Nektar Therapeutics Announces New Drug Application for NKTR-181 Accepted for Review by FDA
NKTR-181 is a First-in-Class Investigational Opioid to Treat Chronic Low Back Pain in Adult Patients New to Opioid Therapy
SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NKTR) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has filed and accepted for review the company's New Drug Application (NDA) for NKTR-181 for the treatment of chronic low back pain in adult patients new to opioid therapy. NKTR-181 is a new molecular entity (NME) and the first analgesic opioid molecule to exhibit a low incidence of specific CNS-mediated side effects, such as euphoria, through the targeted alteration of brain-entry kinetics. The NDA is expected to be assigned a PDUFA (Prescription Drug User Fee Act) target action date of May 28, 2019 by the FDA.
Nektar's NDA submission is supported by an extensive clinical and nonclinical data package. The clinical data submitted in the NDA comprised 15 studies in 2,234 subjects and includes a 600-patient efficacy study in patients with chronic low back pain who are new to opioid therapy; a 630-patient long-term 52-week safety study in patients with noncancer pain, who are new to opioid therapy, as well as those who are experienced with opioid therapy; pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic studies in over 450 subjects; and two human abuse potential studies evaluating both therapeutic and supratherapeutic doses of NKTR-181 versus an oxycodone control in recreational drug users.
NKTR-181 is an investigational medicine and has not been approved by the FDA or any other regulatory agencies. While the NDA submission for NKTR-181 has been accepted for review by the FDA, such acceptance does not mean that NKTR-181 will be approved by the FDA.
About Chronic Low Back Pain
Low back pain is the second most common cause of disability for adults in the U.S. Approximately 149 million work days are lost every year because of low back pain, with total costs estimated to be $100 to 200 billion a year (of which two-thirds is due to lost wages and lower productivity).
About NKTR-181
NKTR-181 is the first long-acting, selective full mu-opioid receptor agonist designed to provide potent pain relief, without the inherent high levels of euphoria, which contribute to abuse and addiction with opioids. The novel molecular structure of NKTR-181 is designed to have low permeability across the blood-brain barrier in order to slow its rate of entry into the brain and attenuate the dopamine release that underlies euphoria. In addition, NKTR-181 has a 14-hour elimination half-life to enable twice-daily dosing for pain control.
Current and past strategies of abuse deterrence to address the abuse potential properties of standard opioids rely on formulations alone. However, all abuse-deterrent formulations are pre-cursors to highly euphorigenic rapid-acting opioids, which can be liberated through tampering.
NKTR-181 is not a prodrug, a reformulation, or a drug product formulated for sustained release of an existing opioid. Nonclinical and clinical data show that the inherent properties of NKTR-181 reduce its rate of entry into the brain compared to standard mu opioids, regardless of route of administration.
About Nektar Therapeutics
Nektar Therapeutics is a research-based development stage biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover and develop innovative medicines to address the unmet medical needs of patients. Our R&D pipeline of new investigational medicines includes treatments for cancer, auto-immune disease and chronic pain. We leverage Nektar's proprietary and proven chemistry platform in the discovery and design of our new therapeutic candidates. Nektar is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional operations in Huntsville, Alabama and Hyderabad, India. Further information about the company and its drug development programs and capabilities may be found online at http://www.nektar.com.
Contact:
For Investors:
Jennifer Ruddock of Nektar Therapeutics
415-482-5585
Jodi Sievers of Nektar Therapeutics
415-482-5593
For Media:
Dan Budwick of 1AB
973-271-6085
dan@1abmedia.com
