Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) today announced
positive findings from four Phase III clinical studies that examined the
efficacy and safety profile as well as impact on quality of life (QoL)
of QNASL
TM (beclomethasone dipropionate [BDP]) Nasal Aerosol.
QNASL
TM is a non-aqueous, “dry” nasal aerosol corticosteroid
in development for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) and
perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR).
The data were presented today
at the 2012 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI)
Meeting in Orlando, Florida.
In a long-term (52-week), double-blind, placebo-controlled,
parallel-group study, 529 patients with PAR, aged 12 years and older,
were randomized to receive once-daily treatment with QNASL
TM
320 mcg or placebo. The primary endpoint, the results for which were
previously released
1, showed a significant (p<0.001) change
from baseline weekly averages of the subject reported 24-hour reflective
nasal symptom scores (rTNSS) over the first 30 weeks of the treatment
period. Additional 52 weeks of treatment data reported today further
demonstrated the safety and efficacy profile of QNASL
TM
treatment by showing significantly greater improvements from baseline
over a 24-hour period in both rTNSS (-1.09 [95% CI: -1.6, -0.6],
p<0.001) and instantaneous nasal symptom scores (iTNSS) (-1.10 [95% CI:
-1.6, -0.6]; p<0.001) compared with placebo. Furthermore, greater
improvements in individual nasal symptoms (nasal congestion, nasal
itching, rhinorrhea and sneezing) were also demonstrated in the QNASL
TM
group compared to placebo. QNASL
TM was generally well
tolerated with a safety profile similar to placebo with the exception of
epistaxis, which occurred more frequently with the active treatment. The
most commonly reported adverse events (5% or more subjects) were
nasopharyngitis, epistaxis, upper respiratory tract infection, sinusitis
and headache. Treatment difference in the average AM and PM
subject-reported rTNSS over the first 6-week treatment period from the
same study were also reported. The LS mean treatment difference between
QNASL
TM 320 mcg/day and placebo was –0.78 (95% CI: -1.2,
-0.5) (p<0.001).
“The long term data validated the efficacy and safety profile of QNASL
and demonstrated positive results experienced by patients using the new
‘dry’ aerosol delivery,” said Gary N. Gross, MD, FACAAI, practicing
allergist and co-founder of the Dallas Asthma and Allergy Center. “Since
allergic rhinitis is one of the most common allergic diseases in the
U.S., affecting more than one in five people, it’s important for there
to be a variety of treatment options available to patients experiencing
ongoing challenges with the condition.”
As a result of the bothersome symptoms associated with allergic rhinitis
(AR), patient quality of life can also be affected. Results from a
6-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of
patients with PAR (N=474) demonstrated that QNASL
TM
significantly improved quality of life compared with placebo (-0.58 [95%
CI: -0.9, -0.2]; p=0.001), as assessed by the Rhinoconjunctivitis
Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ). Improvements from baseline were
greater with QNASL
TM for all seven individual domains of the
RQLQ. Physician-reported nasal symptom scores were also significantly
improved (-1.22 [95% CI: -1.7, -0.7]; p<0.001). The primary endpoint of
change from baseline of average AM and PM subject-reported rTNSS was
also significant (p<0.001), which was reported previously in 2011.
2
To evaluate the safety of QNASL
TM, a double-blind placebo and
active controlled parallel-group study was conducted to determine the
effect of 6 weeks of therapy with QNASL
TM on
hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis function (HPA-axis) in adult and
adolescent patients. As previously reported, treatment with QNASL
TM
at a dose of 320 mcg/day was not associated with HPA-axis suppression in
adult and adolescent subjects with PAR, as demonstrated by the geometric
mean ratio for QNASL
TM 320 mcg/day to placebo (0.96 (95% CI:
0.87, 1.06).
3 However, HPA-axis function suppression is known
to have an impact on growth in adolescent subjects. Therefore, a
subgroup analysis of 25 adolescents from the same study, randomized to
treatment with QNASL
TM 320 mcg/day, placebo or an active
control of prednisone 10 mg/day showed that, after 6 weeks, the
geometric mean serum cortisol weighted value in patients treated with
QNASL
TM was similar to those treated with placebo (0.92 [95%
CI: 0.72, 1.16]), but treatment with active control oral prednisone
resulted in significant suppression of serum cortisol levels – the
placebo to prednisone mean serum cortisol weighted value [2.56 [95% CI:
1.76, 3.71]). These results further support the lack of HPA-axis
suppression with QNASL
TM treatment reported previously.
3
Finally, new results from a 2-week, randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled study in 715 children (6-11 years of age) with SAR
were also presented for the first time at AAAAI. The study sought to
measure the average morning and evening rTNSS with once-daily treatment
with QNASL
TM at a dosage of 80 mcg or 160 mcg, as well as the
safety profile compared to placebo. Improvements in both AM and PM rTNSS
were significantly greater for those treated with QNASL
TM 80
mcg (-0.71 [95% CI: -1.1, -0.3) and 160 mcg (-0.76 [95% CI: -1.1, -0.4)
compared to placebo. The safety profile of QNASL
TM was also
similar to placebo. The most commonly reported adverse events for either
treatment group were epistaxis and headache.
