Veru Inc. (NASDAQ: VERU) today announced that the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to the
Phase 3 registration program for the investigation of sabizabulin,
a novel, proprietary, oral cytoskeleton disruptor with both
anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties, to combat COVID-19
infection and the cytokine storm that is responsible for Acute
Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and death. FDA Fast Track
Designation is intended to expedite the development and review of
new drugs to treat serious medical conditions that fill unmet
medical needs. The global pandemic disease caused by the novel
coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is entering its 3rd year, and there remains
an unmet medical need for new effective treatments for hospitalized
patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms at high risk for
ARDS and death.
“We are very pleased that the sabizabulin therapeutic for
COVID-19 clinical program has received Fast Track designation from
the FDA, a distinction that underscores the urgent need for new,
novel, effective therapies to be used along with vaccinations to
combat this COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mitchell Steiner, MD,
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Veru Inc.
Dr. Steiner added: “COVID-19 global cases, hospitalizations, and
deaths are at the highest levels since the start of the pandemic.
Some of the antibody drugs are not effective against the omicron
variant. It is clear that an effective and safe oral therapeutic
that prevents deaths in hospitalized patients with moderate to
severe COVID-19 disease who are at high risk for ARDS is
desperately needed. We strongly believe that sabizabulin with its
anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties and a favorable safety
profile can be that greatly needed oral therapy for hospitalized
COVID-19 patients with serious illness. We look forward to ongoing,
productive regulatory interactions with the FDA, which are further
enabled with this designation.”
About Fast Track DesignationFast Track
designation aims to expedite the development and review of new
drugs that are intended to treat serious or life-threatening
conditions and demonstrate the potential to fill unmet medical
needs. The purpose is to get important new drugs to patients
faster. Filling an unmet medical need is defined as providing a
therapy where none exists or providing a therapy which may be
potentially better than available therapy. Drugs that are granted
this designation are given the opportunity for more frequent
meetings with FDA to discuss the drug's development plan and ensure
collection of appropriate data needed to support drug approval:
more frequent written communication with FDA about such things as
the design of the proposed clinical trials and use of biomarker;
Eligibility for Accelerated Approval and Priority Review, if
relevant criteria are met; and, Rolling Review, which means that a
drug company can submit completed sections of its New Drug
Application (NDA) for review by FDA, rather than waiting until
every section of the NDA is completed before the entire application
can be reviewed. NDA review usually does not begin until the drug
company has submitted the entire application to the FDA.
About Sabizabulin for COVID-19Microtubule
trafficking is critical for viruses to be transported, replicated,
assembled, and released from the cell. Microtubules also play a
role in the inflammatory process including the cytokine release
syndrome (cytokine storm). Sabizabulin is a cytoskeleton disruptor
which blocks microtubule trafficking and has the potential to treat
both the SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and the cytokine storm and
septic shock that leads to ARDS and the high COVID-19 mortality
rates.
About the Sabizabulin for COVID-19 Phase 3
Trial The Phase 3 clinical trial is a double-blind,
multicenter, multinational, randomized (2:1), placebo-controlled
trial evaluating daily oral doses of 9 mg sabizabulin for up to 21
days versus placebo in 300 hospitalized patients (200 subjects
treated with sabizabulin and 100 subjects receive placebo/standard
of care) who have SARS-CoV-2 virus infection and who are at high
risk for ARDS. Subjects in the sabizabulin and placebo arms will
also be allowed to receive standard of care. The primary efficacy
endpoint will be the proportion of patients that die on study up to
Day 60. Secondary endpoints will include the proportion of patients
without respiratory failure, days in ICU, WHO Ordinal Scale for
Clinical Improvement change from baseline, days on mechanical
ventilation, days in the hospital, and viral load. The study is
being conducted in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico,
Colombia and Bulgaria. Clinical results are expected in the first
half of calendar year 2022.
About Veru Inc.Veru is an oncology
biopharmaceutical company with a principal focus on developing
novel medicines for the management of breast and prostate
cancers.
The Company’s late-stage breast cancer development portfolio
comprises enobosarm, a selective androgen receptor targeting
agonist, and sabizabulin, a cytoskeleton disruptor.
Current studies on the two drugs include:
- Enrolling Phase 3 ARTEST study of enobosarm in androgen
receptor positive, estrogen receptor positive, and human epidermal
growth factor receptor two negative (AR+ ER+ HER2-) metastatic
breast cancer with AR ≥ 40% (third-line metastatic setting), and
which has been granted Fast Track designation by the FDA.
- Planned Q1 2022 Phase 3 ENABLAR-2 study of enobosarm +
abemaciclib (a CDK 4/6 inhibitor) in AR+ ER+ HER2- metastatic
breast cancer with AR ≥ 40% (second-line metastatic setting).
- Planned Q1 2022 Phase 2b study of sabizabulin in AR+ ER+ HER2-
metastatic breast cancer with AR < 40% (third-line metastatic
setting).
The Company has determined that patients who have ≥ 40% androgen
receptor nuclei staining by immunohistochemistry in their breast
cancer tissue, a measure of AR expression, are most likely to
respond to enobosarm. Consequently, Veru is developing a companion
diagnostic to determine a patient’s androgen receptor expression
status, and has partnered with Roche/Ventana Diagnostics, a world
leader in oncology companion diagnostics, which will develop and,
if it is approved, commercialize the companion AR diagnostic.
Veru’s late-stage prostate cancer portfolio comprises
sabizabulin, VERU-100, a long-acting GnRH antagonist, and
zuclomiphene citrate, an oral nonsteroidal estrogen receptor
agonist.
Current studies on these drugs include:
- Enrolling Phase 3 VERACITY and ongoing Phase 2 studies of
sabizabulin in metastatic castration and androgen receptor
targeting agent resistant prostate cancer prior to IV
chemotherapy.
