−Removed: We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on
−Removed: developing and commercializing therapeutic products for the prevention and treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases.
−Removed: Our primary focus is on the development of our lead product candidate,
−Removed: DefenCath ™ , for potential commercialization in the United States, or U.S., and other key markets.
−Removed: We have in-licensed
−Removed: the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize DefenCath and Neutrolin ® .
+Added: are a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic products for the prevention and treatment of life-threatening
+Added: diseases and conditions.
+Added: primary focus is on the development of our lead product candidate, DefenCath ™ , for potential commercialization in the
+Added: United States, or U.S., and other key markets.
+Added: We have in-licensed the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize DefenCath and Neutrolin ® .
The name DefenCath is the U.S.
−Removed: name conditionally approved by the U.S.
−Removed: Food and Drug Administration, or FDA.
−Removed: The name Neutrolin is currently used in the European Union,
−Removed: or EU, and other territories where the Company has received CE-Mark approval for the commercial distribution of Neutrolin as a catheter
−Removed: lock solution, or CLS, regulated as a medical device.
−Removed: DefenCath/Neutrolin is a novel anti-infective solution
−Removed: (a formulation of taurolidine 13.5 mg/mL, and heparin 1000 USP Units/mL) intended for the reduction of catheter-related infections and
−Removed: thrombosis in patients requiring central venous catheters, or CVCs, in clinical settings such as hemodialysis and total parenteral nutrition.
−Removed: Infections and thrombosis represent key complications among hemodialysis patients with CVCs.
−Removed: These complications can lead to treatment
−Removed: delays and increased costs to the healthcare system when they occur due to hospitalizations, need for intravenous, or IV, antibiotic treatment,
−Removed: removal/replacement of the CVC, related treatment costs and increased mortality.
−Removed: We believe DefenCath addresses a significant unmet medical
−Removed: need and a potential large market opportunity.
−Removed: DefenCath – United States
−Removed: In late 2013, we met with the FDA, to determine the pathway for obtaining
+Added: proprietary name conditionally approved by the U.S.
+Added: Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, while the name
+Added: Neutrolin was used in the European Union, or EU, and other territories where we received CE-Mark approval for the commercial distribution
+Added: of Neutrolin as a catheter lock solution, or CLS, regulated as a medical device.
+Added: DefenCath is a novel anti-infective solution (a
+Added: formulation of taurolidine 13.5 mg/mL, and heparin 1000 USP Units/mL) intended for the reduction and prevention of catheter-related infections
+Added: and thrombosis in patients requiring central venous catheters, or CVCs, in clinical settings such as hemodialysis, total parenteral nutrition
+Added: and oncology.
+Added: Infections and thrombosis represent key complications among hemodialysis, total parenteral nutrition and cancer patients
+Added: These complications can lead to treatment delays and increased costs to the healthcare system when they occur due to hospitalizations,
+Added: need for IV antibiotic treatment, long-term anticoagulation therapy, removal/replacement of the CVC, related treatment costs, as well
+Added: as increased mortality.
+Added: We believe DefenCath, if approved, will address a significant unmet medical need and a potential large market
+Added: – United States
+Added: late 2013, we met with the FDA, to determine the pathway for obtaining U.S.
marketing approval of DefenCath as a new drug.
−Removed: In January 2015, the FDA designated DefenCath as a Qualified Infectious Disease Product,
−Removed: or QIDP, for prevention of catheter-related blood stream infections, or CRBSIs, in patients with end stage renal disease receiving hemodialysis
−Removed: through a CVC.
−Removed: CRBSIs can be life-threatening.
−Removed: The QIDP designation provides five years of market exclusivity in addition to the five
−Removed: years granted for a New Chemical Entity, or NCE, upon approval of a New Drug Application, or NDA.
−Removed: In addition, in January 2015 the FDA
−Removed: granted Fast Track designation to DefenCath Catheter Lock Solution, a designation intended to facilitate development and expedite review
−Removed: of drugs that treat serious and life-threatening conditions so that the approved drug can reach the market expeditiously.
−Removed: The Fast Track
−Removed: designation of DefenCath provides the Company with the opportunity to meet with the FDA on a more frequent basis during the development
−Removed: process, and also ensures eligibility to request priority review of the marketing application.
−Removed: We launched the Phase 3 clinical trial in patients
−Removed: with hemodialysis catheters in the U.S.
+Added: 2015, the FDA designated DefenCath as a Qualified Infectious Disease Product, or QIDP, for prevention of catheter-related blood stream
+Added: infections, or CRBSIs, in patients with end stage renal disease receiving hemodialysis through a CVC.
+Added: CRBSIs and clotting can be life-threatening.
+Added: The QIDP designation provides five years of market exclusivity in addition to the five years granted for a New Chemical Entity, or NCE,
+Added: upon approval of a New Drug Application, or NDA.
+Added: In addition, in January 2015 the FDA granted Fast Track designation to DefenCath Catheter
+Added: Lock Solution, a designation intended to facilitate development and expedite review of drugs that treat serious and life-threatening
+Added: conditions so that the approved drug can reach the market expeditiously.
+Added: The Fast Track designation of DefenCath provides us with the
+Added: opportunity to meet with the FDA on a more frequent basis during the development process, and also ensures eligibility to request priority
+Added: review of the marketing application.
+Added: launched the Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with hemodialysis catheters in the U.S.
in December 2015.
−Removed: The clinical trial, named Phase 3 Prospective, Multicenter, Double-blind, Randomized,
−Removed: Active Control Study to Demonstrate Safety and Effectiveness of DefenCath in Preventing Catheter-related Bloodstream Infection in Subjects
−Removed: on Hemodialysis for End Stage Renal Disease, or LOCK-IT-100, was a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, active control
−Removed: trial which aimed to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of DefenCath in preventing CRBSIs, in subjects receiving hemodialysis therapy
−Removed: as treatment for end stage renal disease.
−Removed: The primary endpoint for the trial was time to CRBSI.
−Removed: The trial evaluated DefenCath relative
−Removed: to the active control heparin by documenting the incidence of CRBSI and the time until the occurrence of CRBSI for each study
−Removed: Secondary endpoints were catheter patency, which was defined as required use of tissue plasminogen activating factor, or tPA,
−Removed: or removal of catheter due to dysfunction, and removal of catheter for any reason.
−Removed: During the course of the study, in consultation
−Removed: with the FDA, we established the Clinical Adjudication Committee, or CAC, to critically and independently assess CRBSI while being blinded
−Removed: to treatment assignment.
−Removed: As announced in July 2018, the CAC reviewed potential cases of CRBSI in our LOCK-IT-100 study that occurred
−Removed: through early December 2017 and identified 28 such cases.
−Removed: As previously agreed with the FDA, an interim efficacy analysis was performed
−Removed: when the first 28 CRBSIs were identified.
−Removed: On July 25, 2018, we announced that the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board, or DSMB,
−Removed: had completed its review of the interim analysis of the data from the LOCK-IT-100 study.
−Removed: Based on the first 28 cases, there was a highly
−Removed: statistically significant 72% reduction in CRBSI relative to the control (p=0.0034).
−Removed: Because the pre-specified level of statistical significance
−Removed: was reached for the primary endpoint and efficacy had been demonstrated with no safety concerns, the DSMB recommended the study be terminated
−Removed: Following discussions with the FDA, we proceeded
−Removed: with an orderly termination of LOCK-IT-100.
−Removed: In late January 2019, we announced the topline results of the full data set of the LOCK-IT-100
−Removed: The study continued enrolling and treating subjects until study termination, and the final efficacy analysis was based on a total
−Removed: of 795 subjects.
−Removed: The primary endpoint of the Phase 3 LOCK-IT-100
−Removed: study was the reduction of the risk of occurrence of CRBSI by DefenCath relative to the active control of heparin.
−Removed: In the analysis of
−Removed: the full data set, a total of 41 CRBSI events were determined by the CAC.
−Removed: There was a 71% reduction in the risk of occurrence of CRBSIs
−Removed: compared with the active control of heparin, which was well in excess of the study’s assumed treatment effect size of a 55% reduction.
−Removed: In the DefenCath arm, the CRBSI event rate was 0.13 per 1000 catheter days, which is significantly lower than the event rate of 0.46
−Removed: per 1000 catheter days in the control arm.
−Removed: The statistical significance of the primary endpoint in the full data set (p=0.0006) was even
−Removed: more impressive than that of the interim analysis (p=0.0034).
−Removed: The FDA granted our request for a rolling submission
−Removed: and review of the New Drug Application, or NDA, that is designed to expedite the approval process for products being developed to address
−Removed: an unmet medical need.
−Removed: Although the FDA usually requires two pivotal clinical trials to provide substantial evidence of safety and effectiveness
−Removed: for approval of the NDA, the FDA will in some cases accept one adequate and well-controlled trial, where it is a large multicenter trial
−Removed: with a broad range of subjects and investigation sites with procedures to include trial quality that has demonstrated a clinically meaningful
−Removed: and statistically very persuasive effect on prevention of a disease with potentially serious outcome.
−Removed: In March 2020, we began the modular submission
−Removed: process for the NDA for DefenCath for the prevention of CRBSI in hemodialysis patients, and in August 2020, the FDA accepted for filing
−Removed: the DefenCath NDA.
−Removed: The FDA also granted our request for priority review, which provides for a six-month review period instead of the
−Removed: standard ten-month review period.
−Removed: As we announced in March 2021, the FDA informed us in its Complete Response Letter (“CRL”)
−Removed: that it cannot approve the NDA for DefenCath in its present form.
−Removed: The FDA noted concerns at the third-party manufacturing facility after
−Removed: a review of records requested by the FDA and provided by the contract manufacturing organization, or CMO.
−Removed: Additionally, the FDA is requiring
−Removed: a manual extraction study to demonstrate that the labeled volume can be consistently withdrawn from the vials despite an existing in-process
−Removed: control to demonstrate fill volume within specifications.
−Removed: In April 2021, we and the CMO met with the FDA
−Removed: to discuss proposed resolutions for the deficiencies identified in the CRL to us and the Post-Application Action Letter, or PAAL, received
−Removed: by the CMO from the FDA for the NDA for DefenCath.
−Removed: There was an agreed upon protocol for the manual extraction study identified in the
−Removed: CRL, which now has been successfully completed.
−Removed: Addressing the FDA’s concerns regarding the qualification of the filling operation
−Removed: necessitated adjustments in the process and generation of additional data on operating parameters for manufacture of DefenCath.
−Removed: the CMO determined that additional process qualification is needed with subsequent validation to address these issues.
−Removed: The FDA stated
−Removed: that the review timeline would be determined when the NDA resubmission is received.
−Removed: The FDA also stated that it expected all corrections
−Removed: to facility deficiencies to be complete at the time of resubmission so that all corrective actions may be verified during an onsite evaluation
−Removed: of the manufacturing facility in the next review cycle, if the FDA determines it will do an onsite evaluation.
−Removed: CorMedix and the CMO worked closely to ensure
−Removed: that the identified deficiencies were resolved and on February 28, 2022, we announced that we resubmitted the NDA for DefenCath to address
−Removed: the CRL issued by the FDA.
−Removed: In parallel, our third-party manufacturer submitted responses to the deficiencies identified at the manufacturing
−Removed: facility in the PAAL issued by the FDA concurrently with the CRL.
−Removed: Satisfactory resolution of these issues is required for approval of
−Removed: the DefenCath NDA.
−Removed: If an onsite inspection is required, we may encounter delays in obtaining FDA approval because the FDA is currently
−Removed: facing a backlog due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
−Removed: The FDA issued a guidance document on its plan to use voluntary remote interactive evaluations
−Removed: at facilities, including for a pre-approval inspection to assess a marketing application.
−Removed: The FDA will request the manufacturing facility
−Removed: to participate in a voluntary remote interactive evaluation, if the FDA believes it is appropriate.
−Removed: A manufacturing facility cannot request
−Removed: the remote interaction.
−Removed: The FDA expects the use of remote interactive evaluations should help the FDA operate within normal timeframes
−Removed: in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.
−Removed: The FDA did not request additional clinical data
−Removed: and did not identify any deficiencies related to the data submitted on the efficacy or safety of DefenCath from LOCK-IT-100.
−Removed: draft labeling discussed with the FDA, the FDA added that the initial approval will be for the limited population of patients with kidney
−Removed: failure receiving chronic hemodialysis through a central venous catheter.
−Removed: This is consistent with our request for approval pursuant
−Removed: to the Limited Population Pathway for Antibacterial and Antifungal Drugs, or LPAD.
−Removed: LPAD, passed as part of the 21 st Century
−Removed: Cures Act, is a new program intended to expedite the development and approval of certain antibacterial and antifungal drugs to treat
−Removed: serious or life-threatening infections in limited populations of patients with unmet needs.
−Removed: LPAD provides for a streamlined clinical
−Removed: development program involving smaller, shorter, or fewer clinical trials and is intended to encourage the development of safe and effective
−Removed: products that address unmet medical needs of patients with serious bacterial and fungal infections.
−Removed: We believe that LPAD will provide
−Removed: additional flexibility for the FDA to approve DefenCath to reduce CRBSIs in the limited population of patients with kidney failure receiving
−Removed: hemodialysis through a central venous catheter.
−Removed: In March 2020, we were granted a deferral by the
−Removed: FDA under the Pediatric Research Equity Act, or PREA, that requires sponsors to conduct pediatric studies for NDAs for a new active ingredient,
−Removed: such as taurolidine in DefenCath, unless a waiver or deferral is obtained from the FDA.
−Removed: A deferral acknowledges that a pediatric assessment
−Removed: is required but permits the applicant to submit the pediatric assessment after the submission of an NDA.
−Removed: We have made a commitment to
−Removed: conduct the pediatric study after approval of the NDA for use in adult hemodialysis patients.
−Removed: Pediatric studies for an approved product
−Removed: conducted under PREA may qualify for pediatric exclusivity, which if granted would provide an additional six months of marketing exclusivity.
−Removed: DefenCath would then have the potential to receive a total marketing exclusivity period of 10.5 years, including exclusivity pursuant
−Removed: to NCE and QIDP.
−Removed: Neutrolin – International
−Removed: In the European Union, or EU, Neutrolin is regulated
−Removed: as a Class 3 medical device.
+Added: The clinical trial, named Phase
+Added: 3 Prospective, Multicenter, Double-blind, Randomized, Active Control Study to Demonstrate Safety and Effectiveness of DefenCath in Preventing
+Added: Catheter-related Bloodstream Infection in Subjects on Hemodialysis for End Stage Renal Disease, or LOCK-IT-100, was a prospective, multicenter,
+Added: randomized, double-blind, active control trial which was designed to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of DefenCath compared to
+Added: the standard of care CLS, Heparin, in preventing CRBSIs, in subjects receiving hemodialysis therapy as treatment for end stage renal
+Added: The primary endpoint for the trial assessed the incidence of CRBSI and time to CRBSI for each study subject.
+Added: The trial evaluated
+Added: DefenCath relative to the active control heparin by documenting the incidence of CRBSI and the time until the occurrence of
+Added: CRBSI for each study subject.
+Added: Secondary endpoints were catheter patency, which was defined as required use of tissue plasminogen activating
+Added: factor, or tPA, or removal of catheter due to dysfunction, and removal of catheter for any reason.
+Added: the course of the study, in consultation with the FDA, we established the Clinical Adjudication Committee, or CAC, to critically and
+Added: independently assess CRBSI while being blinded to treatment assignment.
+Added: As announced in July 2018, the CAC reviewed potential cases of
+Added: CRBSI in our LOCK-IT-100 study that occurred through early December 2017 and identified 28 such cases.
+Added: As previously agreed with the
+Added: FDA, an interim efficacy analysis was performed when the first 28 CRBSIs were identified.
+Added: On July 25, 2018, we announced that the independent
+Added: Data Safety Monitoring Board, or DSMB, had completed its review of the interim analysis of the data from the LOCK-IT-100 study.
+Added: on the first 28 cases, there was a highly statistically significant 72% reduction in CRBSI relative to the control (p=0.0034).
+Added: the pre-specified level of statistical significance was reached for the primary endpoint and efficacy had been demonstrated with no safety
+Added: concerns, the DSMB recommended the study be terminated early.
+Added: discussions with the FDA, we proceeded with an orderly termination of LOCK-IT-100.
+Added: In late January 2019, we announced the topline results
+Added: of the full data set of the LOCK-IT-100 study.
+Added: The study continued enrolling and treating subjects until study termination, and the final
+Added: efficacy analysis was based on a total of 795 subjects.
+Added: primary endpoint of the Phase 3 LOCK-IT-100 study was the reduction of the risk of occurrence of CRBSI by DefenCath relative to the active
+Added: control of heparin.
+Added: In the analysis of the full data set, a total of 41 CRBSI events were determined by the CAC.
+Added: There was a 71% reduction
+Added: in the risk of occurrence of CRBSIs compared with the active control of heparin, which was well in excess of the study’s assumed
+Added: treatment effect size of a 55% reduction.
+Added: In the DefenCath arm, the CRBSI event rate was 0.13 per 1000 catheter days, which is significantly
+Added: lower than the event rate of 0.46 per 1000 catheter days in the control arm.
+Added: The statistical significance of the primary endpoint in
+Added: the full data set (p=0.0006) was even more impressive than that of the interim analysis (p=0.0034).
+Added: FDA granted our request for a rolling submission and review of the New Drug Application, or NDA, that is designed to expedite the approval
+Added: process for products being developed to address an unmet medical need.