On August 5, 2011, the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) accepted for review the New Drug Application (NDA) filing for QNASL
TM.
The submission was based on a comprehensive clinical development program
consisting of four Phase III clinical trials designed to evaluate the
safety and efficacy of QNASL
TM for the treatment of SAR and
PAR symptoms.
“Teva Respiratory is committed to the 20 percent of adults and
adolescents suffering from allergic rhinitis in the U.S. and is hopeful
that, if approved, QNASL will serve as a positive solution that helps
allergy sufferers address and treat the bothersome symptoms of
allergies,” said Tushar Shah, MD, Senior Vice President, Teva Global
Respiratory Research and Development. “Based on the timing of the NDA
acceptance and standard review timelines, we anticipate receiving FDA
feedback on the approval status of QNASL in the near future.”About QNASLTM
QNASL
TM is an investigational intranasal corticosteroid in
development for the treatment of allergic rhinitis symptoms. The product
utilizes the same chemical formulation as QVAR® (beclomethasone
dipropionate HFA) Inhalation Aerosol, an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the
maintenance treatment of asthma. QNASL
TM is administered as a
non-aqueous or "dry” spray delivered by hydrofluoroalkane (HFA), an
environmentally friendly propellant.
About Teva
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) is a leading global
pharmaceutical company, committed to increasing access to high-quality
healthcare by developing, producing and marketing affordable generic
drugs as well as innovative and specialty pharmaceuticals and active
pharmaceutical ingredients. Headquartered in Israel, Teva is the world's
largest generic drug maker, with a global product portfolio of more than
1,300 molecules and a direct presence in about 60 countries. Teva's
branded businesses focus on CNS, oncology, pain, respiratory and women's
health therapeutic areas as well as biologics. Teva currently employs
approximately 46,000 people around the world and reached $18.3 billion
in net revenues in 2011.
Teva’s Safe Harbor Statement under the U.S. Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
This release contains forward-looking statements, which express the
current beliefs and expectations of management. Such statements are
based on management’s current beliefs and expectations and involve a
number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause our
future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from
the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or
contribute to such differences include risks relating to: our ability to
develop and commercialize additional pharmaceutical products,
competition from the introduction of competing generic equivalents and
the impact of increased governmental pricing pressures, the effects of
competition on revenues of our innovative products, especially Copaxone®
(including competition from innovative orally-administered alternatives,
as well as from potential generic equivalents), potential liability for
revenues of generic products prior to a final resolution of outstanding
patent litigation, including that relating to the generic version of
Protonix®, the extent to which we may obtain U.S. market exclusivity for
certain of our new generic products, the extent to which any
manufacturing or quality control problems damage our reputation for high
quality production and require costly remediation, our ability to
identify, consummate and successfully integrate acquisitions (including
the acquisition of Cephalon), our ability to achieve expected results
through our innovative R&D efforts, dependence on the effectiveness of
our patents and other protections for innovative products, intense
competition in our specialty pharmaceutical businesses, uncertainties
surrounding the legislative and regulatory pathway for the registration
and approval of biotechnology-based products, our potential exposure to
product liability claims to the extent not covered by insurance, any
failures to comply with the complex Medicare and Medicaid reporting and
payment obligations, our exposure to currency fluctuations and
restrictions as well as credit risks, the effects of reforms in
healthcare regulation and pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement,
adverse effects of political or economical instability, major
hostilities or acts of terrorism on our significant worldwide
operations, increased government scrutiny in both the U.S. and Europe of
our agreements with brand companies, interruptions in our supply chain
or problems with our information technology systems that adversely
affect our complex manufacturing processes, the impact of continuing
consolidation of our distributors and customers, the difficulty of
complying with U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines
Agency and other regulatory authority requirements, potentially
significant impairments of intangible assets and goodwill, potential
increases in tax liabilities resulting from challenges to our
intercompany arrangements, the termination or expiration of governmental
programs or tax benefits, any failure to retain key personnel or to
attract additional executive and managerial talent, environmental risks
and other factors that are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 20F
for the year ended December 31, 2010 and in our other filings with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
###
1 Shah SR, Nathan RA, Allen GS, Dorinsky PM, Tankelevich A,
Ding Y, Tantry SK (2011). Long-Term Treatment With BDP HFA Nasal Aerosol
320 µg Once Daily Is Safe and Effective in Subjects With Perennial
Allergic Rhinitis. Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy,
Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), Boston, MA, November 3-8, 2011
2 Meltzer EO, Jacobs RL, LaForce CF, Dorinsky PM, Kelley L,
Dunbar SA, Tantry SK (2011). BDP HFA Nasal Aerosol 320 µg Once Daily Is
Safe and Effective in the Treatment of Nasal Symptoms Associated With
Perennial Allergic Rhinitis. Annual Meeting of the American College of
Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), Boston, MA, November 3-8, 2011
3 Ratner PH, Miller SD, Hampel FC, A, Dunbar SA, Tantry SK,
Dorinsky PM (2011). BDP HFA Nasal Aerosol 320 μg Once Daily g Once Daily
Is Not Associated with HPA-Axis Suppression in Subjects With Perennial
Allergic Rhinitis. Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy,
Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), Boston, MA, November 3-8, 2011.
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