
extended-release (ER) pellets.
“The approval of CREXONT is a seminal moment in the treatment
paradigm for Parkinson’s disease. The burden of this incurable
neurodegenerative disease increases with time. Some PD patients on
IR CD/LD take up to 10 daily doses and still experience motor
fluctuations. CREXONT’s innovative formulation provides a longer
duration of “Good On” time with less frequent dosing compared to IR
CD/LD. Amneal is so excited to introduce this meaningful new
treatment for Parkinson’s patients in the U.S. and soon
internationally. We are committed to continuing to advance
Parkinson’s research and development as a leader in the space,”
said Chirag and Chintu Patel, Co-Chief Executive Officers of
Amneal.
Existing oral IR CD/LD products are short-acting, and patients
can experience more motor fluctuations and less daily “Good On”
time, defined as “On” time without troublesome dyskinesia, as the
disease progresses. There are approximately one million people with
PD living in the U.S. and approximately 90,000 new cases diagnosed
each year. One new patient is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease
every six minutes. In the treatment of PD, there is a need for
improved oral CD/LD formulations that achieve more “Good On” time
with fewer daily doses.
CREXONT’s therapeutic benefits include:
- More “Good On” time with less frequent dosing: CREXONT
demonstrated a statistically significant improvement of 0.5 hours
of additional “Good On” time per day compared to IR CD/LD, with an
average of three times a day dosing with CREXONT compared to five
times a day dosing with IR CD/LD, in the RISE-PD clinical trial. A
post-hoc analysis of the primary endpoint on a per dose basis
showed 1.6 hours additional “Good On” time per dose of CREXONT,
compared to IR CD/LD.
- Novel formulation designed to provide long lasting
efficacy: CREXONT is an innovative formulation consisting of IR
granules with carbidopa and levodopa for rapid onset of action, and
ER pellets with levodopa for long-lasting efficacy.
- Safety profile consistent with IR CD/LD: The most common
adverse reactions with CREXONT (incidence ≥3% and greater than IR
CD/LD) are nausea and anxiety. See Important Safety Information
below.
“The treatment goals for people living with Parkinson’s disease
include achieving a more robust duration of benefit per dose of LD,
reducing ‘Off’ time, and simplifying dosing regimens. CREXONT’s
longer ‘Good On’ time per day and per dose represents a substantial
advancement in managing motor symptoms and maintaining more
consistent therapeutic effects, which is very encouraging for both
patients and the Parkinson’s community,” said Robert A. Hauser,
M.D., Professor of Neurology at the University of South Florida and
Director of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders
Center.
“People living with Parkinson’s disease experience a notable
decrease in quality of life over time and they experience more
‘Off’ time and other side effects. As the PD community explores
treatment options that address the challenges faced by people with
Parkinson's disease and their families, we champion advances like
CREXONT that improve ‘Good On' time, allowing people more time to
do the things they love with the people they love,” said Andrea
Merriam, Chief Executive Officer of Parkinson & Movement
Disorder Alliance.
Amneal expects to make CREXONT available to patients in the U.S.
in September 2024.
About CREXONT
CREXONT is an innovative formulation consisting of IR granules
with carbidopa and levodopa for rapid onset of action, and ER
pellets with levodopa for long-lasting efficacy. CREXONT
formulation and dosage strengths are different from RYTARY®
(carbidopa and levodopa) extended-release capsules approved by the
U.S. FDA in 2015.
INDICATION
CREXONT (carbidopa and levodopa) extended-release capsules is a
prescription medication for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease,
Parkinson’s disease caused by infection or inflammation of the
brain, or Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms that may result from
carbon monoxide or manganese poisoning in adults.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
- Do not take CREXONT with antidepressant medications known as
nonselective monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors.
- Do not take CREXONT with other carbidopa-levodopa preparations
without consulting your healthcare provider.
- CREXONT may cause falling asleep during activities of daily
living, somnolence, or dizziness. Avoid activities that require
alertness such as driving and operating machinery, until you know
how CREXONT affects you.
- The most common side effects that may occur with CREXONT are
nausea and anxiety.
- Avoid sudden discontinuation or rapid dose reduction with
CREXONT. If you are discontinuing CREXONT, work with your
healthcare provider to taper the dose over time to reduce the risk
of fever or confusion.
- You may take CREXONT with or without food; but taking it with
food may decrease or delay its effect. Consider taking the first
dose of the day about 1 to 2 hours before eating.
- Swallow CREXONT whole. Do not chew, divide, or crush the
capsules.
- Do not take CREXONT with alcohol.
Tell your healthcare provider if you:
- Have any heart conditions, especially if you have had a heart
attack or irregular heartbeats.
- Experience hallucinations or abnormal thoughts and
behaviors.
- Have an inability to control urges to gamble, have increased
sexual urges, or experience other intense urges.
- Have thoughts of suicide or have attempted suicide.
- Have abnormal involuntary movements that appear or get worse
during treatment.
- Have ever had a peptic ulcer or glaucoma.
- Become or intend to become pregnant. Based on animal data,
CREXONT may cause fetal harm.
- Are breastfeeding during therapy.
- Have side effects; your doctor can adjust your dose.