+Added: Although the FDA usually requires two pivotal clinical trials
+Added: to provide substantial evidence of safety and effectiveness for approval of the NDA, the FDA will in some cases accept one adequate and
+Added: well-controlled trial, where it is a large multicenter trial with a broad range of subjects and investigation sites with procedures to
+Added: include trial quality that has demonstrated a clinically meaningful and statistically very persuasive effect on prevention of a disease
+Added: with potentially serious outcome.
+Added: March 2020, we began the modular submission process for the NDA for DefenCath for the prevention of CRBSI in hemodialysis patients, and
+Added: in August 2020, the FDA accepted for filing the DefenCath NDA.
+Added: The FDA also granted our request for priority review, which provides for
+Added: a six-month review period instead of the standard ten-month review period.
+Added: As we announced in March 2021, the FDA informed us in its
+Added: Complete Response Letter (“CRL”) that it could not approve the NDA for DefenCath in its present form.
+Added: The FDA noted concerns
+Added: at the third-party manufacturing facility after a review of records requested by the FDA and provided by the contract manufacturing organization,
+Added: Additionally, the FDA required a manual extraction study to demonstrate that the labeled volume can be consistently withdrawn
+Added: from the vials despite an existing in-process control to demonstrate fill volume within specifications.
+Added: April 2021, we and the CMO met with the FDA to discuss proposed resolutions for the deficiencies identified in the CRL to us and the
+Added: Post-Application Action Letter, or PAAL, received by the CMO from the FDA for the NDA for DefenCath.
+Added: There was an agreed upon protocol
+Added: for the manual extraction study identified in the CRL, which now has been successfully completed.
+Added: Addressing the FDA’s concerns
+Added: regarding the qualification of the filling operation necessitated adjustments in the process and generation of additional data on operating
+Added: parameters for manufacture of DefenCath.
+Added: We and the CMO determined that additional process qualification was needed with subsequent validation
+Added: to address these issues.
+Added: FDA did not request additional clinical data and did not identify any deficiencies related to the data submitted on the efficacy or safety
+Added: of DefenCath from LOCK-IT-100.
+Added: In draft labeling discussed with the FDA, the FDA added that the initial approval will be for the
+Added: limited population of patients with kidney failure receiving chronic hemodialysis through a central venous catheter.
+Added: This is consistent
+Added: with our request for approval pursuant to the Limited Population Pathway for Antibacterial and Antifungal Drugs, or LPAD.
+Added: as part of the 21 st Century Cures Act, is a new program intended to expedite the development and approval of certain antibacterial
+Added: and antifungal drugs to treat serious or life-threatening infections in limited populations of patients with unmet needs.
+Added: LPAD provides
+Added: for a streamlined clinical development program involving smaller, shorter, or fewer clinical trials and is intended to encourage the
+Added: development of safe and effective products that address unmet medical needs of patients with serious bacterial and fungal infections.
+Added: We believe that LPAD will provide additional flexibility for the FDA to approve DefenCath to reduce CRBSIs in the limited population
+Added: of patients with kidney failure receiving hemodialysis through a central venous catheter.
+Added: February 28, 2022, we resubmitted the NDA for DefenCath to address the CRL issued by the FDA.
+Added: In parallel, our third-party manufacturer
+Added: submitted responses to the deficiencies identified at the manufacturing facility in the PAAL issued by the FDA concurrently with the
+Added: The FDA had stated that it expected all corrections to facility deficiencies to be complete at the time of resubmission so that
+Added: all corrective actions may be verified during an onsite evaluation of the manufacturing facility in the next review cycle.
+Added: 2022, we announced that the resubmission of the NDA for DefenCath had been accepted for filing by the FDA.
+Added: The FDA considered the resubmission
+Added: as a complete, Class 2 response with a six-month review cycle.
+Added: The CMO notified us that an onsite inspection by the FDA was conducted
+Added: that resulted in FORM FDA 483 observations that are being addressed.
+Added: The CMO submitted responses to the inspectional observations along
+Added: with a corrective action plan and requested a meeting with the FDA to discuss.
+Added: We were also notified by our supplier of heparin, an active
+Added: pharmaceutical ingredient, or API, for DefenCath, that an inspection by the FDA for an unrelated API, resulted in a Warning Letter due
+Added: to deviations from good manufacturing practices for the unrelated API.
+Added: August 8, 2022, we announced receipt of a second CRL from the FDA regarding the DefenCath NDA.
+Added: The FDA stated that the DefenCath NDA
+Added: cannot be approved until deficiencies conveyed to the CMO and the heparin API supplier are resolved to the satisfaction of the FDA.
+Added: were no other requirements identified by the FDA for us prior to resubmission of the NDA.
+Added: Validation of manufacturing with heparin from
+Added: an alternative supplier is underway to prepare for resubmission of the NDA in the event that the Warning Letter at our current API supplier
+Added: remains unresolved.
+Added: Corrective actions have been implemented to address the inspectional observations at the CMO and are under review
+Added: As part of the NDA review process, the FDA has also notified us that
+Added: although the tradename DefenCath was conditionally approved, the FDA now has identified potential confusion with another pending product
+Added: name that is also under review.
+Added: The ultimate acceptability of our proposed tradename is dependent upon which application is approved first.
+Added: As a precaution, we are preparing to submit an alternative proprietary name to the FDA which will undergo review.
+Added: intend to pursue additional indications for DefenCath use as a CLS in populations with unmet medical needs that may also represent potentially
+Added: significant market opportunities.
+Added: While we are continuing to assess these areas, potential future indications may include use as a CLS
+Added: to reduce CRBSIs in total parenteral nutrition patients using a central venous catheter and in oncology patients using a central venous
+Added: were granted a deferral by the FDA under the Pediatric Research Equity Act, or PREA, that requires sponsors to conduct pediatric studies
+Added: for NDAs for a new active ingredient, such as taurolidine in DefenCath, unless a waiver or deferral is obtained from the FDA.
+Added: acknowledges that a pediatric assessment is required but permits the applicant to submit the pediatric assessment after the submission
+Added: We have made a commitment to conduct the pediatric study after approval of the NDA for use in adult hemodialysis patients.
+Added: Pediatric studies for an approved product conducted under PREA may qualify for pediatric exclusivity, which, if granted, would provide
+Added: an additional six months of marketing exclusivity.
+Added: DefenCath would then have the potential to receive a total marketing exclusivity period
+Added: of 10.5 years, including exclusivity pursuant to NCE and QIDP.
+Added: – International
+Added: the EU, Neutrolin was regulated as a Class 3 medical device.
In July 2013, we received CE Mark approval for Neutrolin.
−Removed: In December 2013, we commercially launched
−Removed: Neutrolin in Germany for the prevention of CRBSI, and maintenance of catheter patency in hemodialysis patients using a tunneled, cuffed
−Removed: central venous catheter for vascular access.
−Removed: To date, Neutrolin is registered and may be sold in certain European Union countries for
−Removed: such treatment.
−Removed: In September 2014, the TUV-SUD and The Medicines
−Removed: Evaluation Board of the Netherlands, or MEB, granted a label expansion for Neutrolin for these same expanded indications for the EU.
−Removed: In December 2014, we received approval from the Hessian District President in Germany to expand the label to include use in oncology
−Removed: patients receiving chemotherapy, IV hydration and IV medications via central venous catheters.
−Removed: The expansion also adds patients receiving
−Removed: medication and IV fluids via central venous catheters in intensive or critical care units (cardiac care unit, surgical care unit, neonatal
−Removed: critical care unit, and urgent care centers).
−Removed: An indication for use in total parenteral nutrition was also approved.
−Removed: Additional Development Possibilities
−Removed: In addition to developing the use of taurolidine
−Removed: as a catheter lock solution, we are sponsoring a pre-clinical research collaboration for the use of taurolidine as a possible treatment
−Removed: for rare pediatric tumors.
−Removed: In February 2018, the FDA granted orphan drug designation to taurolidine for the treatment of neuroblastoma
−Removed: We may seek one or more strategic partners or other sources of capital to help us develop and commercialize taurolidine
−Removed: for the treatment of neuroblastoma in children.
−Removed: We are also evaluating opportunities for the possible expansion of taurolidine as a platform
−Removed: compound for use in certain medical devices.
−Removed: Patent applications have been filed in several indications, including wound closure, surgical
−Removed: meshes, and wound management.
−Removed: Based on initial feasibility work, we are advancing pre-clinical studies for taurolidine-infused surgical
−Removed: meshes, suture materials and hydrogels.
−Removed: We will seek to establish development/commercial partnerships as these programs advance.
−Removed: The FDA regards taurolidine as a new chemical
−Removed: entity and therefore it is currently regulated as an unapproved new drug.
−Removed: We might in the future pursue product candidates that would
−Removed: involve devices impregnated with taurolidine, and we believe that at the current time such products would be combination products subject
−Removed: to both device premarket submission requirements and drug regulations.
−Removed: Consequently, given that there is no appropriate predicate medical
−Removed: device currently marketed in the U.S.
−Removed: on which a 510(k) clearance process could be based and that taurolidine is not yet approved in
−Removed: any application, we anticipate that we would be required to submit a premarket approval application, or PMA, for marketing authorization
−Removed: for any medical device indications that we may pursue for devices containing taurolidine.
−Removed: In the event that an NDA for DefenCath is approved
−Removed: by the FDA, the regulatory pathway for these medical device product candidates may be revisited with the FDA.
−Removed: Although there may be no
−Removed: appropriate predicate, de novo Class II designation can be proposed, based on a risk assessment and a reasonable assurance of safety
−Removed: and effectiveness.
−Removed: Market Opportunity
−Removed: Central venous catheters and
−Removed: peripherally inserted central catheters (“Central Catheters”) are an important and frequently used method for accessing the
−Removed: vasculature in hemodialysis (a form of dialysis where the patient’s blood is circulated through a dialysis filter), administering
−Removed: chemotherapy and basic fluids in cancer patients and for cancer chemotherapy, long term antibiotic therapy, and total parenteral nutrition
−Removed: (complete or partial dietary support via intravenous nutrients).
−Removed: According to the 2015 United
−Removed: States Renal Disease System, there were 660,000 patients on hemodialysis in the U.S.
−Removed: Hemodialysis National Kidney Foundation has reported
−Removed: that patients requiring Central Catheters represent over 63 million catheter/dialysis treatment days per year.
−Removed: One of the major and common
−Removed: complications for all patients requiring CVCs is CRBSI and the clinical complications associated with them.
−Removed: The total annual cost for
−Removed: treating CRBSI episodes and their related complications in the U.S.
−Removed: is up to $2.7 billion, with approximately 250,000 CRBSI episodes
−Removed: per year (Becker’s Hospital Review).
−Removed: Biofilm build up is the pathogenesis
−Removed: of both infections and thrombotic complications in central venous catheters.
−Removed: Prevention of CRBSI and inflammatory complications requires
−Removed: both removal of pathogens from the internal surface of the catheter to prevent the systemic dissemination of organisms contained within
−Removed: the biofilm as well as an anticoagulant to retain blood flow during dialysis.
−Removed: Biofilm forms when bacteria adhere to surfaces in aqueous
−Removed: environments and begin to excrete a slimy, glue-like substance that can anchor them to various types of materials, including intravenous
−Removed: The presence of biofilm has many adverse effects, including the ability to release bacteria into the blood stream.
−Removed: standard of catheter care is to instill a heparin lock solution at a concentration of 1000 u/mL into each catheter lumen immediately
−Removed: following treatment, in order to prevent clotting between dialysis treatments.
−Removed: However, a heparin lock solution provides no protection
−Removed: from the risk of infection.
−Removed: Currently, there are no pharmacologic
−Removed: agents approved in the U.S.
−Removed: for the prevention of CRBSI in CVCs.
−Removed: As noted above, we received the CE Mark approval for Neutrolin from
−Removed: the MEB of the EU in July 2013.
−Removed: We believe there is a significant need for prevention of CRBSI in the hemodialysis patient population
−Removed: as well as for other patient populations utilizing central venous catheters and peripherally inserted central catheters, such as oncology/chemotherapy,
−Removed: and total parenteral nutrition.
−Removed: DefenCath is a broad-spectrum
−Removed: antibacterial, antifungal and anticoagulant combination that is active against common microbes including antibiotic-resistant strains
−Removed: and in addition may prevent biofilm formation.
−Removed: We believe that using DefenCath as an anti-infective solution will significantly reduce
−Removed: the incidence of life-threatening catheter-related blood stream infections, thus reducing the need for local and systemic antibiotics
−Removed: while prolonging catheter function.
−Removed: Initially, we expect to sell DefenCath in the
−Removed: primarily to key operators of dialysis centers.
−Removed: We anticipate that Medicare reimbursement could be available for DefenCath in hemodialysis
−Removed: and other catheter indications, such as oncology patients and total parenteral nutrition patients through relevant hospital inpatient
−Removed: diagnosis-related groups, or DRGs, or outpatient ambulatory payment classifications, or APCs, the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective
−Removed: Payment System, or ESRD PPS, base payment, or under the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies, or DMEPOS, Fee
−Removed: Schedule, depending on the setting of care.
−Removed: We also plan to seek separate reimbursement as a drug, where available under Medicare, through
−Removed: mechanisms such as pass-through status under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System, the transitional drug add-on payment
−Removed: adjustment, or TDAPA, under the ESRD PPS, or reimbursement as a drug used with a DMEPOS infusion pump.
−Removed: We have engaged the U.S.
−Removed: for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, in preliminary discussions concerning the reimbursement for DefenCath under TDAPA, however,
−Removed: qualifications cannot be determined until after FDA approval and CMS evaluates the request for coverage in a quarterly review.
−Removed: under TDAPA, reimbursement of DefenCath would be calculated based on its average selling price.
−Removed: To be eligible for TDAPA, a new renal
−Removed: drug or biologic must be:
−Removed: ● Approved by FDA pursuant
−Removed: to Section 505(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
−Removed: ● Commercially available
−Removed: ● Assigned a Healthcare
−Removed: Common Procedure Coding System code
−Removed: ● Identified as having
−Removed: an end action effect that treats or manages a condition or conditions associated with ESRD
−Removed: ● Identified as not
−Removed: fitting into an established ESRD PPS functional category
−Removed: ● Designated by CMS
−Removed: as a renal dialysis service.
−Removed: Although we cannot fully anticipate changes in
−Removed: reimbursement requirements and mechanisms in the coming years, we expect DefenCath would be eligible for and would obtain TDAPA.
−Removed: meets the criterion of being a new renal dialysis product used to treat or manage a condition associated with ESRD, since infections
−Removed: are the second leading cause of death in patients with ESRD and CVCs are a significant risk factor for infection-associated mortality.
−Removed: Furthermore, we anticipate that the CMS, and private
−Removed: payers will increasingly demand that manufacturers demonstrate the cost effectiveness of their product as part of the reimbursement review
−Removed: and approval process.
−Removed: With this in mind, we are performing health economic evaluations to support this review in the context of the prospective
−Removed: use of DefenCath in dialysis, and other settings.
−Removed: Our studies may not be sufficient to support coverage or reimbursement at levels
−Removed: that allow providers to use DefenCath.
−Removed: Competitive Landscape
−Removed: The drug and medical device industries are highly
−Removed: competitive and subject to rapid and significant technological change.
−Removed: DefenCath’s current and future competitors include large
−Removed: as well as specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and large and specialty medical device companies.
−Removed: Many of our competitors
−Removed: have substantially greater financial, technical and human resources than we do and significantly more experience in the development and
−Removed: commercialization of drugs and medical devices.
−Removed: Further, the development of new treatment methods could render DefenCath non-competitive
−Removed: We believe that the key competitive factors that
−Removed: will affect the development and commercial success of DefenCath are efficacy and safety, as well as pricing and reimbursement.
−Removed: that there are no approved catheter lock solutions with antimicrobial properties in the U.S., and that the current standard of care is
−Removed: heparin, we believe there is an opportunity for DefenCath to become the new standard of care as a CLS in the U.S.
−Removed: market, if approved
−Removed: We are not aware of any potentially competitive CLS which are approved or under development by other companies in the U.S.
−Removed: development stage product from Citius is being studied for salvage of CVCs once a patient becomes diagnosed with a catheter related blood
−Removed: stream infection.
−Removed: In the EU, several catheter lock solutions have
−Removed: received a CE Mark, in addition to Neutrolin.
−Removed: For example, TauoLock contains a combination of citrate 4% with (cyclo)-taurolidine and
−Removed: heparin or urokinase, but it is not approved for use in the U.S.
−Removed: Some device companies have launched antibiotic or antimicrobial-coated
−Removed: catheters as short-term prevention of catheter infection.
−Removed: We believe these are not effective for hemodialysis catheters due to the long-term
−Removed: use and high blood flow associated with hemodialysis.
−Removed: Manufacturing/Supply Chain
−Removed: We do not own or operate any
−Removed: manufacturing facilities related to the production of our products.
−Removed: All our manufacturing processes currently are, and we expect them
−Removed: to continue, to be outsourced to third parties.
−Removed: We rely on third-party manufacturers to produce sufficient quantities of drug product
−Removed: for use both commercially and in clinical trials.
+Added: In December 2013,
+Added: we commercially launched Neutrolin in Germany for the prevention of CRBSI, and maintenance of catheter patency in hemodialysis patients
+Added: using a tunneled, cuffed central venous catheter for vascular access.
+Added: September 2014, the TUV-SUD and The Medicines Evaluation Board of the Netherlands, or MEB, granted a label expansion for Neutrolin for
+Added: these same expanded indications for the EU.
+Added: In December 2014, we received approval from the Hessian District President in Germany to
+Added: expand the label to include use in oncology patients receiving chemotherapy, IV hydration and IV medications via central venous catheters.