- Enrolling Phase 2 dose-finding study of VERU-100 in advanced
hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.
- Planned Phase 2b study of zuclomiphene citrate in men with
advanced prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy
who suffer from hot flashes.
In addition, sabizabulin, which has dual anti-viral and
anti-inflammatory effects, is currently enrolling in a Phase 3
study for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at high
risk for acute respiratory distress syndrome, also known as the
cytokine storm.
Veru also has a commercial sexual health division, the proceeds
of which help fund its drug development programs, comprised of:
- ENTADFI™ (finasteride and tadalafil) capsules for oral use, a
new treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia, for which
commercialization launch plans are underway.
- FC2 Female Condom® (internal condom), for the dual protection
against unplanned pregnancy and the transmission of sexually
transmitted infections which is sold in the U.S. and globally.
Forward-Looking StatementsThe statements in
this release that are not historical facts are “forward-looking
statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this
release include statements whether future clinical development and
results, including whether sabizabulin will be an effective therapy
for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, will demonstrate sufficient
efficacy and safety and potential benefits to secure FDA approval
of the Company’s drug candidates and companion diagnostic, the
anticipated design and scope for clinical trials and FDA acceptance
of such design and scope, whether any accelerated regulatory
pathways, including Fast Track designation, to secure FDA approval
for sabizabulin, enobosarm or any of the Company’s drug candidates
are available, when clinical results from the ongoing sabizabulin
COVID-19 Phase 3 trial will be available, whether sabizabulin,
enobosarm, VERU-100, zuclomiphene, and ENTADFI will serve any unmet
need, what dosage, if any, might be approved for use in the US or
elsewhere, and whether the commencement or enrollment timelines for
the clinical trials and development of the companion diagnostic
will be met, and also statements about the potential, timing and
efficacy of the rest of the Company’s development pipeline,
including the ability of the Company to successfully launch
ENTADFI, whether and when enobosarm will be approved by FDA for the
treatment of certain breast cancers and the timing of the Company’s
submissions to FDA and FDA’s review of such submissions; whether
any of the selective clinical properties previously observed in
clinical studies of sabizabulin, enobosarm or other drug candidates
will be replicated in the current and planned clinical development
program for such drug candidate and whether any such properties
will be recognized by the FDA in any potential approvals and
labeling; when commercial launch of ENTADFI will occur; the
magnitude of any potential revenues generated by ENTADFI; whether
the Company’s current or future clinical development program
results will demonstrate sufficient efficacy and safety and
potential benefits to secure FDA approval of the Company’s drug
candidates; and whether the companion diagnostic for enobosarm will
be developed successfully or be approved by the FDA for use. These
forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current
expectations and subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause
actual results to differ materially, including unanticipated
developments in and risks related to: the development of the
Company’s product portfolio and the results of clinical trials
possibly being unsuccessful or insufficient to meet applicable
regulatory standards or warrant continued development; the ability
to enroll sufficient numbers of subjects in clinical trials and the
ability to enroll subjects in accordance with planned schedules;
the ability to fund planned clinical development; the timing of any
submission to the FDA and any determinations made by the FDA or any
other regulatory authority; including the risk of a delay or
failure in reaching agreement with the FDA on the design of a
clinical trial or in obtaining authorization to commence a clinical
trial or commercialize a product candidate in the U.S.; the
possibility that as vaccines become widely distributed the need for
new COVID-19 treatment candidates may be reduced or eliminated;
government entities possibly taking actions that directly or
indirectly have the effect of limiting opportunities for
sabizabulin as a COVID-19 treatment, including favoring other
treatment alternatives or imposing price controls on COVID-19
treatments; the Company’s existing products and any future
products, if approved, possibly not being commercially successful;
the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures to address the
pandemic on the Company’s clinical trials, supply chain and other
third-party providers, commercial efforts, and business development
operations; the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient
financing on acceptable terms when needed to fund development and
operations; demand for, market acceptance of, and competition
against any of the Company’s products or product candidates; new or
existing competitors with greater resources and capabilities and
new competitive product approvals and/or introductions; changes in
regulatory practices or policies or government-driven healthcare
reform efforts, including pricing pressures and insurance coverage
and reimbursement changes; the Company’s ability to successfully
commercialize any of its products, if approved; the Company’s
ability to protect and enforce its intellectual property; the
potential that delays in orders or shipments under government
tenders or the Company’s U.S. prescription business could cause
significant quarter-to-quarter variations in the Company’s
operating results and adversely affect its net revenues and gross
profit; the Company’s reliance on its international partners and on
the level of spending by country governments, global donors and
other public health organizations in the global public sector; the
concentration of accounts receivable with our largest customers and
the collection of those receivables; the Company’s production
capacity, efficiency and supply constraints and interruptions,
including potential disruption of production at the Company’s and
third party manufacturing facilities and/or of the Company’s
ability to timely supply product due to labor unrest or strikes,
labor shortages, raw material shortages, physical damage to the
Company’s and third party facilities, COVID-19 (including the
impact of COVID-19 on suppliers of key raw materials), product
testing, transportation delays or regulatory actions; costs and
other effects of litigation, including product liability claims;
the Company’s ability to identify, successfully negotiate and
complete suitable acquisitions or other strategic initiatives; the
Company’s ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses,
technologies or products; and other risks detailed from time to
time in the Company’s press releases, shareholder communications
and Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the
Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021
and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These documents are
available on the “SEC Filings” section of our website at
www.verupharma.com/investors. The Company disclaims any intent or
obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Investor and Media Contact:Samuel FischExecutive Director,
Investor Relations and Corporate CommunicationsEmail:
veruinvestor@verupharma.com
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