Only twice-daily LAMA /LABA in the United States with COPD exacerbation data included in its prescribing information
MORRISVILLE, NC, USA I April 17, 2019 I Circassia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Circassia” or “the Company”), today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved DUAKLIR® PRESSAIR® (aclidinium bromide and formoterol fumarate) for the maintenance treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).1
DUAKLIR PRESSAIR is a fixed-dose LAMA/LABA combination of the long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) aclidinium and the long-acting beta agonist (LABA) formoterol. It is administered twice daily via the pre-loaded, breath-actuated, PRESSAIR® multi-dose inhaler.1 The product is approved worldwide, including in the European Union, under a number of brand names.
In April 2017, Circassia and AstraZeneca established a commercial collaboration in the United States under which Circassia has exclusive US commercialization rights to DUAKLIR PRESSAIR and AstraZeneca is responsible for the product’s development and regulatory submission.
“Our collaboration with AstraZeneca throughout the DUAKLIR PRESSAIR regulatory process has been overwhelmingly positive,” said David Acheson, Senior Vice President, US Commercial, Circassia. “We look forward to bringing DUAKLIR PRESSAIR to market in the coming months as an important expansion of Circassia’s COPD and respiratory health portfolio.”
“The FDA approval of DUAKLIR PRESSAIR gives COPD patients a new, effective and safe option in LAMA/LABA therapy, enabling them to receive maximal improvement in lung function delivered through a unique dry-powder inhaler,” said Michael Asmus, Vice President, US Medical Affairs, Circassia.
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a progressive disease associated mainly with tobacco smoking, air pollution or occupational exposure, which makes it hard to breathe and results in increased episodes of breathlessness.2,3 According to the American Lung Association, COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States. More than 11 million people have been diagnosed with COPD, but millions more may have the disease without knowing it.4 COPD causes serious long-term disability and early death, and the number of people dying from COPD is growing.4
The most common symptoms of COPD are breathlessness (or a “need for air”), chronic cough, and sputum (mucus) production.3 Sufferers also frequently experience exacerbations, that is, serious episodes of increased breathlessness, cough and sputum production that last from several days to a few weeks.3 These episodes can be seriously disabling and result in the need for urgent medical care (including hospitalization) and sometimes death.2
Please see complete Important Safety Information below and full prescribing information here.1
About the PRESSAIR® Inhaler
DUAKLIR® is administered via the PRESSAIR® Inhaler.1 The PRESSAIR® inhaler has shown to be preferred by patients when compared to other inhaler devices commonly used for COPD.5,6 PRESSAIR® is a multi-dose dry powder inhaler (DPI) that combines two positive feedback mechanisms, and is pre-filled with the DUAKLIR® treatment, which relaxes the muscles of the airways, helping to keep them open, allowing the patient to breathe more easily.1,7
About DUAKLIR® PRESSAIR® Phase-III AMPLIFY Clinical Trial
The FDA approval of DUAKLIR PRESSAIR is based on data from several studies including ACLIFORM,8 AUGMENT,9 and the recently-published AMPLIFY clinical trial.10
The findings of the AMPLIFY trial (NCT02796677) were published online March 22, 2019 in the International Journal of COPD originally published by Dove Medical Press Ltd International Journal of COPD 14 2019 667 to 682.10 This phase III clinical trial compared the efficacy and safety of inhaled DUAKLIR® PRESSAIR® to its individual components aclidinium and formoterol, and to inhaled Spiriva® Handihaler® (tiotropium) in 1,583 patients with moderate-to-very-severe symptomatic (COPD). The trial found that:
- DUAKLIR PRESSAIR significantly improved lung function versus aclidinium as measured by the change from baseline at 24-weeks in the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) one-hour post-dose
- DUAKLIR PRESSAIR significantly increased lung function versus formoterol measured by change from baseline in pre-dose morning (trough) FEV1 at week 24
- Overall nighttime and early-morning symptom severity scores (as measured by NiSCI and EMSCI questionnaires) showed numerical improvements with DUAKLIR PRESSAIR compared to aclidinium or formoterol over 24 weeks and significant improvements in overall early-morning symptom severity score versus Spiriva® Handihaler® (tiotropium)
- A pre-planned sub-study of AMPLIFY in 566 patients measuring lung function over 24-hours demonstrated DUAKLIR PRESSAIR significantly improved lung function at 24-weeks versus Spiriva® (tiotropium) as measured by average area under the curve for FEV1 obtained from 0 through 24 hours.
“The results of the AMPLIFY trial showed us that the benefits of the combination were more than its individual components in terms of efficacy, with a comparable safety profile,” said Sanjay Sethi, MD, Professor and Chief, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, and investigator on the AMPLIFY trial. “The study also showed a reduction in the use of rescue inhalers in the DUAKLIR PRESSAIR group, which is a good measure of symptom control in symptomatic COPD patients. DUAKLIR PRESSAIR will be a welcome addition to the armamentarium to help these patients.”