+Added: The expansion also adds patients receiving medication and IV fluids via central venous catheters in intensive or critical care units
+Added: (cardiac care unit, surgical care unit, neonatal critical care unit, and urgent care centers).
+Added: An indication for use in total parenteral
+Added: nutrition was also approved.
+Added: September 2019, our registration with the Saudi Arabia Food and Drug Administration, or the SFDA, expired.
+Added: As a result, we cannot sell
+Added: Neutrolin in Saudi Arabia and do not intend to pursue renewal of our registration with the SFDA.
+Added: announced in May 2022, we began the process of winding down our operations in the EU and discontinued Neutrolin sales in both the EU
+Added: and the Middle East at the end of 2022.
+Added: Development Possibilities
+Added: addition to DefenCath, we have sponsored a pre-clinical research collaboration for the use of taurolidine as a possible treatment for
+Added: rare pediatric tumors.
+Added: In February 2018, the FDA granted orphan drug designation to taurolidine for the treatment of neuroblastoma in
+Added: We may seek one or more strategic partners or other sources of capital to help us develop and commercialize taurolidine for
+Added: the treatment of neuroblastoma in children.
+Added: have previously filed intellectual property for expanded uses of taurolidine as a platform compound for use in certain medical devices.
+Added: Patent applications have been filed in several indications, including wound closure, surgical meshes, and wound management.
+Added: need to seek to establish development/commercial partnerships for these programs to advance.
+Added: FDA regards taurolidine as a new chemical entity and therefore it is currently regulated as an unapproved new drug.
+Added: In the future, we
+Added: may pursue product candidates that would involve devices impregnated with taurolidine, and we believe that at the current time such products
+Added: would be combination products subject to device premarket submission requirements (while subject also, under review by the FDA, to the
+Added: standards for drug approvability).
+Added: Consequently, given that there is no appropriate predicate medical device currently marketed in the
+Added: on which a 510(k) approval process could be based and that taurolidine is not yet approved in any application, we anticipate that
+Added: we would be required to submit a premarket approval application, or PMA, for marketing authorization for any medical device indications
+Added: that we may pursue for devices containing taurolidine.
+Added: In the event that an NDA for DefenCath is approved by the FDA, the regulatory
+Added: pathway for these medical device product candidates may be revisited with the FDA.
+Added: Although there may be no appropriate predicate, de
+Added: novo Class II designation can be proposed, based on a risk assessment and a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness.
+Added: venous catheters, or CVCs, and peripherally inserted central catheters, or Central Catheters, are an important and frequently used method
+Added: for accessing the vasculature in hemodialysis (a form of dialysis where the patient’s blood is circulated through a dialysis filter),
+Added: administering chemotherapy and basic fluids in cancer patients and for cancer chemotherapy, long term antibiotic therapy, and total parenteral
+Added: nutrition (complete or partial dietary support via intravenous nutrients).
+Added: Bloodstream infections resulting from the use of
+Added: central catheters, known as CRBSIs or Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections, or CLABSIs, can result in significant morbidity
+Added: and increased rates of hospital admissions, readmissions and mortality.
+Added: One of the major and common risk factors for all patients requiring
+Added: CVCs is CRBSIs and the clinical complications associated with them.
+Added: The total annual cost for treating CRBSI episodes and their related
+Added: complications in the U.S.
+Added: is up to $2.3 billion, with approximately 250,000 CRBSI episodes per year (Becker’s Hospital Review).
+Added: According to the 2022 United States Renal Disease System, reporting
+Added: data from 2020, there were nearly 808,000 End-Stage-Renal-Disease, or ESRD, patients on permanent hemodialysis in the U.S.
+Added: Of these, nearly
+Added: 108,000 hemodialysis patients were new patients diagnosed with ESRD during the year they were receiving dialysis through a CVC.
+Added: are typically located in various care settings including inpatient hospitals and outpatient dialysis clinics.
+Added: Kidney failure patients
+Added: can include ESRD, Acute Kidney Injury, or AKI and Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKD, populations that crash land into dialysis.
+Added: that present in the hospital have an average length of stay of 13.3 days and additionally high 30-day readmission rates both for same
+Added: diagnosis and all-cause with the all-cause readmissions being higher.
+Added: build up is the pathogenesis of both infections and thrombotic complications in central venous catheters.
+Added: Prevention of CRBSI and inflammatory
+Added: complications requires both removal of pathogens from the internal surface of the catheter to prevent the systemic dissemination of organisms
+Added: contained within the biofilm as well as an anticoagulant to retain blood flow during dialysis.
+Added: Biofilm forms when bacteria adhere to
+Added: surfaces in aqueous environments and begin to excrete a slimy, glue-like substance that can anchor them to various types of materials,
+Added: including intravenous catheters.
+Added: The presence of biofilm has many adverse effects, including the ability to release bacteria into the
+Added: blood stream.
+Added: The current standard of catheter care is to instill a heparin lock solution at a concentration of 1000 u/mL into each catheter
+Added: lumen immediately following treatment, in order to prevent clotting between dialysis treatments.
+Added: However, a heparin lock solution provides
+Added: no protection from the risk of infection.
+Added: there are no pharmacologic agents approved in the U.S.
+Added: for the prevention or reduction of CRBSI in CVCs.
+Added: We believe there is a significant
+Added: need for prevention of CRBSI in the hemodialysis patient population as well as for other patient populations utilizing central venous
+Added: catheters and peripherally inserted central catheters, such as oncology/chemotherapy, and total parenteral nutrition.
+Added: is a non-antibiotic, broad-spectrum antibacterial, antifungal and anticoagulant combination that is active against common microbes including
+Added: antibiotic-resistant strains and in addition may prevent biofilm formation.
+Added: DefenCath had been reviewed as a New Molecular Entity, or
+Added: NME, with priority review.
+Added: In addition, DefenCath has been granted a QIDP designation by the FDA.
+Added: We believe that using DefenCath as
+Added: an anti-infective catheter-lock solution will significantly reduce the incidence of life-threatening catheter-related blood stream infections,
+Added: thus reducing the need for local and systemic antibiotics while prolonging catheter function.
+Added: There are currently no products approved
+Added: by the FDA with an indication for use as a catheter lock solution.
+Added: drug and medical device industries are highly competitive and subject to rapid and significant technological change.
+Added: current and future competitors include large as well as specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and large and specialty
+Added: medical device companies.
+Added: Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and human resources than we do and
+Added: significantly more experience in the development and commercialization of drugs and medical devices.
+Added: Further, the development of new
+Added: treatment methods could render DefenCath non-competitive or obsolete.
+Added: believe that the key competitive factors that will affect the development and commercial success of DefenCath are efficacy and safety,
+Added: as well as pricing and reimbursement.
+Added: Given that there are no approved catheter lock solutions with antimicrobial properties in the U.S.,
+Added: and that the current standard of care is heparin, we believe that with adequate reimbursement there is an opportunity for DefenCath to
+Added: become the new standard of care as a CLS in the U.S.
+Added: market, if approved by FDA.
+Added: We are not aware of any potentially competitive CLS
+Added: which are approved or under development by other companies in the U.S.
+Added: A development stage product from Citius Pharmaceuticals Inc.
+Added: being studied for use to salvage an infected CVC, causing a catheter related blood stream infection.
+Added: Manufacturing/Supply
+Added: do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities related to the production of our products.
+Added: All our manufacturing processes currently
+Added: are, and we expect them to continue, to be outsourced to third parties.
+Added: We rely on third-party manufacturers to produce sufficient quantities
+Added: of drug product for use both commercially and in clinical trials.
We intend to continue this practice in the future.
−Removed: With regards to taurolidine,
−Removed: an active drug ingredient, or API, of DefenCath, we have a Drug Master File filed with the FDA.
−Removed: There is a master commercial supply agreement
−Removed: between the third-party manufacturer, and us in place from August 2018.
+Added: With regards to taurolidine, an active pharmaceutical
+Added: ingredient, or API, of DefenCath, we have a Drug Master File filed with the FDA.
+Added: There is a master commercial supply agreement between
+Added: the third-party manufacturer, and us in place from August 2018.
We have two sources for the other key API, Heparin sodium.
−Removed: We have utilized two drug
−Removed: product CMOs.
−Removed: One CMO manufactures for the EU and Middle East markets and the other is for U.S.
−Removed: In order to assure supply,
−Removed: we are in the process of identifying an additional CMO.
−Removed: We are confident that these
−Removed: CMO’s have adequate capacity to produce the volumes needed, and that there exists a sufficient number of potential alternate sources
−Removed: for the drug substances required to produce our products, as well as third-party manufacturers, that we will be able to find alternate
−Removed: suppliers and third-party manufacturers in the event that our relationship with any supplier or third-party manufacturer deteriorates.
−Removed: The process for selecting and qualifying an alternative contract manufacturer and for completing the technology transfer to such a manufacturer
−Removed: to the point of enabling commercialization of the product would take several years.
−Removed: United States Government Regulation
−Removed: The research, development, testing,
−Removed: manufacture, labeling, promotion, advertising, distribution, and marketing, among other things, of our products are extensively regulated
−Removed: by governmental authorities in the U.S.
+Added: We have historically utilized a European based
+Added: CMO for the production of DefenCath for the U.S.
+Added: We have validated the manufacturing process for DefenCath at this CMO utilizing
+Added: one source of heparin API, and are in the process of validating a second source of heparin API.
+Added: are confident that this CMO has adequate capacity to produce the volumes needed, and that there exists a sufficient number of potential
+Added: alternate sources for the drug substances required to produce our products, as well as third-party manufacturers, that we will be able
+Added: to find alternate suppliers and third-party manufacturers in the event that our relationship with any supplier or third-party manufacturer
+Added: deteriorates.
+Added: The process for selecting and qualifying an alternative contract manufacturer and for completing the technology transfer
+Added: to such a manufacturer to the point of enabling commercialization of the product may take several years.
+Added: previously announced an agreement with Alcami Corporation, or Alcami, a U.S.
+Added: based contract manufacturer with proven capabilities for
+Added: manufacturing commercial sterile parenteral drug products.
+Added: Alcami may function as an alternate manufacturing site for DefenCath for the
+Added: As part of the technology transfer and validation of the manufacturing process at Alcami, we would also expect to qualify
+Added: an alternate source of heparin API sourced from a major U.S.
+Added: States Government Regulation
+Added: research, development, testing, manufacture, labeling, promotion, advertising, distribution, and marketing, among other things, of our
+Added: products are extensively regulated by governmental authorities in the U.S.
and other countries.
−Removed: Our products may be classified by the FDA as a drug or a medical device
−Removed: depending upon the indications for use or claims.
−Removed: Because certain of our product candidates are considered as medical devices and others
−Removed: are considered as drugs for regulatory purposes, we intend to submit applications to regulatory agencies for approval or clearance of
−Removed: both medical devices and pharmaceutical product candidates.
−Removed: In the U.S., the FDA regulates
−Removed: drugs and medical devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and the Agency’s implementing regulations.
−Removed: fail to comply with the applicable U.S.
−Removed: requirements at any time during the product development process, clinical testing, and during
−Removed: the approval process or after approval, we may become subject to administrative or judicial sanctions.
−Removed: These sanctions could include
−Removed: the FDA’s refusal to approve pending applications, license suspension or revocation, withdrawal of an approval, warning letters,
−Removed: adverse publicity, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines,
−Removed: civil penalties or criminal prosecution, among other actions.
−Removed: Any agency enforcement action and/or any related impact could have a material
−Removed: adverse effect on us.
−Removed: Drug Approval Process
−Removed: The research, development, and
−Removed: approval process in the United States and elsewhere is intensive and rigorous and generally takes many years to complete.
−Removed: process required by the FDA before a therapeutic drug may be marketed in the United States includes:
−Removed: ● Pre-clinical laboratory
−Removed: and animal tests performed under the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practices, or GLP, regulations;
−Removed: ● submission to the
−Removed: FDA of an investigational new drug application, or IND, which must become effective before
−Removed: human clinical trials may commence;
−Removed: ● human clinical studies
−Removed: to evaluate the drug’s safety and effectiveness for its intended uses;
−Removed: ● FDA review of whether
−Removed: the facility in which the drug is manufactured, processed, packaged, or held meets standards
−Removed: designed to assure the product’s continued quality and FDA review of clinical trial
−Removed: sites to determine whether the clinical trials were conducted in accordance with Good Clinical
−Removed: Practices, or GCPs;
−Removed: ● submission of a new
−Removed: drug application, or NDA, to the FDA, and approval of the application by the FDA to allow
−Removed: sales of the drug.
−Removed: During pre-clinical testing,
−Removed: studies are performed with respect to the chemical and physical properties of candidate formulations.
−Removed: These studies are subject to GLP
+Added: Our products may be classified by the
+Added: FDA as a drug or a medical device depending upon the indications for use or claims.
+Added: Because certain of our product candidates are considered
+Added: as medical devices and others are considered as drugs for regulatory purposes, we intend to submit applications to regulatory agencies
+Added: for approval or clearance of both medical devices and pharmaceutical product candidates.
+Added: In the U.S., the FDA regulates drugs and medical
+Added: devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) and the FDA’s implementing regulations.
+Added: If we fail to
+Added: comply with the applicable U.S.
+Added: requirements at any time during the product development process, clinical testing, and during the approval
+Added: process or after approval, we may become subject to administrative or judicial sanctions.
+Added: These sanctions could include the FDA’s
+Added: refusal to approve pending applications, license suspension or revocation, withdrawal of an approval, warning letters, adverse publicity,
+Added: product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, civil penalties or criminal
+Added: prosecution, among other actions.
+Added: Any agency enforcement action and/or any related impact could have a material adverse effect on us.
+Added: Approval Process
+Added: research, development, and approval process in the United States and elsewhere is intensive and rigorous and generally takes many years
+Added: The typical process required by the FDA before a therapeutic drug may be marketed in the United States includes:
+Added: ● pre-clinical
+Added: laboratory and animal tests performed under the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practices, or GLP, regulations;
+Added: to the FDA of an investigational new drug application, or IND, which must become effective before human clinical trials may commence;
+Added: clinical studies to evaluate the drug’s safety and effectiveness for its intended uses;
+Added: review of whether the facility in which the drug is manufactured, processed, packaged, or held meets standards designed to assure the
+Added: product’s continued quality and FDA review of clinical trial sites to determine whether the clinical trials were conducted in accordance
+Added: with Good Clinical Practices, or GCPs;
+Added: of a new drug application, or NDA, to the FDA, and approval of the application by the FDA to allow sales of the drug.
+Added: pre-clinical testing, studies are performed with respect to the chemical and physical properties of candidate formulations.
+Added: These studies
+Added: are subject to GLP requirements.
+Added: Biological testing is typically done in animal models to demonstrate the activity of the compound against
+Added: the targeted disease or condition and to assess the apparent effects of the new product candidate on various organ systems, as well as
+Added: its relative therapeutic effectiveness and safety.
+Added: An IND application must be submitted to the FDA and become effective before studies
+Added: in humans may commence.
+Added: trial programs in humans generally follow a three-phase process.
+Added: Typically, Phase 1 studies are conducted in small numbers of healthy
+Added: volunteers or, on occasion, in patients afflicted with the target disease.
+Added: Phase 1 studies are conducted to determine the metabolic and
+Added: pharmacological action of the product candidate in humans and the side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, to
+Added: gain early evidence of effectiveness.
+Added: In Phase 2, studies are generally conducted in larger groups of patients having the target disease
+Added: or condition in order to validate clinical endpoints, and to obtain preliminary data on the effectiveness of the product candidate and
+Added: optimal dosing.
+Added: This phase also helps determine further the safety profile of the product candidate.
+Added: In Phase 3, large-scale clinical
+Added: trials are generally conducted in patients having the target disease or condition to provide sufficient data for the statistical proof
+Added: of effectiveness and safety of the product candidate as required by United States and foreign regulatory agencies.
+Added: Typically, two Phase
+Added: 3 trials are required for marketing approval.
+Added: the case of products for certain serious or life-threatening diseases, the initial human testing may be done in patients with the disease
+Added: rather than in healthy volunteers.
+Added: Because these patients are already afflicted with the target disease or condition, it is possible
+Added: that such studies will also provide results traditionally obtained in Phase 2 studies.
+Added: These studies are often referred to as “Phase
+Added: 1/2” studies.
+Added: However, even if patients participate in initial human testing and a Phase 1/2 study is carried out, the sponsor
+Added: is still responsible for obtaining all the data usually obtained in both Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies.
+Added: proceeding with a study, sponsors may seek a written agreement known as a Special Protocol Assessment, or SPA, from the FDA regarding
+Added: the design, size, and conduct of a clinical trial.
+Added: Among other things, SPAs can cover clinical studies for pivotal trials whose data
+Added: will form the primary basis to establish a product’s efficacy.
+Added: SPAs help establish up-front agreement with the FDA about the adequacy
+Added: of a clinical trial design to support a regulatory approval, but the agreement is not binding on the FDA if new circumstances arise.
+Added: An SPA may only be modified with the agreement of the FDA and the trial sponsor or if the director of the FDA reviewing division determines
+Added: that a substantial scientific issue essential to determining the safety or efficacy of the drug was identified after the testing began.
+Added: There is no guarantee that a study will ultimately be adequate to support an approval even if the study is subject to an SPA.
+Added: Additionally,
+Added: some clinical trials are overseen by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data
+Added: safety monitoring board or committee.
+Added: This group regularly reviews accumulated data and advises the study sponsor regarding the continuing
+Added: safety of trial subjects, and the continuing validity and scientific merit of the clinical trial.
