Office of New Drugs denies Acer’s appeal but describes possible paths forward for EDSIVO™
NEWTON, MA – March 18, 2020 – Acer Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ACER), a pharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of therapies for serious rare and life-threatening diseases with significant unmet medical needs, today announced that the Office of New Drugs (OND) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied Acer’s appeal of the Complete Response Letter (CRL) in relation to the New Drug Application (NDA) for EDSIVO™. In its Appeal Denied letter, the OND describes possible paths forward for Acer to explore that could provide the substantial evidence of effectiveness needed to support a potential resubmission of the EDSIVO™ NDA for the treatment of patients with vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) with a confirmed COL3A1 mutation.
“We appreciate the OND’s time and attention in thoughtfully considering this FDRR,” said Chris Schelling, CEO and Founder of Acer. “While neither resubmission nor the prospect of approval of the EDSIVO™ NDA is assured, we are evaluating our possible next steps with the goal of resubmission of the EDSIVO™ NDA.”
Acer believes its cash position will be sufficient to fund its current operations through the end of 2020, excluding support for EDSIVO™ development and precommercial activities and the planned osanetant clinical trial.
About vEDS and EDSIVO™ (celiprolol)
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a group of hereditary disorders of connective tissue. vEDS is the most severe subtype where patients suffer from life threatening arterial dissections and ruptures, as well as intestinal and uterine ruptures. There is currently no approved treatment option for vEDS. The median age of death is 51 years.1 An Acer-commissioned patient-finder study phenotypically identified 4,169 vEDS patients in the U.S. from an analysis of a commercially available patient claims database with data of approximately 190 million unique patient lives. Based on that information, Acer estimates the prevalence of phenotypically-defined vEDS in the U.S. could be greater than 1 in 45,000. Currently, there are no FDA-approved therapies for vEDS. Acer is advancing EDSIVO™, a new chemical entity (NCE), for the treatment of vEDS based on published results from a randomized controlled clinical trial of celiprolol.2 The FDA granted a priority review of the EDSIVO™ NDA and subsequently issued a CRL in June 2019. The OND denied an Acer appeal of the CRL in March 2020, but made reference to the FDA Guidance document issued in December 2019, where substantial evidence of effectiveness can be provided by two or more adequate and well-controlled studies demonstrating efficacy, or a single positive adequate and well-controlled study plus confirmatory evidence3. EDSIVO™ received FDA Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of vEDS in 2015.
About Acer Therapeutics Inc.
Acer is a pharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of therapies for serious rare and life-threatening diseases with significant unmet medical needs. Acer’s pipeline includes three clinical-stage candidates: EDSIVO™ (celiprolol), for the treatment of vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) in patients with a confirmed type III collagen (COL3A1) mutation; ACER-001 (a taste-masked, immediate release formulation of sodium phenylbutyrate), for the treatment of various inborn errors of metabolism, including urea cycle disorders (UCDs) and Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD); and osanetant, for the treatment of induced Vasomotor Symptoms (iVMS) where Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is likely contraindicated. Each of Acer’s product candidates is believed to present a comparatively de-risked profile, having one or more of a favorable safety profile, clinical proof-of-concept data, mechanistic differentiation and/or accelerated paths for development through specific programs and procedures established by the FDA. For more information, visit www.www.acertx.com.
References
- Pepin M, et al. Clinical and genetic features of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV, the vascular type. N Engl J Med. 2000; 342:673-80
- Ong KT, et al. Effect of celiprolol on prevention of cardiovascular events in vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: a prospective randomised, open, blinded-endpoints trial. Lancet. 2010;376(9751):1476-1484
- FDA guidance “Demonstrating Substantial Evidence of Effectiveness for Human Drug and Biological Products”, December 2019
Forward-Looking Statements
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Investor Contact:
Hans Vitzthum
LifeSci Advisors
Ph: 617-430-7578
Jim DeNike
Acer Therapeutics Inc.
Ph: 844-902-6100
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