To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Amneal
Specialty, a division of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, LLC at
1-877-835-5472 or the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or
www.fda.gov/medwatch.
Please read the full Prescribing Information. For more
information talk to your healthcare provider.
About Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) has become the fastest growing
neurological disorder worldwide, with approximately 1 million
people diagnosed in the U.S.1,2 It is a progressive disorder of the
central nervous system (CNS) that affects dopamine-producing
neurons in the brain that affect movement. PD is characterized by
slowness of movement, stiffness, resting tremor and impaired
balance.3 While PD is not considered a fatal disease, it is
associated with significant morbidity and disability.4 The average
age at diagnosis for people with PD is 60; as people live longer,
the number of people living with PD is predicted to grow
significantly over the coming decades.1,5
About Amneal
Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMRX), headquartered in
Bridgewater, NJ, is a global pharmaceuticals company. We make
healthy possible through the development, manufacturing, and
distribution of a diverse portfolio of over 280 generic and
specialty pharmaceuticals, primarily within the United States. In
its Generics segment, the Company is expanding across a broad range
of complex product categories and therapeutic areas, including
injectables and biosimilars. In its Specialty segment, Amneal has a
growing portfolio of branded pharmaceuticals focused primarily on
central nervous system and endocrine disorders, with a pipeline
focused on unmet needs. Through its AvKARE segment, the Company is
a distributor of pharmaceuticals and other products for the U.S.
federal government, retail, and institutional markets. For more
information, please visit www.amneal.com.
Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained herein, regarding matters that are
not historical facts, may be forward-looking statements (as defined
in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Such
forward-looking statements include statements regarding
management’s intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations, financial
results, or forecasts for the future, including among other things:
discussions of future operations; expected or estimated operating
results and financial performance; and statements regarding our
positioning, including our ability to drive sustainable long-term
growth, and other non-historical statements. Words such as “plans,”
“expects,” “will,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” and similar words,
or the negatives thereof, are intended to identify estimates and
forward-looking statements.
The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current
expectations of future events, including with respect to future
market conditions, company performance and financial results,
operational investments, business prospects, new strategies and
growth initiatives, the competitive environment, and other events.
If the underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown
risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary
materially from the expectations and projections of the
Company.
Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to:
our ability to successfully develop, license, acquire and
commercialize new products on a timely basis; the competition we
face in the pharmaceutical industry from brand and generic drug
product companies, and the impact of that competition on our
ability to set prices; our ability to obtain exclusive marketing
rights for our products; our revenues are derived from the sales of
a limited number of products, a substantial portion of which are
through a limited number of customers; the impact of a prolonged
business interruption within our supply chain; the continuing trend
of consolidation of certain customer groups; our dependence on
third-party suppliers and distributors for raw materials for our
products and certain finished goods; legal, regulatory and
legislative efforts by our brand competitors to deter competition
from our generic alternatives; our dependence on information
technology systems and infrastructure and the potential for
cybersecurity incidents; our ability to attract, hire and retain
highly skilled personnel; risks related to federal regulation of
arrangements between manufacturers of branded and generic products;
our reliance on certain licenses to proprietary technologies from
time to time; the significant amount of resources we expend on
research and development; the risk of claims brought against us by
third parties; risks related to changes in the regulatory
environment, including U.S. federal and state laws related to
healthcare fraud abuse and health information privacy and security
and changes in such laws; changes to Food and Drug Administration
product approval requirements; the impact of healthcare reform and
changes in coverage and reimbursement levels by governmental
authorities and other third-party payers; our dependence on
third-party agreements for a portion of our product offerings; our
substantial amount of indebtedness and our ability to generate
sufficient cash to service our indebtedness in the future, and the
impact of interest rate fluctuations on such indebtedness; our
potential expansion into additional international markets
subjecting us to increased regulatory, economic, social and
political uncertainties; our ability to identify, make and
integrate acquisitions or investments in complementary businesses
and products on advantageous terms; the impact of global economic,
political or other catastrophic events; our obligations under a tax
receivable agreement may be significant; and the high concentration
of ownership of our Class A common stock and the fact that we are
controlled by the Amneal Group. The forward-looking statements
contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and
uncertainties that are described from time to time in the Company’s
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including
under Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recent Annual
Report on Form 10-K and in its subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and
8-K. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any
such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date
they are made. Forward-looking statements included herein speak
only as of the date hereof and we undertake no obligation to revise
or update such statements to reflect the occurrence of events or
circumstances after the date hereof.
References:
- Dorsey ER et al. JAMA Neurol. 2018;75(1):9-10.
- Marras et al. NPJ Parkinson’s Dis. 2018;4:21.
- NINDS. Parkinson’s disease: challenges, progress, and promise.
Reviewed August 2019.
- Data Monitor: Gibrat et al., 2009; Goldenberg, 2008;
Muangpaisan et al., 2009; Pringsheim et al., 2014.
- Johns Hopkins Medicine. Young-Onset Parkinson’s Disease.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240807284173/en/
Investor Contact Anthony DiMeo VP, Investor Relations
& Media anthony.dimeo@amneal.com
Media Contact Rachel Girard Senior Director, Media and
Engagement, Real Chemistry rgirard@realchemistry.com Amneal
Medical Affairs 888-990-AMRX (2679) askamrx@amneal.com
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