+Added: The data safety monitoring board receives
+Added: special access to unblinded data during the clinical trial and may advise the sponsor to halt the clinical trial if it determined there
+Added: is an unacceptable safety risk for subjects or on other grounds, such as no demonstration of efficacy.
+Added: The committee can also stop a
+Added: clinical trial for an overwhelming demonstration of efficacy, based on pre-defined, stringent statistical parameters and ethical considerations.
+Added: manufacture of investigational drugs for the conduct of human clinical trials is subject to current Good Manufacturing Practice, or cGMP,
requirements.
−Removed: Biological testing is typically done in animal models to demonstrate the activity of the compound against the targeted
−Removed: disease or condition and to assess the apparent effects of the new product candidate on various organ systems, as well as its relative
−Removed: therapeutic effectiveness and safety.
−Removed: An IND application must be submitted to the FDA and become effective before studies in humans may
−Removed: Clinical trial programs in humans
−Removed: generally follow a three-phase process.
−Removed: Typically, Phase 1 studies are conducted in small numbers of healthy volunteers or, on occasion,
−Removed: in patients afflicted with the target disease.
−Removed: Phase 1 studies are conducted to determine the metabolic and pharmacological action of
−Removed: the product candidate in humans and the side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, to gain early evidence of effectiveness.
−Removed: In Phase 2, studies are generally conducted in larger groups of patients having the target disease or condition in order to validate
−Removed: clinical endpoints, and to obtain preliminary data on the effectiveness of the product candidate and optimal dosing.
−Removed: This phase also
−Removed: helps determine further the safety profile of the product candidate.
−Removed: In Phase 3, large-scale clinical trials are generally conducted
−Removed: in patients having the target disease or condition to provide sufficient data for the statistical proof of effectiveness and safety of
−Removed: the product candidate as required by United States and foreign regulatory agencies.
−Removed: Typically, two Phase 3 trials are required for marketing
−Removed: In the case of products for
−Removed: certain serious or life-threatening diseases, the initial human testing may be done in patients with the disease rather than in healthy
−Removed: Because these patients are already afflicted with the target disease or condition, it is possible that such studies will
−Removed: also provide results traditionally obtained in Phase 2 studies.
−Removed: These studies are often referred to as “Phase 1/2” studies.
−Removed: However, even if patients participate in initial human testing and a Phase 1/2 study is carried out, the sponsor is still responsible
−Removed: for obtaining all the data usually obtained in both Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies.
−Removed: Before proceeding with a study,
−Removed: sponsors may seek a written agreement known as a Special Protocol Assessment, or SPA, from the FDA regarding the design, size, and conduct
−Removed: of a clinical trial.
−Removed: Among other things, SPAs can cover clinical studies for pivotal trials whose data will form the primary basis to
−Removed: establish a product’s efficacy.
−Removed: SPAs help establish up-front agreement with the FDA about the adequacy of a clinical trial design
−Removed: to support a regulatory approval, but the agreement is not binding on the FDA if new circumstances arise.
−Removed: An SPA may only be modified
−Removed: with the agreement of the FDA and the trial sponsor or if the director of the FDA reviewing division determines that a substantial scientific
−Removed: issue essential to determining the safety or efficacy of the drug was identified after the testing began.
−Removed: There is no guarantee that
−Removed: a study will ultimately be adequate to support an approval even if the study is subject to an SPA.
−Removed: Additionally, some clinical trials are overseen
−Removed: by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board or committee.
−Removed: This group regularly reviews accumulated data and advises the study sponsor regarding the continuing safety of trial subjects, and the
−Removed: continuing validity and scientific merit of the clinical trial.
−Removed: The data safety monitoring board receives special access to unblinded
−Removed: data during the clinical trial and may advise the sponsor to halt the clinical trial if it determined there is an unacceptable safety
−Removed: risk for subjects or on other grounds, such as no demonstration of efficacy.
−Removed: The committee can also stop a clinical trial for an overwhelming
−Removed: demonstration of efficacy, based on pre-defined, stringent statistical parameters and ethical considerations.
−Removed: The manufacture of investigational drugs for the
−Removed: conduct of human clinical trials is subject to current Good Manufacturing Practice, or cGMP, requirements.
−Removed: Investigational drugs and
−Removed: active pharmaceutical ingredients imported into the United States are also subject to regulation by the FDA relating to their labeling
−Removed: and distribution.
−Removed: Further, the export of investigational drug products outside of the United States is subject to regulatory requirements
−Removed: of the receiving country as well as U.S.
+Added: Investigational drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients imported into the United States are also subject to regulation
+Added: by the FDA relating to their labeling and distribution.
+Added: Further, the export of investigational drug products outside of the United States
+Added: is subject to regulatory requirements of the receiving country as well as U.S.
export requirements under the FDCA.
−Removed: IND sponsors are required to submit a number of
−Removed: reports to the FDA during the course of a development program.
−Removed: For instance, sponsors are required to make annual reports to the FDA
−Removed: concerning the progress of their clinical trial programs as well as more frequent reports for certain serious adverse events.
−Removed: must submit a protocol for each clinical trial, and any subsequent protocol amendments to the FDA.
−Removed: Investigators must also provide certain
−Removed: information to the clinical trial sponsors to allow the sponsors to make certain financial disclosures to the FDA.
−Removed: Information about
−Removed: certain clinical trials, including a description of the study and study results, must be submitted within specific timeframes to the
−Removed: National Institutes of Health, or NIH, for public dissemination on their clinicaltrials.gov website.
−Removed: Moreover, under the 21st Century
−Removed: Cures Act, manufacturers or distributors of investigational drugs for the diagnosis, monitoring, or treatment of one or more serious
−Removed: diseases or conditions must have a publicly available policy concerning expanded access to investigational drugs.
−Removed: United States law requires that
−Removed: studies conducted to support approval for product marketing be “adequate and well controlled.” In general, this means that
−Removed: either a placebo or a product already approved for the treatment of the disease or condition under study must be used as a reference
−Removed: The recently passed 21st Century Cures Act, however, provides for FDA acceptance of new kinds of data such as patient experience
−Removed: data, real world evidence, and, for appropriate indications sought through supplemental marketing applications, data summaries.
−Removed: must also be conducted in compliance with good clinical practice requirements, and informed consent must be obtained from all study subjects.
−Removed: In addition, under the Pediatric Research Equity
−Removed: Act, or PREA, an NDA or supplement to an NDA for a new active ingredient, indication, dosage form, dosage regimen, or route of administration
−Removed: must contain data that are adequate to assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric
−Removed: subpopulations, and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective.
−Removed: The FDA may, on its own initiative or at the request of the applicant, grant deferrals for submission of some or all pediatric data until
−Removed: after approval of the product for use in adults, or full or partial waivers from the pediatric data requirements.
−Removed: The FDA also may require submission of a risk
−Removed: evaluation and mitigation strategy, or REMS, to ensure that the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks of the drug.
−Removed: The REMS plan could
−Removed: include medication guides, physician communication plans, and elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient
−Removed: registries, or other risk minimization tools.
−Removed: An assessment of the REMS must also be conducted at set intervals.
−Removed: Following product approval,
−Removed: a REMS may also be required by the FDA if new safety information is discovered and the FDA determines that a REMS is necessary to ensure
−Removed: that the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks of the drug.
−Removed: The clinical trial process for
−Removed: a new compound can take ten years or more to complete.
−Removed: The FDA may prevent clinical trials from beginning or may place clinical trials
−Removed: on hold at any point in this process if, among other reasons, it concludes that study subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable health
−Removed: Trials may also be prevented from beginning or may be terminated by institutional review boards, or IRBs, who must review and approve
−Removed: all research involving human subjects and amendments thereto.
−Removed: The IRB must continue to oversee the clinical trial while it is being conducted.
−Removed: This includes the IRB receiving information concerning unanticipated problems involving risk to subjects.
−Removed: Side effects or adverse events
−Removed: that are reported during clinical trials can delay, impede, or prevent marketing authorization.
−Removed: Similarly, adverse events that are reported
−Removed: after marketing authorization can result in additional limitations being placed on a product’s use and, potentially, withdrawal
−Removed: of the product from the market.
−Removed: Following the completion of
−Removed: a clinical trial, the data are analyzed by the sponsoring company to determine whether the trial successfully demonstrated safety and
−Removed: effectiveness and whether a product approval application may be submitted.
−Removed: In the United States, if the product is regulated as a new
−Removed: drug, an NDA must be submitted and approved by the FDA before commercial marketing may begin.
−Removed: The NDA must include a substantial amount
−Removed: of data and other information concerning the safety and effectiveness of the compound from laboratory, animal, and human clinical testing,
−Removed: as well as data and information on manufacturing, product quality and stability, and proposed product labeling.
−Removed: Each domestic and foreign manufacturing
−Removed: establishment, including any contract manufacturers that we may decide to use, must be listed in the NDA and must be registered with
−Removed: The application generally will not be approved until the FDA conducts a manufacturing inspection, approves the applicable manufacturing
−Removed: process for the drug product, and determines that the facility is in compliance with current cGMP requirements.
−Removed: Moreover, FDA will also
−Removed: typically inspect one or more clinical trial sites to confirm that the applicable clinical trials were conducted in accordance with GCPs.
−Removed: Under the Prescription Drug
−Removed: User Fee Act (PDUFA), as amended, the FDA assesses and receives application user fees for reviewing an NDA, as well as annual program
−Removed: fees for commercial manufacturing establishments and for approved products.
+Added: sponsors are required to submit a number of reports to the FDA during the course of a development program.
+Added: For instance, sponsors are
+Added: required to make annual reports to the FDA concerning the progress of their clinical trial programs as well as more frequent reports
+Added: for certain serious adverse events.
+Added: Sponsors must submit a protocol for each clinical trial, and any subsequent protocol amendments to
+Added: Investigators must also provide certain information to the clinical trial sponsors to allow the sponsors to make certain financial
+Added: disclosures to the FDA.
+Added: Information about certain clinical trials, including a description of the study and study results, must be submitted
+Added: within specific timeframes to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, for public dissemination on their clinicaltrials.gov website.
+Added: Moreover, under the 21st Century Cures Act, manufacturers or distributors of investigational drugs for the diagnosis, monitoring, or
+Added: treatment of one or more serious diseases or conditions must have a publicly available policy concerning expanded access to investigational
+Added: States law requires that studies conducted to support approval for product marketing be “adequate and well controlled.” In
+Added: general, this means that either a placebo or a product already approved for the treatment of the disease or condition under study must
+Added: be used as a reference control.
+Added: The recently passed 21st Century Cures Act, however, provides for FDA acceptance of new kinds of data
+Added: such as patient experience data, real world evidence, and, for appropriate indications sought through supplemental marketing applications,
+Added: data summaries.
+Added: Studies must also be conducted in compliance with good clinical practice requirements, and informed consent must be obtained
+Added: from all study subjects.
+Added: addition, under the Pediatric Research Equity Act, or PREA, an NDA or supplement to an NDA for a new active ingredient, indication, dosage
+Added: form, dosage regimen, or route of administration must contain data that are adequate to assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug
+Added: for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations, and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation
+Added: for which the product is safe and effective.
+Added: The FDA may, on its own initiative or at the request of the applicant, grant deferrals for
+Added: submission of some or all pediatric data until after approval of the product for use in adults, or full or partial waivers from the pediatric
+Added: data requirements.
+Added: FDA also may require submission of a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, or REMS, to ensure that the benefits of the drug outweigh
+Added: the risks of the drug.
+Added: The REMS plan could include medication guides, physician communication plans, and elements to assure safe use,
+Added: such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries, or other risk minimization tools.
+Added: An assessment of the REMS must also be
+Added: conducted at set intervals.
+Added: Following product approval, a REMS may also be required by the FDA if new safety information is discovered
+Added: and the FDA determines that a REMS is necessary to ensure that the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks of the drug.
+Added: clinical trial process for a new compound can take ten years or more to complete.
+Added: The FDA may prevent clinical trials from beginning
+Added: or may place clinical trials on hold at any point in this process if, among other reasons, it concludes that study subjects are being
+Added: exposed to an unacceptable health risk.
+Added: Trials may also be prevented from beginning or may be terminated by institutional review boards,
+Added: or IRBs, who must review and approve all research involving human subjects and amendments thereto.
+Added: The IRB must continue to oversee the
+Added: clinical trial while it is being conducted.
+Added: This includes the IRB receiving information concerning unanticipated problems involving risk
+Added: Side effects or adverse events that are reported during clinical trials can delay, impede, or prevent marketing authorization.
+Added: Similarly, adverse events that are reported after marketing authorization can result in additional limitations being placed on a product’s
+Added: use and, potentially, withdrawal of the product from the market.
+Added: the completion of a clinical trial, the data are analyzed by the sponsoring company to determine whether the trial successfully demonstrated
+Added: safety and effectiveness and whether a product approval application may be submitted.
+Added: In the United States, if the product is regulated
+Added: as a new drug, an NDA must be submitted and approved by the FDA before commercial marketing may begin.
+Added: The NDA must include a substantial
+Added: amount of data and other information concerning the safety and effectiveness of the compound from laboratory, animal, and human clinical
+Added: testing, as well as data and information on manufacturing, product quality and stability, and proposed product labeling.
+Added: domestic and foreign manufacturing establishment, including any contract manufacturers that we may decide to use, must be listed in the
+Added: NDA and must be registered with the FDA.
+Added: The application generally will not be approved until the FDA conducts a manufacturing inspection,
+Added: approves the applicable manufacturing process for the drug product, and determines that the facility is in compliance with current cGMP
+Added: requirements.
+Added: Moreover, FDA will also typically inspect one or more clinical trial sites to confirm that the applicable clinical trials
+Added: were conducted in accordance with GCPs.
+Added: the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), as amended, the FDA assesses and receives application user fees for reviewing an NDA, as
+Added: well as annual program fees for commercial manufacturing establishments and for approved products.
These fees can be significant.
−Removed: Fee waivers, reductions or
−Removed: refunds are available in certain circumstances.
−Removed: One basis for a waiver or refund of the application user fee is if the applicant is a
−Removed: “small business” generally defined as employing fewer than 500 employees, including employees of affiliates, no approved
−Removed: marketing application for a product that has been introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce, and the applicant,
−Removed: including its affiliates, is submitting its first marketing application.
−Removed: Product candidates that are designated as orphan drugs, which
−Removed: are further described below, are also not subject to application user fees unless the application includes an indication other than the
−Removed: orphan indication.
+Added: waivers, reductions or refunds are available in certain circumstances.
+Added: One basis for a waiver or refund of the application user fee is
+Added: if the applicant is a “small business” generally defined as employing fewer than 500 employees, including employees of affiliates,
+Added: no approved marketing application for a product that has been introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce, and
+Added: the applicant, including its affiliates, is submitting its first marketing application.
+Added: Product candidates that are designated as orphan
+Added: drugs, which are further described below, are also not subject to application user fees unless the application includes an indication
+Added: other than the orphan indication.
Under certain circumstances, orphan products may also be exempt from product and establishment fees.
−Removed: Each NDA submitted for FDA approval
−Removed: is usually reviewed for administrative completeness and reviewability.
−Removed: Following this review, the FDA may request additional information
−Removed: rather than accept an NDA for filing.
−Removed: In this event, the application must be resubmitted with the additional information.
−Removed: The resubmitted
−Removed: application is also subject to review before the FDA accepts it for filing.
−Removed: Once accepted for filing, the
−Removed: FDA’s review of an application may involve review and recommendations by an independent FDA advisory committee.
−Removed: The FDA must refer
−Removed: applications for drugs that contain active ingredients, including any ester or salt of the active ingredients that have not previously
−Removed: been approved by the FDA to an advisory committee or provide in an action letter a summary for not referring it to an advisory committee.
−Removed: The FDA may also refer drugs to advisory committees when it is determined that an advisory committee’s expertise would be beneficial
−Removed: to the regulatory decision-making process, including the evaluation of novel products and the use of new technology.
+Added: NDA submitted for FDA approval is usually reviewed for administrative completeness and reviewability.
+Added: Following this review, the FDA
+Added: may request additional information rather than accept an NDA for filing.
+Added: In this event, the application must be resubmitted with the
+Added: additional information.
+Added: The resubmitted application is also subject to review before the FDA accepts it for filing.
+Added: accepted for filing, the FDA’s review of an application may involve review and recommendations by an independent FDA advisory committee.
+Added: The FDA must refer applications for drugs that contain active ingredients, including any ester or salt of the active ingredients that
+Added: have not previously been approved by the FDA to an advisory committee or provide in an action letter a summary for not referring it to
an advisory committee.
−Removed: is typically a panel that includes clinicians and other experts, which review, evaluate, and make a recommendation as to whether the
−Removed: application should be approved and under what conditions.
−Removed: The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it
−Removed: considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions.
−Removed: After evaluating the NDA and
−Removed: all related information, including the advisory committee recommendation, if any, and inspection reports regarding the manufacturing
−Removed: facilities and clinical trial sites, the FDA may issue an approval letter, or, in some cases, a Complete Response Letter, or CRL.
−Removed: a CRL is issued, the applicant may either resubmit the NDA, addressing all the deficiencies identified in the letter;
−Removed: withdraw the application;
+Added: The FDA may also refer drugs to advisory committees when it is determined that an advisory committee’s expertise
+Added: would be beneficial to the regulatory decision-making process, including the evaluation of novel products and the use of new technology.
+Added: An advisory committee is typically a panel that includes clinicians and other experts, which review, evaluate, and make a recommendation
+Added: as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions.
+Added: The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory
+Added: committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions.