The proportion of patients reporting treatment-related adverse event (AE) was similar between treatment groups in AMPLIFY.10 The most common adverse events reported in the AMPLIFY10 study were COPD exacerbations (18.3%), nasopharyngitis (11.8%) and headache (4.9%). The incidence of serious AEs (7.8%), major adverse cardiovascular events (0.7%), and AEs leading to discontinuation (7.1%) or death (0.5%) was very low in AMPLIFY and similar across treatment groups.10
About Circassia Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Circassia Pharmaceuticals Inc. is part of the Circassia Pharmaceuticals plc group. Circassia is a world-class specialty pharmaceutical business focused on respiratory disease. Circassia sells its novel, market-leading NIOX® asthma management products directly to specialists in the United States, United Kingdom, China and Germany, and in a wide range of other countries through its network of partners. In the United States, Circassia has a commercial collaboration with AstraZeneca in which it has the commercial rights to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatments TUDORZA PRESSAIR and DUAKLIR® PRESSAIR®. Circassia also has the commercial rights to the late-state ventilator-compatible nitric oxide product AirNOvent in the United States and China. For more information please visit www.circassia.com, or follow us on Twitter @CircassiaUSA and LinkedIn.
Indication and Usage
DUAKLIR PRESSAIR (aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate inhalation powder) is indicated for the maintenance treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
References:
1 DUAKLIR® PRESSAIR® (aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate inhalation powder) [prescribing information]. Wilmington, DE: AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; 2019. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2019/210595lbl.pdf. Accessed March 29, 2019.
2 World Health Organization. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Fact Sheet. December 1, 2017. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-(copd) Accessed March 15, 2019.
3 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. 2019.
4 American Lung Association. https://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/learn-about-copd/how-serious-is-copd.html Accessed March 15, 2019.
5 Van der Palen J. et al. Preference, satisfaction and errors with two dry powder inhalers in patients with COPD. Expert Opin Drug Deliv 2013;10 (8):1023-1031.
6 Pascual S. et al. Preference, satisfaction and critical errors with GENUAIR and Breezhaler inhalers in patients with COPD: a randomised, cross-over, multicentre study. Primary Care Respiratory Medicine 2015; 25, 15018; doi:10.1038/npjpcrm.2015.18; Published online April 30 2015.
7 Gavaldà A. et al. Characterization of aclidinium bromide, a novel inhaled muscarinic antagonist, with long duration of action and a favorable pharmacological profile. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2009;331:740-51.
8 Singh D. et al. Efficacy and safety of aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate fixed-dose combinations compared with individual components and placebo in patients with COPD (ACLIFORM-COPD): a multicentre, randomised study. BMC Pulmonary Medicine. 2014;14:178.
9 D’Urzo A. et al. Efficacy and safety of fixed-dose combinations of aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate: the 24-week, randomized, placebo-controlled AUGMENT COPD study. Respiratory Research. 2014;15:123.
10 Sethi S. et al. AMPLIFY: a randomized, Phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of aclidinium/formoterol vs monocomponents and tiotropium in patients with moderate-to-very severe symptomatic COPD. Int. J. COPD 2019:14 667—682. International Journal of COPD 14 2019 667 to 682. Accessed March 22, 2019. April 2019 PP-DUA-US-0002 v3.0
SOURCE: Circassia Pharmaceuticals
Post Views: 45
Only twice-daily LAMA /LABA in the United States with COPD exacerbation data included in its prescribing information
MORRISVILLE, NC, USA I April 17, 2019 I Circassia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Circassia” or “the Company”), today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved DUAKLIR® PRESSAIR® (aclidinium bromide and formoterol fumarate) for the maintenance treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).1
DUAKLIR PRESSAIR is a fixed-dose LAMA/LABA combination of the long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) aclidinium and the long-acting beta agonist (LABA) formoterol. It is administered twice daily via the pre-loaded, breath-actuated, PRESSAIR® multi-dose inhaler.1 The product is approved worldwide, including in the European Union, under a number of brand names.
In April 2017, Circassia and AstraZeneca established a commercial collaboration in the United States under which Circassia has exclusive US commercialization rights to DUAKLIR PRESSAIR and AstraZeneca is responsible for the product’s development and regulatory submission.
“Our collaboration with AstraZeneca throughout the DUAKLIR PRESSAIR regulatory process has been overwhelmingly positive,” said David Acheson, Senior Vice President, US Commercial, Circassia. “We look forward to bringing DUAKLIR PRESSAIR to market in the coming months as an important expansion of Circassia’s COPD and respiratory health portfolio.”