+Added: evaluating the NDA and all related information, including the advisory committee recommendation, if any, and inspection reports regarding
+Added: the manufacturing facilities and clinical trial sites, the FDA may issue an approval letter, or, in some cases, a Complete Response Letter,
+Added: If a CRL is issued, the applicant may either resubmit the NDA, addressing all the deficiencies identified in the letter;
+Added: the application;
or request an opportunity for a hearing.
−Removed: A CRL indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete, and the application is
−Removed: not ready for approval and describes all the specific deficiencies that the FDA identified in the NDA.
−Removed: A CRL generally contains a statement
−Removed: of specific conditions that must be met in order to secure final approval of the NDA and may require additional clinical or pre-clinical
−Removed: testing in order for the FDA to reconsider the application.
−Removed: The deficiencies identified may be minor, for example, requiring labeling
+Added: A CRL indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete, and the
+Added: application is not ready for approval and describes all the specific deficiencies that the FDA identified in the NDA.
+Added: A CRL generally
+Added: contains a statement of specific conditions that must be met in order to secure final approval of the NDA and may require additional
+Added: clinical or pre-clinical testing in order for the FDA to reconsider the application.
+Added: The deficiencies identified may be minor, for example,
+Added: requiring labeling changes;
or major, for example, requiring additional clinical trials.
−Removed: Even with submission of this additional information, the FDA ultimately
−Removed: may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval.
−Removed: If and when those conditions have been met to
−Removed: the FDA’s satisfaction, the FDA may issue an approval letter.
−Removed: An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the drug with
−Removed: specific prescribing information for specific indications.
−Removed: Even if the FDA approves a product,
−Removed: it may limit the approved therapeutic uses for the product as described in the product labeling, require that warning statements be included
−Removed: in the product labeling, require that additional studies be conducted following approval as a condition of the approval, impose restrictions
−Removed: and conditions on product distribution, prescribing, or dispensing in the form of a REMS or otherwise limit the scope of any approval.
−Removed: Special FDA Expedited Review and Approval Programs
−Removed: The FDA has various programs, including Fast Track
−Removed: designation, priority review and breakthrough designation, that are intended to expedite or simplify the process for the development
−Removed: and FDA review of certain drug products that are intended for the treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions, and
−Removed: demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs or present a significant improvement over existing therapy.
−Removed: The purpose of these
−Removed: programs is to provide important new drugs to patients earlier than under standard FDA review procedures.
−Removed: To be eligible for a Fast Track designation, the
−Removed: FDA must determine, based on the request of a sponsor, that a product is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition
−Removed: and demonstrates the potential to address an unmet medical need.
−Removed: The FDA will determine that a product will fill an unmet medical need
−Removed: if the product will provide a therapy where none exists or provide a therapy that may be potentially superior to existing therapy based
−Removed: on efficacy, safety, or public health factors.
−Removed: If Fast Track designation is obtained, drug sponsors may be eligible for more frequent
−Removed: development meetings and correspondence with the FDA.
−Removed: In addition, the FDA may initiate review of sections of an NDA before the application
−Removed: This “rolling review” is available if the applicant provides and the FDA approves a schedule for the remaining
−Removed: A Fast Track product is also eligible to apply for accelerated approval and priority review.
−Removed: The FDA may give a priority review designation
−Removed: to drugs that are intended to treat serious conditions and, if approved, would provide significant improvements in the safety or effectiveness
−Removed: of the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of serious conditions.
−Removed: A priority review means that the goal for the FDA is to review an application
−Removed: within six months, rather than the standard review of ten months under current PDUFA guidelines, of the 60-day filing date for new molecular
−Removed: Moreover, under the provisions of the Food and
−Removed: Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, or FDASIA, enacted in 2012, a sponsor can request designation of a product candidate as
−Removed: a “breakthrough therapy.” A breakthrough therapy is defined as a drug that is intended, alone or in combination with one
−Removed: or more other drugs, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the
−Removed: drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial
−Removed: treatment effects observed early in clinical development.
−Removed: Drugs designated as breakthrough therapies are eligible for the Fast Track
−Removed: designation features as described above, intensive guidance on an efficient drug development program beginning as early as Phase 1
−Removed: trials, and a commitment from the FDA to involve senior managers and experienced review staff in a proactive collaborative, cross-disciplinary
−Removed: Even if a product qualifies for one or more of
−Removed: these programs, the FDA may later decide that the product no longer meets the conditions for qualification or decide that the time period
−Removed: for FDA review or approval will not be shortened.
−Removed: A final new program to expedite the development
−Removed: of drug products is the LPAD, which was passed as part of the 21 st Century Cures Act.
−Removed: LPAD allows for the FDA’s determination
−Removed: of safety and effectiveness to reflect the risk-benefit profile of the drug in the intended limited population, taking into account the
−Removed: severity, rarity, or prevalence of the infection and the availability of alternative treatments in the limited population.
−Removed: a sponsor may request drug approval for an antibacterial or antifungal drug if the drug is intended to treat a serious life-threatening
−Removed: infection in a limited population of patients with unmet needs.
−Removed: The drug may be approved for the limited population notwithstanding a
−Removed: lack of evidence to fully establish a favorable benefit-risk profile in a broader population.
−Removed: The FDA must provide prompt advice to sponsors
−Removed: seeking approval under LPAD to enable them to plan a development program.
−Removed: If approved under LPAD, certain post-marketing requirements
−Removed: would apply, such as required labeling and advertising statements and pre-distribution submission of promotional materials to FDA.
−Removed: after approval for a limited population, a product receives a broader approval, the FDA may remove such post-marketing restrictions.
−Removed: While a drug may only be approved for a limited population under this program, the 21 st Century Cures Act states that it is
−Removed: not intended to restrict the prescribing of antimicrobial drugs or other products by healthcare professionals.
−Removed: For approved drug products, market exclusivity
−Removed: provisions under the FDCA provide periods of regulatory exclusivity, which gives the holder of an approved NDA limited protection from
−Removed: new competition in the marketplace for the innovation represented by its approved drug.
−Removed: Section 505 of the FDCA describes three types
−Removed: of marketing applications that may be submitted to the FDA to request marketing authorization for a new drug.
+Added: Even with submission of this additional information,
+Added: the FDA ultimately may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval.
+Added: If and when those conditions
+Added: have been met to the FDA’s satisfaction, the FDA may issue an approval letter.
+Added: An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing
+Added: of the drug with specific prescribing information for specific indications.
+Added: if the FDA approves a product, it may limit the approved therapeutic uses for the product as described in the product labeling, require
+Added: that warning statements be included in the product labeling, require that additional studies be conducted following approval as a condition
+Added: of the approval, impose restrictions and conditions on product distribution, prescribing, or dispensing in the form of a REMS or otherwise
+Added: limit the scope of any approval.
+Added: FDA Expedited Review and Approval Programs
+Added: FDA has various programs, including Fast Track designation, priority review and breakthrough designation, that are intended to expedite
+Added: or simplify the process for the development and FDA review of certain drug products that are intended for the treatment of serious or
+Added: life-threatening diseases or conditions, and demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs or present a significant improvement
+Added: over existing therapy.
+Added: The purpose of these programs is to provide important new drugs to patients earlier than under standard FDA review
+Added: be eligible for a Fast Track designation, the FDA must determine, based on the request of a sponsor, that a product is intended to treat
+Added: a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrates the potential to address an unmet medical need.
+Added: The FDA will determine
+Added: that a product will fill an unmet medical need if the product will provide a therapy where none exists or provide a therapy that may
+Added: be potentially superior to existing therapy based on efficacy, safety, or public health factors.
+Added: If Fast Track designation is obtained,
+Added: drug sponsors may be eligible for more frequent development meetings and correspondence with the FDA.
+Added: In addition, the FDA may initiate
+Added: review of sections of an NDA before the application is complete.
+Added: This “rolling review” is available if the applicant provides
+Added: and the FDA approves a schedule for the remaining information.
+Added: A Fast Track product is also eligible to apply for accelerated approval
+Added: and priority review.
+Added: FDA may give a priority review designation to drugs that are intended to treat serious conditions and, if approved, would provide significant
+Added: improvements in the safety or effectiveness of the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of serious conditions.
+Added: A priority review means
+Added: that the goal for the FDA is to review an application within six months, rather than the standard review of ten months under current
+Added: PDUFA guidelines, of the 60-day filing date for new molecular entities.
+Added: under the provisions of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, or FDASIA, enacted in 2012, a sponsor can request
+Added: designation of a product candidate as a “breakthrough therapy.” A breakthrough therapy is defined as a drug that is intended,
+Added: alone or in combination with one or more other drugs, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and preliminary clinical
+Added: evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant
+Added: endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development.
+Added: Drugs designated as breakthrough therapies are
+Added: eligible for the Fast Track designation features as described above, intensive guidance on an efficient drug development program beginning
+Added: as early as Phase 1 trials, and a commitment from the FDA to involve senior managers and experienced review staff in a proactive
+Added: collaborative, cross-disciplinary review.
+Added: if a product qualifies for one or more of these programs, the FDA may later decide that the product no longer meets the conditions for
+Added: qualification or decide that the time period for FDA review or approval will not be shortened.
+Added: final new program to expedite the development of drug products is the LPAD, which was passed as part of the 21 st Century Cures
+Added: LPAD allows for the FDA’s determination of safety and effectiveness to reflect the risk-benefit profile of the drug in the
+Added: intended limited population, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the infection and the availability of alternative
+Added: treatments in the limited population.
+Added: Under LPAD, a sponsor may request drug approval for an antibacterial or antifungal drug if the
+Added: drug is intended to treat a serious life-threatening infection in a limited population of patients with unmet needs.
+Added: The drug may be
+Added: approved for the limited population notwithstanding a lack of evidence to fully establish a favorable benefit-risk profile in a broader
+Added: The FDA must provide prompt advice to sponsors seeking approval under LPAD to enable them to plan a development program.
+Added: If approved under LPAD, certain post-marketing requirements would apply, such as required labeling and advertising statements and pre-distribution
+Added: submission of promotional materials to FDA.
+Added: If after approval for a limited population, a product receives a broader approval, the FDA
+Added: may remove such post-marketing restrictions.
+Added: While a drug may only be approved for a limited population under this program, the 21 st
+Added: Century Cures Act states that it is not intended to restrict the prescribing of antimicrobial drugs or other products by healthcare
+Added: professionals.
+Added: approved drug products, market exclusivity provisions under the FDCA provide periods of regulatory exclusivity, which gives the holder
+Added: of an approved NDA limited protection from new competition in the marketplace for the innovation represented by its approved drug.
+Added: of the FDCA describes three types of marketing applications that may be submitted to the FDA to request marketing authorization for a
+Added: A Section 505(b)(1) NDA is an application that contains full reports of investigations of safety and efficacy.
A Section 505(b)(2)
−Removed: NDA is an application that contains full reports of investigations of safety and efficacy.
−Removed: A Section 505(b)(2) NDA is an application
−Removed: in which the applicant, in part, relies on investigations that were not conducted by or for the applicant and for which the applicant
−Removed: has not obtained a right of reference or use from the person by or for whom the investigations were conducted.
−Removed: Section 505(j) establishes
−Removed: an abbreviated approval process for a generic version of approved drug products through the submission of an Abbreviated New Drug Application,
−Removed: An ANDA provides for marketing of a generic drug product that has the same active ingredients, dosage form, strength, route
−Removed: of administration, labeling, performance characteristics, and intended use, among other things, to a previously approved product.
−Removed: changes must be pre-approved by the FDA via a suitability petition.
−Removed: Five years of exclusivity are available to New
−Removed: Chemical Entities, or NCEs.
−Removed: A NCE is a drug that contains no active moiety that has been approved by the FDA in any other NDA.
−Removed: moiety is the molecule or ion, excluding those appended portions of the molecule, that cause the drug to be an ester, salt, including
−Removed: a salt with hydrogen or coordination bonds, or other noncovalent derivatives, such as a complex, chelate, or clathrate, of the molecule,
−Removed: responsible for the therapeutic activity of the drug substance.
−Removed: During the exclusivity period, the FDA may not accept for review and
−Removed: make an ANDA or a 505(b)(2) NDA approval effective for an application submitted by another company that contains the previously approved
−Removed: active moiety.
−Removed: An ANDA or 505(b)(2) application, however, may be submitted one year before NCE exclusivity expires if the applicant submits
−Removed: a certification stating that the patents listed by the NCE sponsor in FDA’s list of Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence
−Removed: Evaluations, or Orange Book, are invalid or will not be infringed by the manufacture, use, or sale of the drug product for which approval
−Removed: Five-year exclusivity will also not delay the submission or approval of a full NDA;
−Removed: however, an applicant submitting a full
−Removed: NDA would be required to conduct or obtain a right of reference to all the pre-clinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical
−Removed: trials necessary to demonstrate safety and efficacy.
−Removed: Pediatric exclusivity is another type of non-patent
−Removed: marketing exclusivity in the United States and, if granted, provides for the attachment of an additional six months of marketing
−Removed: protection to the term of any existing regulatory exclusivity, including the non-patent exclusivity period described above.
−Removed: This six-month
−Removed: exclusivity may be granted if an NDA sponsor submits pediatric data that fairly respond to a written request from the FDA for such data.
+Added: NDA is an application in which the applicant, in part, relies on investigations that were not conducted by or for the applicant and for
+Added: which the applicant has not obtained a right of reference or use from the person by or for whom the investigations were conducted.
+Added: Section 505(j)
+Added: establishes an abbreviated approval process for a generic version of approved drug products through the submission of an Abbreviated
+Added: New Drug Application, or ANDA.
+Added: An ANDA provides for marketing of a generic drug product that has the same active ingredients, dosage
+Added: form, strength, route of administration, labeling, performance characteristics, and intended use, among other things, to a previously
+Added: approved product.
+Added: Limited changes must be pre-approved by the FDA via a suitability petition.
+Added: years of exclusivity are available to New Chemical Entities, or NCEs.
+Added: A NCE is a drug that contains no active moiety that has been approved
+Added: by the FDA in any other NDA.
+Added: An active moiety is the molecule or ion, excluding those appended portions of the molecule, that cause the
+Added: drug to be an ester, salt, including a salt with hydrogen or coordination bonds, or other noncovalent derivatives, such as a complex,
+Added: chelate, or clathrate, of the molecule, responsible for the therapeutic activity of the drug substance.
+Added: During the exclusivity period,
+Added: the FDA may not accept for review and make an ANDA or a 505(b)(2) NDA approval effective for an application submitted by another company
+Added: that contains the previously approved active moiety.
+Added: An ANDA or 505(b)(2) application, however, may be submitted one year before NCE
+Added: exclusivity expires if the applicant submits a certification stating that the patents listed by the NCE sponsor in FDA’s list of
+Added: Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, or Orange Book, are invalid or will not be infringed by the manufacture,
+Added: use, or sale of the drug product for which approval is sought.
+Added: Five-year exclusivity will also not delay the submission or approval of
+Added: however, an applicant submitting a full NDA would be required to conduct or obtain a right of reference to all the pre-clinical
+Added: studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials necessary to demonstrate safety and efficacy.
+Added: exclusivity is another type of non-patent marketing exclusivity in the United States and, if granted, provides for the attachment
+Added: of an additional six months of marketing protection to the term of any existing regulatory exclusivity, including the non-patent exclusivity
+Added: period described above.
+Added: This six-month exclusivity may be granted if an NDA sponsor submits pediatric data that fairly respond to a written
+Added: request from the FDA for such data.
The data do not need to show the product to be effective in the pediatric population studied;
−Removed: rather, if the clinical trial is deemed
−Removed: to fairly respond to the FDA’s request, the additional protection is granted.
−Removed: If reports of requested pediatric studies are submitted
−Removed: to and accepted by the FDA within the required time frames, whatever statutory or regulatory periods of exclusivity or Orange Book listed
−Removed: patent protection cover the drug are extended by six months.
−Removed: Moreover, pediatric exclusivity attaches to all formulations, dosage forms,
−Removed: and indications for products with existing marketing exclusivity or patent life that contain the same active moiety as that which was
−Removed: The Orphan Drug Act also provides incentives for
−Removed: the development of drugs intended to treat rare diseases or conditions, which generally are diseases or conditions affecting fewer than
−Removed: 200,000 individuals annually in the United States, or affecting more than 200,000 in the United States and for which there is no reasonable
−Removed: expectation that the cost of developing and making the drug available in the United States will be recovered from sales in the United
−Removed: Additionally, sponsors must present a plausible hypothesis for clinical superiority to obtain orphan designation if there is
−Removed: a drug already approved by the FDA that is intended for the same indication and that is considered by the FDA to be the same drug as
−Removed: the already approved drug.
+Added: if the clinical trial is deemed to fairly respond to the FDA’s request, the additional protection is granted.
+Added: If reports of requested
+Added: pediatric studies are submitted to and accepted by the FDA within the required time frames, whatever statutory or regulatory periods
+Added: of exclusivity or Orange Book listed patent protection cover the drug are extended by six months.
+Added: Moreover, pediatric exclusivity attaches
+Added: to all formulations, dosage forms, and indications for products with existing marketing exclusivity or patent life that contain the same
+Added: active moiety as that which was studied.
+Added: Orphan Drug Act also provides incentives for the development of drugs intended to treat rare diseases or conditions, which generally
+Added: are diseases or conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 individuals annually in the United States, or affecting more than 200,000 in
+Added: the United States and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making the drug available in the United
+Added: States will be recovered from sales in the United States.
+Added: Additionally, sponsors must present a plausible hypothesis for clinical superiority
+Added: to obtain orphan designation if there is a drug already approved by the FDA that is intended for the same indication and that is considered
+Added: by the FDA to be the same drug as the already approved drug.
This hypothesis must be demonstrated to obtain orphan drug exclusivity.
−Removed: If granted, prior to product approval,
−Removed: Orphan Drug Designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical study costs,
−Removed: tax advantages, and user-fee waivers.
−Removed: In addition, if a product receives FDA approval for the indication for which it has orphan designation,
−Removed: the product is generally entitled to orphan drug exclusivity, which means the FDA may not approve any other application to market the
−Removed: same drug for the same indication for a period of seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority
−Removed: over the product with orphan exclusivity.
−Removed: For certain infectious
−Removed: disease products, the above discussed exclusivity periods may be further extended under the FDA’s qualified infectious disease
−Removed: product program.
−Removed: A qualified infectious disease product, or QIDP, is an antibacterial or antifungal drug for human use intended to treat
−Removed: serious or life-threatening infections, including those caused by an antibacterial or antifungal resistant pathogen, including novel
−Removed: or emerging infectious pathogens;
−Removed: or qualifying pathogens designated by the FDA that have the potential to pose a serious threat to public
−Removed: Subject to the specified statutory limitations, a drug that is designated as a QIDP and is approved for the use for which the
−Removed: QIDP designation was granted will receive a 5-year extension to any exclusivity for which the application qualifies upon approval.
−Removed: example, if the FDA approves an NDA for a drug designated as a QIDP, the NCE exclusivity period is extended to ten years and the FDA
−Removed: may not accept applications for nine years.
−Removed: Moreover, if a product is designated as a QIDP and an orphan product, the orphan product
−Removed: exclusivity period is extended to twelve years.
−Removed: These extensions are in addition to any extension that an application may be entitled
−Removed: to under the pediatric exclusivity provisions.
−Removed: To receive a QIDP designation, the sponsor must request that the FDA designate the product
−Removed: as such prior to the submission of an NDA.
−Removed: This designation may not be withdrawn except if the FDA finds that the request for designation
−Removed: contained an untrue statement of material fact.
+Added: If granted, prior to product approval, Orphan Drug Designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant
+Added: funding towards clinical study costs, tax advantages, and user-fee waivers.
+Added: In addition, if a product receives FDA approval for the indication
+Added: for which it has orphan designation, the product is generally entitled to orphan drug exclusivity, which means the FDA may not approve
+Added: any other application to market the same drug for the same indication for a period of seven years, except in limited circumstances, such
+Added: as a showing of clinical superiority over the product with orphan exclusivity.
+Added: certain infectious disease products, the above discussed exclusivity periods may be further extended under the FDA’s qualified
+Added: infectious disease product program.
+Added: A qualified infectious disease product, or QIDP, is an antibacterial or antifungal drug for human
+Added: use intended to treat serious or life-threatening infections, including those caused by an antibacterial or antifungal resistant pathogen,
+Added: including novel or emerging infectious pathogens;
+Added: or qualifying pathogens designated by the FDA that have the potential to pose a serious
+Added: threat to public health.
+Added: Subject to the specified statutory limitations, a drug that is designated as a QIDP and is approved for the
+Added: use for which the QIDP designation was granted will receive a 5-year extension to any exclusivity for which the application qualifies
+Added: upon approval.
+Added: For example, if the FDA approves an NDA for a drug designated as a QIDP, the NCE exclusivity period is extended to ten
+Added: years and the FDA may not accept applications for nine years.
+Added: Moreover, if a product is designated as a QIDP and an orphan product, the
+Added: orphan product exclusivity period is extended to twelve years.
+Added: These extensions are in addition to any extension that an application
+Added: may be entitled to under the pediatric exclusivity provisions.
+Added: To receive a QIDP designation, the sponsor must request that the FDA designate
+Added: the product as such prior to the submission of an NDA.
+Added: This designation may not be withdrawn except if the FDA finds that the request
+Added: for designation contained an untrue statement of material fact.
QIDPs are also eligible for Fast Track status and priority review.
−Removed: In March 2020, we were
−Removed: granted a deferral by the FDA under the PREA, that requires sponsors to conduct pediatric studies for NDAs for a new active ingredient,
−Removed: such as taurolidine in DefenCath, unless a waiver or deferral is obtained from the FDA.
−Removed: A deferral acknowledges that a pediatric assessment
−Removed: is required but permits the applicant to submit the pediatric assessment after the submission of an NDA.
−Removed: We have made a commitment to
−Removed: conduct the pediatric study after approval of the NDA for use in adult hemodialysis patients.
−Removed: Pediatric studies for an approved product
−Removed: conducted under PREA may qualify for pediatric exclusivity, which if granted would provide an additional six months of marketing exclusivity.
−Removed: DefenCath would then have the potential to receive a total marketing exclusivity period of 10.5 years, including exclusivity pursuant
−Removed: to NCE and QIDP.
−Removed: Post Approval Requirements
−Removed: Significant legal and regulatory
−Removed: requirements also apply after FDA approval to market under an NDA.
−Removed: These include, among other things, requirements related to adverse
−Removed: event and other reporting, product tracking and tracing, suspect and illegitimate product investigations and notifications, product advertising
−Removed: and promotion and ongoing adherence to cGMPs, as well as the need to submit appropriate new or supplemental applications and obtain FDA
−Removed: approval for certain changes to the approved product, product labeling, or manufacturing process.
−Removed: The FDA also enforces the requirements
−Removed: of the Prescription Drug Marketing Act which, among other things, imposes various requirements in connection with the distribution of
−Removed: product samples to physicians.
−Removed: The FDA enforces these requirements through, among other ways, periodic announced and unannounced facility
−Removed: The FDA also strictly regulates marketing, labeling,
−Removed: advertising, and promotion of products that are placed on the market.
−Removed: A company can make only those claims relating to safety and efficacy
−Removed: that are approved by the FDA.
−Removed: Physicians, in their independent professional medical judgment, may prescribe legally available products
−Removed: for unapproved indications that are not described in the product’s labeling and that differ from those tested and approved by the
−Removed: Pharmaceutical companies, however, are allowed to promote their drug products only for the approved indications and in accordance
−Removed: with the provisions of the approved label.
−Removed: The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion
−Removed: of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant liability, including,
−Removed: but not limited to, criminal and civil penalties under the FDCA and the civil False Claims Act, or FCA, exclusion from participation
−Removed: in federal healthcare programs, mandatory compliance programs under corporate integrity agreements, debarment, and refusal of government
−Removed: The regulatory framework applicable
−Removed: to the production, distribution, marketing, and/or sale, of our product candidates may change significantly from the current descriptions
−Removed: provided herein in the time that it may take for any of our product candidates to reach a point at which an NDA is approved.
−Removed: individual states may have laws and regulations that we must comply with, such as laws and regulations concerning licensing, promotion,
−Removed: sampling, distribution, and reporting.
−Removed: Overall research, development,
−Removed: and approval times depend on a number of factors, including the period of review at the FDA, the number of questions posed by the FDA
−Removed: during review, how long it takes to respond to the FDA’s questions, the severity or life-threatening nature of the disease in question,
−Removed: the availability of alternative treatments, the availability of clinical investigators and eligible patients, the rate of enrollment
−Removed: of patients in clinical trials, and the risks and benefits demonstrated in the clinical trials.
−Removed: Medical Device Approval Process
−Removed: In addition to our lead product candidate DefenCath,
−Removed: which is subject to regulation by the FDA as a drug, we may be developing other products that may be regulated as medical devices in
−Removed: the United States.
−Removed: The FDA considers a product to be a device, and subject to the FDA regulation, if it meets the definition of a medical
−Removed: device in the FDCA, which states that a device is an instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, in vitro
−Removed: reagent, or other similar or related article, including a component part, or accessory which is:
−Removed: ● recognized in the official
−Removed: National Formulary, or the United States Pharmacopoeia, or any supplement to them,
−Removed: ● intended for use in
−Removed: the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention
−Removed: of disease, in man or other animals, or
−Removed: ● intended to affect
−Removed: the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals, and which does not achieve
−Removed: its primary intended purposes through chemical action within or on the body of man or other
−Removed: animals and which does not achieve its primary intended purposes through chemical action
−Removed: within or on the body of man or other animals and which is not dependent upon being metabolized
−Removed: for the achievement of its primary intended purposes.
−Removed: The FDA regulates the design, development, clinical
−Removed: testing, manufacture, labeling, distribution, import and export, sale and promotion of medical devices.
−Removed: Unless an exemption applies or
−Removed: a product is a Class I device, all medical devices must receive either 510(k) clearance or an approved pre-market application, or PMA,
−Removed: from the FDA before they may be commercially distributed in the U.S.
−Removed: In addition, certain modifications made to marketed devices also
−Removed: may require 510(k) clearance or approval of a PMA supplement.
−Removed: Unlike approved drug products, there are no market exclusivity provisions
−Removed: under the FDCA for products regulated as medical devices.
−Removed: To obtain a 510(k) clearance for a device, a pre-market
−Removed: notification to the FDA must be submitted demonstrating that the device is substantially equivalent to a legally marketed predicate device.
−Removed: For a new device to be found “substantially equivalent” to one or other legally marketed predicate devices, the new device
+Added: March 2020, we were granted a deferral by the FDA under the PREA, that requires sponsors to conduct pediatric studies for NDAs for a
+Added: new active ingredient, such as taurolidine in DefenCath, unless a waiver or deferral is obtained from the FDA.
+Added: A deferral acknowledges
+Added: that a pediatric assessment is required but permits the applicant to submit the pediatric assessment after the submission of an NDA.
+Added: We have made a commitment to conduct the pediatric study after approval of the NDA for use in adult hemodialysis patients.
+Added: studies for an approved product conducted under PREA may qualify for pediatric exclusivity, which if granted would provide an additional
+Added: six months of marketing exclusivity.
+Added: DefenCath would then have the potential to receive a total marketing exclusivity period of 10.5
+Added: years, including exclusivity pursuant to NCE and QIDP.
+Added: Approval Requirements
+Added: legal and regulatory requirements also apply after FDA approval to market under an NDA.
+Added: These include, among other things, requirements
+Added: related to adverse event and other reporting, product tracking and tracing, suspect and illegitimate product investigations and notifications,
+Added: product advertising and promotion and ongoing adherence to cGMPs, as well as the need to submit appropriate new or supplemental applications
+Added: and obtain FDA approval for certain changes to the approved product, product labeling, or manufacturing process.
+Added: The FDA also enforces
+Added: the requirements of the Prescription Drug Marketing Act which, among other things, imposes various requirements in connection with the
+Added: distribution of product samples to physicians.
+Added: The FDA enforces these requirements through, among other ways, periodic announced and
+Added: unannounced facility inspections.
+Added: FDA also strictly regulates marketing, labeling, advertising, and promotion of products that are placed on the market.
+Added: A company can
+Added: make only those claims relating to safety and efficacy that are approved by the FDA.
+Added: Physicians, in their independent professional medical
+Added: judgment, may prescribe legally available products for unapproved indications that are not described in the product’s labeling
+Added: and that differ from those tested and approved by the FDA.
+Added: Pharmaceutical companies, however, are allowed to promote their drug products
+Added: only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label.
+Added: The FDA and other agencies actively enforce
+Added: the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label
+Added: uses may be subject to significant liability, including, but not limited to, criminal and civil penalties under the FDCA and the civil
+Added: False Claims Act, or FCA, exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs, mandatory compliance programs under corporate
+Added: integrity agreements, debarment, and refusal of government contracts.
+Added: regulatory framework applicable to the production, distribution, marketing, and/or sale, of our product candidates may change significantly
+Added: from the current descriptions provided herein in the time that it may take for any of our product candidates to reach a point at which
+Added: an NDA is approved.
+Added: Moreover, individual states may have laws and regulations that we must comply with, such as laws and regulations
+Added: concerning licensing, promotion, sampling, distribution, and reporting.
+Added: research, development, and approval times depend on a number of factors, including the period of review at the FDA, the number of questions
+Added: posed by the FDA during review, how long it takes to respond to the FDA’s questions, the severity or life-threatening nature of
+Added: the disease in question, the availability of alternative treatments, the availability of clinical investigators and eligible patients,
+Added: the rate of enrollment of patients in clinical trials, and the risks and benefits demonstrated in the clinical trials.
+Added: Device Approval Process
+Added: addition to our lead product candidate DefenCath, which is subject to regulation by the FDA as a drug, we may develop other products
+Added: that could be regulated as medical devices in the United States.
+Added: The FDA considers a product to be a device, and subject to the FDA regulation,
+Added: if it meets the definition of a medical device in the FDCA, which states that a device is an instrument, apparatus, implement, machine,
+Added: contrivance, implant, in vitro reagent, or other similar or related article, including a component part, or accessory which is:
+Added: in the official National Formulary, or the United States Pharmacopoeia, or any supplement
+Added: for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment,
+Added: or prevention of disease, in man or other animals, or
+Added: to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals, and which does
+Added: not achieve its primary intended purposes through chemical action within or on the body of
+Added: man or other animals and which does not achieve its primary intended purposes through chemical
+Added: action within or on the body of man or other animals and which is not dependent upon being
+Added: metabolized for the achievement of its primary intended purposes.
+Added: FDA regulates the design, development, clinical testing, manufacture, labeling, distribution, import and export, sale and promotion of
+Added: medical devices.
+Added: Unless an exemption applies or a product is a Class I device, all medical devices must receive either 510(k) clearance
+Added: or an approved pre-market application, or PMA, from the FDA before they may be commercially distributed in the U.S.
+Added: In addition, certain
+Added: modifications made to marketed devices also may require 510(k) clearance or approval of a PMA supplement.
+Added: Unlike approved drug products,
+Added: there are no market exclusivity provisions under the FDCA for products regulated as medical devices.
+Added: obtain a 510(k) clearance for a device, a pre-market notification to the FDA must be submitted demonstrating that the device is substantially
+Added: equivalent to a legally marketed predicate device.
+Added: For a new device to be found “substantially equivalent” to one or other
+Added: legally marketed predicate devices, the new device must have:
1) the same intended use as a predicate;
−Removed: and 2) either a) the same technological characteristics as the predicate device or
−Removed: b) different technological characteristics, but the information submitted must not raise new questions of safety and effectiveness and
−Removed: must demonstrate substantial equivalence.
−Removed: The FDA attempts to respond to a 510(k) pre-market notification within 90 days of submission,
−Removed: but as a practical matter, pre-market clearance can take significantly longer, potentially up to one year or more.
−Removed: The PMA process is much more demanding and uncertain
−Removed: than the 510(k) pre-market notification process and must be supported by extensive clinical, laboratory, technical and other information,
−Removed: including at least one adequate and well-controlled clinical investigation conducted under an investigational device exemption (IDE).
−Removed: The FDA has 180 days to review an accepted PMA, although the review generally occurs over a significantly longer period of time
−Removed: and can take up to several years.
−Removed: The FDA has informed us that it regards taurolidine
−Removed: as a new chemical entity and therefore an unapproved new drug.
−Removed: Consequently, for any other products that we intend to develop as a medical
−Removed: device, there is currently no appropriate predicate device currently marketed in the U.S.
−Removed: on which a 510(k) approval process could be
−Removed: As a result, we will be required to submit a premarket approval application for marketing authorization for these indications.
−Removed: In the event that the NDA for DefenCath is approved by the FDA, the regulatory pathway for these taurolidine product candidates can be
−Removed: revisited with the FDA.
−Removed: Although there will presumably still be no appropriate predicate, de novo Class II designation
−Removed: can be proposed, a process that provides a pathway to classify novel medical device for which there is no legally marketed predicate
−Removed: device, based on a risk assessment and a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness.
−Removed: After a device is placed on the market, numerous
−Removed: regulatory requirements apply, including:
−Removed: ● Quality System Regulations,
−Removed: or QSRs, which require manufacturers to have a quality system for the design, manufacture,
−Removed: packaging, labeling, storage, installation, and servicing of finished medical devices;
−Removed: ● labeling regulations,
−Removed: which govern product labels and labeling, prohibit the promotion of products for unapproved,
−Removed: or off-label, uses and impose other restrictions on labeling and promotional activities;
−Removed: ● medical device listing
−Removed: and establishment registration;
−Removed: ● post-approval restrictions
−Removed: or conditions, including post-approval study commitments;
−Removed: ● post-market surveillance
−Removed: requirements;
−Removed: ● medical device reporting,
−Removed: or MDR, regulations, which require that manufacturers evaluate and investigate potential
−Removed: adverse events and malfunctions, and report to the FDA if their device may have caused or
−Removed: contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause
−Removed: or contribute to a death or serious injury if it were to recur;
−Removed: ● regulations requiring
−Removed: the reporting of any device corrections or removals if the correction or removal was initiated
−Removed: to reduce a risk to health posed by the device or remedy a violation of the FDCA which may
−Removed: present a risk to health;
−Removed: ● the FDA’s recall
−Removed: authority, whereby it can ask, or under certain conditions order, device manufacturers to
−Removed: recall from the market a product that is a risk to health.
−Removed: Our manufacturing facilities, as well as those
−Removed: of certain of our suppliers, are subject to periodic and for-cause inspections by the FDA and other governmental authorities to verify
−Removed: compliance with the QSR and other regulatory requirements.
−Removed: Reimbursement and Pricing Controls
−Removed: In many of the markets where
−Removed: we or the parties we collaborate with have targeted or will target DefenCath for sale, laws control the prices charged to certain purchasers
−Removed: of pharmaceutical products and the prices paid by drug reimbursement programs through varying price control mechanisms.
−Removed: Public and private
−Removed: health care payors control costs and influence drug pricing through a variety of mechanisms, including through negotiating rebates with
−Removed: the manufacturers, limiting the reimbursement rate paid to providers, and using tiered formularies, co-payment structures that incentivize
−Removed: beneficiaries to request lower cost alternatives, and other mechanisms that provide preferential access to certain drugs over others
−Removed: within a therapeutic class.
−Removed: Federal and commercial payors use competition for health plan coverage and market share as leverage to obtain
−Removed: rebates on products they reimburse, which impacts the manufacturer’s net realization on the sale of the products.
−Removed: These rebates
−Removed: may be paid on drugs sold at a mandatory discount.
−Removed: Additionally, federal and commercial health plans may choose to reimburse dialysis
−Removed: providers for dialysis services and drugs used in the provision of those services through a single bundled payment rate, which tends
−Removed: to make cost a more important factor for providers when making drug purchase decisions than it would otherwise be if the providers were
−Removed: reimbursed for drugs on a stand-alone basis.
−Removed: Payors also set other criteria to govern the uses of a drug that will be deemed medically
−Removed: appropriate and therefore reimbursed or otherwise covered.
−Removed: In particular, many public and private health care payors limit reimbursement
−Removed: and coverage to the uses of a drug that are either approved by the FDA or that are supported by other appropriate evidence (for example,
−Removed: published medical literature) and appear in a recognized drug compendium.
−Removed: Drug compendia are publications that summarize the available
−Removed: medical evidence for particular drug products and identify which uses of a drug are supported or not supported by the available evidence,
−Removed: whether or not such uses have been approved by the FDA.
+Added: and 2) either a) the same technological
+Added: characteristics as the predicate device or b) different technological characteristics, but the information submitted must not raise new
+Added: questions of safety and effectiveness and must demonstrate substantial equivalence.
+Added: The FDA attempts to respond to a 510(k) pre-market
+Added: notification within 90 days of submission, but as a practical matter, pre-market clearance can take significantly longer, potentially
+Added: up to one year or more.
+Added: PMA process is much more demanding and uncertain than the 510(k) pre-market notification process and must be supported by extensive clinical,
+Added: laboratory, technical and other information, including at least one adequate and well-controlled clinical investigation conducted under
+Added: an investigational device exemption (IDE).
+Added: The FDA has 180 days to review an accepted PMA, although the review generally occurs
+Added: over a significantly longer period of time and can take up to several years.
+Added: FDA has informed us that it regards taurolidine as a new chemical entity and therefore an unapproved new drug.
+Added: Consequently, for any
+Added: other products that we intend to develop as a medical device, there is currently no appropriate predicate device currently marketed in
+Added: on which a 510(k) approval process could be based.
+Added: As a result, we will be required to submit a premarket approval application
+Added: for marketing authorization for these indications.
+Added: In the event that the NDA for DefenCath is approved by the FDA, the regulatory pathway
+Added: for these taurolidine product candidates can be revisited with the FDA.
+Added: Although there will presumably still be no appropriate
+Added: predicate, de novo Class II designation can be proposed, a process that provides a pathway to classify novel medical
+Added: device for which there is no legally marketed predicate device, based on a risk assessment and a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness.
+Added: a device is placed on the market, numerous regulatory requirements apply, including:
+Added: System Regulations, or QSRs, which require manufacturers to have a quality system for the
+Added: design, manufacture, packaging, labeling, storage, installation, and servicing of finished
+Added: medical devices;
+Added: regulations, which govern product labels and labeling, prohibit the promotion of products
+Added: for unapproved, or off-label, uses and impose other restrictions on labeling and promotional
+Added: device listing and establishment registration;
+Added: ● post-approval
+Added: restrictions or conditions, including post-approval study commitments;
+Added: ● post-market
+Added: surveillance requirements;
+Added: device reporting, or MDR, regulations, which require that manufacturers evaluate and investigate
+Added: potential adverse events and malfunctions, and report to the FDA if their device may have
+Added: caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that would likely
+Added: cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if it were to recur;
+Added: ● regulations
+Added: requiring the reporting of any device corrections or removals if the correction or removal
+Added: was initiated to reduce a risk to health posed by the device or remedy a violation of the
+Added: FDCA which may present a risk to health;
+Added: FDA’s recall authority, whereby it can ask, or under certain conditions order, device
+Added: manufacturers to recall from the market a product that is a risk to health.
+Added: manufacturing facilities, as well as those of certain of our suppliers, are subject to periodic and for-cause inspections by the FDA
+Added: and other governmental authorities to verify compliance with the QSR and other regulatory requirements.
+Added: and Reimbursement
+Added: Reimbursement
+Added: Initially, and contingent upon FDA approval of
+Added: DefenCath, we plan to sell DefenCath primarily to inpatient acute-care hospitals and outpatient dialysis clinics.
+Added: Most of the nation’s
+Added: inpatient acute-care hospitals are paid under the inpatient prospective payment system, or IPPS.
+Added: The IPPS pays a flat rate based
+Added: on the average charges across all hospitals for a specific diagnosis, regardless of whether that particular patient costs more or less.
+Added: Under the IPPS, each case is categorized into a diagnosis-related group, or DRG to determine the base rate and for specific products that
+Added: meet various levels of criteria there is an established New Technology Add-on Payment, or NTAP.
+Added: There are three levels of criteria required
+Added: to be eligible to receive an NTAP and they are:
+Added: Product must meet “newness” criteria;
+Added: Product must meet “substantial clinical evidence”;
+Added: Product must meet certain pricing thresholds.
+Added: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, recently created the alternative NTAP approval pathways for certain
+Added: technologies.
+Added: Under the alternative NTAP pathway, devices that obtain breakthrough designation and drugs that obtain QIDP designation
+Added: from the FDA need only meet the cost criterion because the CMS assumes that those products meet the newness and substantial clinical
+Added: improvement criteria.
+Added: After submission and review of our NTAP application
+Added: by CMS, we have been granted a conditional alternative NTAP for the inpatient setting.
+Added: This reimbursement provides for a maximum per hospital
+Added: stay equivalent to $14,259, per patient.
+Added: With this level of reimbursement in the inpatient setting, we plan to launch DefenCath post-approval
+Added: in hospitals first, while outpatient reimbursement remains under determination by CMS.
+Added: The NTAP is conditioned upon the DefenCath NDA
+Added: receiving final FDA approval prior to July 1, 2023.
+Added: We have submitted a duplicate NTAP application to CMS, should final approval of the
+Added: DefenCath NDA not occur prior to July 1, 2023.
+Added: We will seek further CMS reimbursement for DefenCath,
+Added: contingent upon approval by the FDA, in other catheter indications and settings of care, such as (i) oncology patients and total parenteral
+Added: nutrition patients through relevant hospital inpatient DRGs, (ii) additional NTAP payments, (iii) outpatient ambulatory payment classifications,
+Added: or APCs, (iv) the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System, or ESRD PPS, base payment, or (v) under the Durable Medical Equipment,
+Added: Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies, or DMEPOS, Fee Schedule, depending on the setting of care.
+Added: Reimbursement
+Added: For outpatient reimbursement, we plan to seek separate
+Added: reimbursement as a drug.
+Added: We have engaged CMS in preliminary discussions concerning the reimbursement for DefenCath as a separately billable
+Added: product based on statutory definition of a renal dialysis service, or RDS, as codified in 42 C.F.R §413.171.
+Added: We do not believe DefenCath
+Added: is a RDS and should be separately billable due to the following reasons:
+Added: DefenCath is not an item or service included in the composite rate for RDS as of December 31, 2010;
+Added: is not an erythropoiesis stimulating agent;
+Added: is not a drug or biological that was furnished to individuals for the treatment of ESRD and
+Added: for which payment was (prior to January 1, 2011) made separately;
+Added: ● DefenCath’s
+Added: first expected indication for use, which is pending FDA review, is not as a treatment for
+Added: ESRD, rather as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial for the reduction of CRBSIs;
+Added: is not essential for the delivery of maintenance dialysis;
+Added: is subject to CMS’s established mechanism used by ESRD facilities to identify and be
+Added: paid separately for non-ESRD-related drugs and biologicals;
+Added: are planning to use DefenCath for additional indications such as total parental nutrition
+Added: and oncology settings;
+Added: is not systemically delivered into a patients’ body;
+Added: it dwells in the lumen of the
+Added: CVC until the lumen is accessed, at which time it is aspirated;
+Added: DefenCath may potentially
+Added: be beneficial in preventing CRBSIs in any population requiring the use of central venous
+Added: approved as a separate billable product, reimbursement of DefenCath’s cost would be the average selling price, or ASP, plus 4.3%
+Added: for CMS, plus 6% for commercially insured patients.
+Added: CMS determines DefenCath is a renal dialysis service, we believe DefenCath would be eligible for, and would obtain under the ESRD PPS,
+Added: the transitional drug add-on payment adjustment, or TDAPA;
+Added: however, these qualifications cannot be determined until the FDA approves
+Added: DefenCath and CMS evaluates our request for coverage in a quarterly review.
+Added: If determined to be TDAPA, reimbursement of DefenCath would
+Added: be calculated based on its ASP.
+Added: To be eligible for TDAPA, a new renal drug or biologic must be:
+Added: by the FDA pursuant to Section 505(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act;
+Added: ● Commercially
+Added: a Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code;
+Added: as having an end action effect that treats or manages a condition or conditions associated
+Added: as not fitting into an established ESRD PPS functional category;
+Added: by CMS as a renal dialysis service.
+Added: Although we cannot anticipate changes in reimbursement
+Added: requirements and mechanisms in the coming years, CMS has acknowledged TDAPA payment mechanisms maybe adjusted to encourage innovation
+Added: for this patient population.
+Added: These new payment calculations are yet to be determined.
+Added: We believe that DefenCath would meet the criterion
+Added: of being a new renal dialysis product used to treat or manage a condition associated with ESRD, because taurolidine, the active antimicrobial
+Added: agent in DefenCath, is a new chemical entity that has not been approved for use in the U.S.
+Added: anticipation that the CMS and private payers will require that we demonstrate the cost effectiveness of DefenCath as part of the reimbursement
+Added: review and approval process, we have submitted posters and abstracts to support our health economic analysis and continue to commission
+Added: and develop health economic evaluations to support this review in the context of the prospective use of DefenCath in dialysis.
+Added: Of additional
+Added: importance, we are pursuing opportunities to partner with healthcare systems prior to the approval of DefenCath to demonstrate the product’s
+Added: clinical and economic effectiveness.
Regulatory Requirements
−Removed: We and our collaborative partners
−Removed: may be subject to widely varying foreign regulations, which may be quite different from those of the FDA, governing clinical trials,
−Removed: manufacture, product registration and approval, and pharmaceutical sales.
−Removed: Whether or not FDA approval has been obtained, we or our collaboration
−Removed: partners must obtain a separate approval for a product by the comparable regulatory authorities of foreign countries prior to the commencement
−Removed: of product marketing in those countries.
−Removed: In certain countries, regulatory authorities also establish pricing and reimbursement criteria.
−Removed: The approval process varies from country to country, and the time may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval.
−Removed: under current United States law, there are restrictions on the export of products not approved by the FDA, depending on the country involved
−Removed: and the status of the product in that country.
−Removed: International sales of medical
−Removed: devices manufactured in the U.S.
−Removed: that are not approved by the FDA for use in the U.S., or are banned or deviate from lawful performance
−Removed: standards, are subject to FDA export requirements.
−Removed: Exported devices are subject to the regulatory requirements of each country to which
−Removed: the device is exported.
−Removed: Some countries do not have medical device regulations, but in most foreign countries, medical devices are regulated.
+Added: and our collaborative partners may be subject to widely varying foreign regulations, which may be quite different from those of the FDA,
+Added: governing clinical trials, manufacture, product registration and approval, and pharmaceutical sales.
+Added: Whether or not FDA approval has
+Added: been obtained, we or our collaboration partners must obtain a separate approval for a product by the comparable regulatory authorities
+Added: of foreign countries prior to the commencement of product marketing in those countries.
+Added: In certain countries, regulatory authorities
+Added: also establish pricing and reimbursement criteria.
+Added: The approval process varies from country to country, and the time may be longer or
+Added: shorter than that required for FDA approval.
+Added: In addition, under current United States law, there are restrictions on the export of products
+Added: not approved by the FDA, depending on the country involved and the status of the product in that country.
+Added: International
+Added: sales of medical devices manufactured in the U.S.
+Added: that are not approved by the FDA for use in the U.S., or are banned or deviate from
+Added: lawful performance standards, are subject to FDA export requirements.
+Added: Exported devices are subject to the regulatory requirements of
+Added: each country to which the device is exported.
+Added: Some countries do not have medical device regulations, but in most foreign countries, medical
+Added: devices are regulated.
Frequently, regulatory approval may first be obtained in a foreign country prior to application in the U.S.
−Removed: to take advantage of differing
−Removed: regulatory requirements.
+Added: take advantage of differing regulatory requirements.
Most countries outside of the U.S.
−Removed: require that product approvals be recertified on a regular basis, generally
−Removed: every five years.
−Removed: The recertification process requires that we evaluate any device changes and any new regulations or standards relevant
−Removed: to the device and conduct appropriate testing to document continued compliance.
−Removed: Where recertification applications are required, they
−Removed: must be approved in order to continue selling our products in those countries.
−Removed: In the European Union, in order
−Removed: for our product candidates to be marketed and sold, we are required to comply with the Medical Devices Directive and obtain CE Mark certification.
−Removed: The CE Mark certification encompasses an extensive review of our quality management system which is inspected by a notified body’s
−Removed: auditor as part of a Stage 1 and 2 International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, 13485:2003 audit, in accordance with worldwide
−Removed: recognized ISO standards and applicable European Medical Devices Directives for quality management systems for medical device manufacturers.
−Removed: Once the quality management system and design dossier has been successfully audited by a notified body and reviewed and approved by a
−Removed: competent authority, a CE certificate for the medical device will be issued.
−Removed: We are also required to comply with other foreign regulations
−Removed: such as the requirement that we obtain Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare approval before we can launch new products in Japan.
−Removed: time required to obtain these foreign approvals to market our products may vary from U.S.
−Removed: approvals, and requirements for these approvals
−Removed: may differ from those required by the FDA.
−Removed: Medical device laws and regulations
−Removed: are in effect in many of the countries in which we may do business outside the United States.
−Removed: These laws and regulations range from comprehensive
−Removed: device approval requirements for our medical device product to requests for product data or certifications.
−Removed: The number and scope of these
−Removed: requirements can be complex and could increase.
−Removed: We may not be able to obtain or maintain regulatory approvals in such countries and we
−Removed: may be required to incur significant costs in obtaining or maintaining our foreign regulatory approvals.
−Removed: In addition, the export of certain
−Removed: of our products which have not yet been cleared for domestic commercial distribution may be subject to FDA export restrictions.
−Removed: to obtain product approvals in a timely fashion or to comply with state or foreign medical device laws and regulations may have a serious
−Removed: adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
−Removed: Intellectual Property
−Removed: On January 30, 2008, we entered
−Removed: into a License and Assignment Agreement, or the NDP License Agreement, with ND Partners, LLC, or NDP.
−Removed: Pursuant to the NDP License Agreement,
−Removed: NDP granted us exclusive, worldwide licenses for certain antimicrobial catheter lock solutions, processes for treating and inhibiting
−Removed: infections, a biocidal lock system and a taurolidine delivery apparatus, and the corresponding United States and foreign patents and
−Removed: applications (the “NDP Technology”).
−Removed: We acquired such licenses and patents through our assignment and assumption of NDP’s
−Removed: rights under certain separate license agreements by and between NDP and Dr.
+Added: require that product approvals be recertified
+Added: on a regular basis, generally every five years.
+Added: The recertification process requires that we evaluate any device changes and any new
+Added: regulations or standards relevant to the device and conduct appropriate testing to document continued compliance.
+Added: Where recertification
+Added: applications are required, they must be approved in order to continue selling our products in those countries.
+Added: device laws and regulations are in effect in many of the countries in which we may do business outside the United States.
+Added: and regulations range from comprehensive device approval requirements for our medical device product to requests for product data or
+Added: certifications.
+Added: The number and scope of these requirements can be complex and could increase.
+Added: We may not be able to obtain or maintain
+Added: regulatory approvals in such countries and we may be required to incur significant costs in obtaining or maintaining our foreign regulatory
+Added: In addition, the export of certain of our products which have not yet been cleared for domestic commercial distribution may
+Added: be subject to FDA export restrictions.
+Added: Any failure to obtain product approvals in a timely fashion or to comply with state or foreign
+Added: medical device laws and regulations may have a serious adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
+Added: January 30, 2008, we entered into a License and Assignment Agreement, or the NDP License Agreement, with ND Partners, LLC, or NDP.
+Added: to the NDP License Agreement, NDP granted us exclusive, worldwide licenses for certain antimicrobial catheter lock solutions, processes
+Added: for treating and inhibiting infections, a biocidal lock system and a taurolidine delivery apparatus, and the corresponding United States
+Added: and foreign patents and applications (the “NDP Technology”).
+Added: We acquired such licenses and patents through our assignment
+Added: and assumption of NDP’s rights under certain separate license agreements by and between NDP and Dr.
Hans-Dietrich Polaschegg, Dr.
Klaus Sodemann, and Dr.
−Removed: NDP also granted us exclusive licenses, with the right to grant sublicenses, to use and display certain trademarks in connection
−Removed: with the NDP Technology.
−Removed: As consideration in part for the rights to the NDP Technology, we paid NDP an initial licensing fee of $325,000
−Removed: and granted NDP an equity interest in our Company consisting of 73,107 shares of common stock as of December 31, 2010.
−Removed: In addition, we
−Removed: are required to make payments to NDP upon the achievement of certain regulatory and sales-based milestones.
−Removed: Certain of the milestone
−Removed: payments are to be made in the form of shares of common stock currently held in escrow for NDP, and other milestone payments are to be
−Removed: paid in cash.
−Removed: The maximum aggregate number of shares issuable upon achievement of milestones and the number of shares held in escrow
−Removed: is 29,109 shares of common stock.
−Removed: The maximum aggregate amount of cash payments upon achievement of milestones is $3,000,000 with $2,500,000
−Removed: remaining at December 31, 2020.
−Removed: Events that trigger milestone payments include but are not limited to the reaching of various stages
−Removed: of regulatory approval processes and certain worldwide net sales amounts.
−Removed: During the year ended December
−Removed: 31, 2013, a milestone payment of $500,000 was earned by NDP upon the first issuance of the CE Mark for Neutrolin.
−Removed: Under Article 6 of
−Removed: the NDP License Agreement, we were obligated to make a milestone payment of $500,000 to NDP upon the first issuance of a CE Mark for
−Removed: a licensed product, which payment was payable to NDP within 30 days after such issuance.
−Removed: On April 11, 2013, we entered into an amendment
−Removed: to the NDP License Agreement which extended the milestone payment from within 30 days after such issuance to within twelve months after
−Removed: the achievement of such issuance.
−Removed: As consideration for the amendment, we issued NDP a five-year warrant to purchase 25,000 shares of
−Removed: our common stock at an exercise price of $7.50 per share.
−Removed: The warrant was exercisable immediately upon issuance and expired in April
−Removed: In January 2014, the $500,000 milestone payment due to NDP was converted into 10,000 Series C-3 non-voting preferred stock and
−Removed: a warrant to purchase 50,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $4.50 per share.
−Removed: The warrants expired during the year
−Removed: ended December 31, 2020.
−Removed: During the year ended December
−Removed: 31, 2014, a certain milestone was achieved resulting in the release of 7,277 shares held in escrow.
−Removed: The number of shares held in escrow
−Removed: as of December 31, 2021 is 21,832 shares of common stock.
+Added: Johannes Reinmueller.
+Added: NDP also granted us exclusive licenses, with the right to grant sublicenses, to use and
+Added: display certain trademarks in connection with the NDP Technology.
+Added: As consideration in part for the rights to the NDP Technology, we paid
+Added: NDP an initial licensing fee of $325,000 and granted NDP an equity interest in our Company consisting of 73,107 shares of common stock
+Added: as of December 31, 2010.
+Added: In addition, we are required to make payments to NDP upon the achievement of certain regulatory and sales-based
+Added: Certain of the milestone payments are to be made in the form of shares of common stock currently held in escrow for NDP,
+Added: and other milestone payments are to be paid in cash.
+Added: The maximum aggregate number of shares issuable upon achievement of milestones and
+Added: the number of shares initially held in escrow is 29,109 shares of common stock.
+Added: The maximum aggregate amount of cash payments upon achievement
+Added: of milestones is $3,000,000 with $2,500,000 remaining at December 31, 2022.
+Added: Events that trigger milestone payments include but are not
+Added: limited to the reaching of various stages of regulatory approval processes and certain worldwide net sales amounts.
+Added: the year ended December 31, 2013, a milestone payment of $500,000 was earned by NDP upon the first issuance of the CE Mark for Neutrolin.
+Added: Under Article 6 of the NDP License Agreement, we were obligated to make a milestone payment of $500,000 to NDP upon the first issuance
+Added: of a CE Mark for a licensed product, which payment was payable to NDP within 30 days after such issuance.
+Added: On April 11, 2013, we entered
+Added: into an amendment to the NDP License Agreement which extended the milestone payment from within 30 days after such issuance to within
+Added: twelve months after the achievement of such issuance.
+Added: As consideration for the amendment, we issued NDP a five-year warrant to purchase
+Added: 25,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $7.50 per share.
+Added: The warrant, which was exercisable immediately upon issuance,
+Added: expired in April 2018.
+Added: In January 2014, the $500,000 milestone payment due to NDP was converted into 10,000 Series C-3 non-voting preferred
+Added: stock and a warrant to purchase 50,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $4.50 per share.
+Added: These warrants expired during
+Added: the year ended December 31, 2020.
+Added: the year ended December 31, 2014, a certain milestone was achieved resulting in the release of 7,277 shares held in escrow.
+Added: of shares held in escrow as of December 31, 2022 is 21,832 shares of common stock.
There were no milestones achieved in 2022 or 2021.
−Removed: The NDP License Agreement will
−Removed: expire on a country-by-country basis upon the earlier of (i) the expiration of the last patent claim under the NDP License Agreement
−Removed: in a given country, or (ii) the payment of all milestone payments and release of all shares of our common stock held in escrow under
−Removed: the NDP License Agreement.
−Removed: Upon the expiration of the NDP License Agreement in each country, we will have an irrevocable, perpetual,
−Removed: fully paid-up, royalty-free exclusive license to the NDP Technology in such country.
−Removed: The NDP License Agreement also may be terminated
−Removed: by NDP if we materially breach or default under the NDP License Agreement and that breach is not cured within 60 days following the delivery
−Removed: of written notice to us, or by us on a country-by-country basis upon 60 days prior written notice.
−Removed: If the NDP License Agreement is terminated
−Removed: by either party, our rights to the NDP Technology will revert back to NDP.
−Removed: We believe that the patents
−Removed: and patent applications we have licensed pursuant to the NDP License Agreement cover effective solutions to the various medical problems
−Removed: discussed previously when using taurolidine in clinical applications, and specifically in hemodialysis applications.
−Removed: Our patent portfolio
−Removed: consists of 5 issued U.S.
+Added: NDP License Agreement will expire on a country-by-country basis upon the earlier of (i) the expiration of the last patent claim under
+Added: the NDP License Agreement in a given country, or (ii) the payment of all milestone payments and release of all shares of our common stock
+Added: held in escrow under the NDP License Agreement.
+Added: Upon the expiration of the NDP License Agreement in each country, we will have an irrevocable,
+Added: perpetual, fully paid-up, royalty-free exclusive license to the NDP Technology in such country.
+Added: The NDP License Agreement also may be
+Added: terminated by NDP if we materially breach or default under the NDP License Agreement and that breach is not cured within 60 days following
+Added: the delivery of written notice to us, or by us on a country-by-country basis upon 60 days prior written notice.
+Added: If the NDP License Agreement
+Added: is terminated by either party, our rights to the NDP Technology will revert back to NDP.
+Added: believe that the patents and patent applications we have licensed pursuant to the NDP License Agreement cover effective solutions to
+Added: the various medical problems discussed previously when using taurolidine in clinical applications, and specifically in hemodialysis applications.
+Added: Our patent portfolio consists of 6 issued U.S.
patents and 11 pending U.S.
patent applications;
−Removed: 17 issued foreign patents and 51 pending foreign patent applications.
+Added: 19 issued foreign patents and 45 pending
+Added: foreign patent applications.
Additional patent applications will be filed to cover any additional related subject matter developed.
−Removed: The patents cover additional applications
−Removed: using taurolidine in, among others, sutures, hydrogels, meshes, transdermal and biofilm products.
−Removed: Employees and Human Capital Resources
−Removed: As of March 15, 2022, we employed 29 full-time
−Removed: employees and one part-time employee, who work out of our corporate offices in Berkeley Heights NJ or work remotely in various locations
−Removed: throughout the United States and Europe.
−Removed: We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, regardless of gender or race/ethnicity,
−Removed: or any protected status, and conduct training to reflect our commitment as an organization and build awareness.
−Removed: We invest in our workforce
−Removed: by offering competitive salaries and benefits.
−Removed: We endeavor to foster a strong sense of ownership by offering stock options under our
−Removed: stock incentive program.
+Added: patents cover additional applications using taurolidine in, among others, sutures, hydrogels, meshes, transdermal and biofilm products.
+Added: and Human Capital Resources
+Added: of March 24, 2023, we employed 40 full-time employees and one part-time employee, who work out of our corporate offices in Berkeley Heights
+Added: NJ or work remotely in various locations throughout the United States and Europe.
+Added: We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion,
+Added: regardless of gender or race/ethnicity, or any protected status, and conduct training to reflect our commitment as an organization and
+Added: build awareness.
+Added: invest in our workforce by offering competitive salaries and benefits.
+Added: We endeavor to foster a strong sense of ownership by offering
+Added: stock options under our stock incentive program.
We also offer comprehensive and locally relevant benefits for all eligible employees.
−Removed: We recognize and support
−Removed: the growth and development of our employees and we provide performance feedback and conduct employee goal and development discussions.
−Removed: We have implemented COVID-19
−Removed: policies designed to ensure the safety and well-being of all employees and the people associated with them.
−Removed: As a result of the COVID-19
−Removed: pandemic, to reduce risk, our employees have been asked to work remotely, and all employees have been asked to avoid all non-essential
−Removed: travel, adhere to recommended health and safety practices.
−Removed: None of our employees are
−Removed: subject to a collective bargaining agreement.
−Removed: We emphasize organizational communication and consider our relationship with our employees
−Removed: to be strong.
−Removed: Corporate Information
−Removed: We were organized as a Delaware
−Removed: corporation on July 28, 2006 under the name “Picton Holding Company, Inc.” and we changed our corporate name to “CorMedix
−Removed: Inc.” on January 18, 2007.
−Removed: Our principal executive offices are located at 300 Connell Drive, Suite 4200, Berkeley Heights, New
−Removed: Jersey 07922.
+Added: We recognize and support the growth and development of our employees and we provide performance feedback and conduct employee goal and
+Added: development discussions.
+Added: of our employees are subject to a collective bargaining agreement.
+Added: We emphasize organizational communication and consider our relationship
+Added: with our employees to be strong.
+Added: were organized as a Delaware corporation on July 28, 2006 under the name “Picton Holding Company, Inc.” and we changed our
+Added: corporate name to “CorMedix Inc.” on January 18, 2007.
+Added: Our principal executive offices are located at 300 Connell Drive,
+Added: Suite 4200, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey 07922.
Our telephone number is (908) 517-9500.
−Removed: On March 26, 2019, we effected a 1-for-5 reverse
−Removed: stock split of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.001, per share (“Common Stock”), by combining,
−Removed: reclassifying and changing each authorized and outstanding five shares of “old” common stock into one share of “new”
−Removed: common stock.
−Removed: No fractional shares were issued, and, in lieu thereof, where applicable, one whole share was issued.
−Removed: To reflect the reverse
−Removed: stock split, reclassification, combination and change, proportional adjustments were also made to the number of shares of our common stock
−Removed: issuable upon conversion of outstanding preferred shares and the convertible note payable, warrants and options and other equity awards.
−Removed: The reverse stock split did not affect the par value per share of our common stock (which remains at $0.001 per share) or the total
−Removed: number of shares of common stock that are authorized to be issued pursuant to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as
−Removed: amended, which remains at 160 million shares.
−Removed: All issued and outstanding share and per share amounts included in the accompanying consolidated
−Removed: financial statements and in this report have been adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split, reclassification, combination and change
−Removed: for all periods presented.
−Removed: In April 2021, we received approximately $1.3
−Removed: million, net of expenses, from the sale of most of our remaining unused New Jersey net operating losses (“NOL”) eligible
−Removed: for sale under the State of New Jersey’s Economic Development Authority’s New Jersey Technology Business Tax Certificate
−Removed: Transfer program (“NJEDA Program”).
−Removed: The NJEDA Program allowed us to sell approximately $1.3 million of our total $1.3 million
−Removed: in available NOL tax benefits for the state fiscal year 2019.
−Removed: The NJEDA has approved our
−Removed: application to participate in the NJEDA Program for the state fiscal year 2021.
−Removed: The approval will allow us to sell approximately $0.6
−Removed: million of the total $0.6 million in available tax benefits to an unrelated, profitable New Jersey corporation in return for approximately
−Removed: $0.6 million in cash.
−Removed: Closing is subject to NJEDA’s typical closing conditions, which are in process of completion.
−Removed: In November 2020, we filed a registration statement,
−Removed: under which we could issue and sell up to an aggregate of $100.0 million of shares of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share.
−Removed: November 27, 2020, we entered into an Amended and Restated At Market Issuance Sales Agreement (“Amended Sales Agreement”)
−Removed: Riley and Needham & Company, LLC (“Needham”), together with B.
−Removed: Riley, acting as sales agents (“Sales Agent”).
−Removed: The Amended Sales Agreement relates to the sale of shares of up to $25.0 million of our common stock under our ATM program, of which we
−Removed: may issue and sell common stock from time to time through the Sales Agent, subject to limitations imposed by us and subject to Sales Agent’s
−Removed: acceptance, such as the number or dollar amount of shares registered under the registration statement to which the offering relates.
−Removed: Agent is entitled to a commission of up to 3% of the gross proceeds from the sale of common stock sold under the ATM program.
−Removed: year ended December 31, 2020, we sold 832,676 shares of common stock under the Amended Sales Agreement at the weighted average price of
−Removed: $8.69 per share and realized net proceeds of approximately $7.0 million.
−Removed: At December 31, 2020, we had approximately $17.8 million available
−Removed: under the Amended Sales Agreement and $75.0 million available under our current shelf registration for the issuance of equity, debt or
−Removed: equity-linked securities unrelated to the Amended Sales Agreement.
−Removed: On February 5, 2021, we allocated to our ATM program an additional
−Removed: $25.0 million of the remaining $75.0 million available under our shelf registration statement.
−Removed: Giving effect to the additional $25.0 million,
−Removed: plus the $17.8 million available at December 31, 2020, we had a total of $42.8 million available under our ATM program, which were sold
−Removed: during January and February 2021, for an aggregate of 3,737,862 shares of our common stock and approximately $41.5 million in net proceeds.
−Removed: On August 12, 2021, we entered into an At Market
−Removed: Issuance Sales Agreement with Truist Securities, Inc.
−Removed: and JMP Securities LLC, as sales agents, pursuant to which we may sell, from time
−Removed: to time, an aggregate of up to $50.0 million of our common stock through the sales agents under our ATM program, subject to limitations
−Removed: imposed by us and subject to the sales agent’s acceptance, such as the number or dollar amount of shares registered under the registration
−Removed: statement to which the offering relates.
−Removed: The sales agents are entitled to a commission of up to 3% of the gross proceeds from the sale
−Removed: of common stock sold under the ATM program.
−Removed: As of December 31, 2021, we have $50.0 million available under our ATM program relating to
−Removed: our shelf registration statement filed in November 2020 and we have $150.0 million available under our shelf registration statement filed
−Removed: on August 12, 2021 for the issuance of equity, debt or equity-linked securities.
−Removed: We maintain a website at www.cormedix.com;
+Added: November 2020, we filed a shelf registration statement, (the “2020 Shelf Registration”), under which we could issue and sell
+Added: up to an aggregate of $100.0 million of shares of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share.
+Added: On November 27, 2020, we entered into
+Added: an Amended and Restated At Market Issuance Sales Agreement (the “Amended Sales Agreement”) with FBR Securities, Inc.
+Added: Riley Securities, Inc.) and Needham & Company, LLC as sales agents.
+Added: The Amended Sales Agreement relates to the sale of
+Added: shares of up to $50.0 million of our common stock under our at-the-market program (the “ATM program”), of which we may issue
+Added: and sell common stock from time to time through the sales agents, subject to limitations imposed by us and subject to the sales agents’
+Added: acceptance, such as the number or dollar amount of shares registered under the 2020 Shelf Registration to which the offering relates.
+Added: Sales agents are entitled to a commission of up to 3% of the gross proceeds from the sale of common stock sold under the ATM program.
+Added: During the year ended December 31, 2021, the ATM program under the Amended Sales Agreement had been fully sold.
+Added: August 12, 2021, we entered into a new At Market Issuance Sales Agreement with Truist Securities, Inc.
+Added: and JMP Securities LLC, as sales
+Added: agents, pursuant to which we may sell, from time to time, an aggregate of up to $50.0 million of our common stock through the sales agents
+Added: under our ATM program, subject to limitations imposed by us and subject to the sales agents’ acceptance, such as the number or
+Added: dollar amount of shares registered under the 2020 Shelf Registration to which the offering relates.
+Added: The sales agents are entitled to
+Added: a commission of up to 3% of the gross proceeds from the sale of common stock sold under the ATM program.
+Added: As of December 31, 2022, we
+Added: have $31.6 million available under our ATM program relating to our 2020 Shelf Registration.
+Added: on August 12, 2021, we filed a new shelf registration statement (the “2021 Shelf Registration”) for the issuance of up to
+Added: $150.0 million of shares of our common stock which is currently available for the issuance of equity, debt or equity-linked securities.
+Added: We maintain the websites at www.cormedix.com and www.crbis.com;
the information on, or that can be accessed through, our website or certain information in our website is not part of this report.
−Removed: report and all of our filings under the Exchange Act, including copies of annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q,
−Removed: current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports, are available free of charge through our website on the date we file
−Removed: those materials with, or furnish them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
−Removed: Such filings are also available
−Removed: to the public on the internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
+Added: Annual Report on Form 10-K and all of our filings under the Exchange Act, including copies of annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports
+Added: on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports, are available free of charge through our website on the
+Added: date we file those materials with, or furnish them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
+Added: are also available to the public on the internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Compared sentence by sentence after normalising whitespace, quotation marks, case and digits, so re-formatting and restated figures do not read as changed language. Wording changes appear as one removal and one addition. The current filing and the prior one are authoritative.