“The FDA approval of DUAKLIR PRESSAIR gives COPD patients a new, effective and safe option in LAMA/LABA therapy, enabling them to receive maximal improvement in lung function delivered through a unique dry-powder inhaler,” said Michael Asmus, Vice President, US Medical Affairs, Circassia.
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a progressive disease associated mainly with tobacco smoking, air pollution or occupational exposure, which makes it hard to breathe and results in increased episodes of breathlessness.2,3 According to the American Lung Association, COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States. More than 11 million people have been diagnosed with COPD, but millions more may have the disease without knowing it.4 COPD causes serious long-term disability and early death, and the number of people dying from COPD is growing.4
The most common symptoms of COPD are breathlessness (or a “need for air”), chronic cough, and sputum (mucus) production.3 Sufferers also frequently experience exacerbations, that is, serious episodes of increased breathlessness, cough and sputum production that last from several days to a few weeks.3 These episodes can be seriously disabling and result in the need for urgent medical care (including hospitalization) and sometimes death.2
Please see complete Important Safety Information below and full prescribing information here.1
About the PRESSAIR® Inhaler
DUAKLIR® is administered via the PRESSAIR® Inhaler.1 The PRESSAIR® inhaler has shown to be preferred by patients when compared to other inhaler devices commonly used for COPD.5,6 PRESSAIR® is a multi-dose dry powder inhaler (DPI) that combines two positive feedback mechanisms, and is pre-filled with the DUAKLIR® treatment, which relaxes the muscles of the airways, helping to keep them open, allowing the patient to breathe more easily.1,7
About DUAKLIR® PRESSAIR® Phase-III AMPLIFY Clinical Trial
The FDA approval of DUAKLIR PRESSAIR is based on data from several studies including ACLIFORM,8 AUGMENT,9 and the recently-published AMPLIFY clinical trial.10
The findings of the AMPLIFY trial (NCT02796677) were published online March 22, 2019 in the International Journal of COPD originally published by Dove Medical Press Ltd International Journal of COPD 14 2019 667 to 682.10 This phase III clinical trial compared the efficacy and safety of inhaled DUAKLIR® PRESSAIR® to its individual components aclidinium and formoterol, and to inhaled Spiriva® Handihaler® (tiotropium) in 1,583 patients with moderate-to-very-severe symptomatic (COPD). The trial found that:
- DUAKLIR PRESSAIR significantly improved lung function versus aclidinium as measured by the change from baseline at 24-weeks in the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) one-hour post-dose
- DUAKLIR PRESSAIR significantly increased lung function versus formoterol measured by change from baseline in pre-dose morning (trough) FEV1 at week 24
- Overall nighttime and early-morning symptom severity scores (as measured by NiSCI and EMSCI questionnaires) showed numerical improvements with DUAKLIR PRESSAIR compared to aclidinium or formoterol over 24 weeks and significant improvements in overall early-morning symptom severity score versus Spiriva® Handihaler® (tiotropium)
- A pre-planned sub-study of AMPLIFY in 566 patients measuring lung function over 24-hours demonstrated DUAKLIR PRESSAIR significantly improved lung function at 24-weeks versus Spiriva® (tiotropium) as measured by average area under the curve for FEV1 obtained from 0 through 24 hours.
“The results of the AMPLIFY trial showed us that the benefits of the combination were more than its individual components in terms of efficacy, with a comparable safety profile,” said Sanjay Sethi, MD, Professor and Chief, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, and investigator on the AMPLIFY trial. “The study also showed a reduction in the use of rescue inhalers in the DUAKLIR PRESSAIR group, which is a good measure of symptom control in symptomatic COPD patients. DUAKLIR PRESSAIR will be a welcome addition to the armamentarium to help these patients.”
The proportion of patients reporting treatment-related adverse event (AE) was similar between treatment groups in AMPLIFY.10 The most common adverse events reported in the AMPLIFY10 study were COPD exacerbations (18.3%), nasopharyngitis (11.8%) and headache (4.9%). The incidence of serious AEs (7.8%), major adverse cardiovascular events (0.7%), and AEs leading to discontinuation (7.1%) or death (0.5%) was very low in AMPLIFY and similar across treatment groups.10
About Circassia Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Circassia Pharmaceuticals Inc. is part of the Circassia Pharmaceuticals plc group. Circassia is a world-class specialty pharmaceutical business focused on respiratory disease. Circassia sells its novel, market-leading NIOX® asthma management products directly to specialists in the United States, United Kingdom, China and Germany, and in a wide range of other countries through its network of partners. In the United States, Circassia has a commercial collaboration with AstraZeneca in which it has the commercial rights to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatments TUDORZA PRESSAIR and DUAKLIR® PRESSAIR®. Circassia also has the commercial rights to the late-state ventilator-compatible nitric oxide product AirNOvent in the United States and China. For more information please visit www.circassia.com, or follow us on Twitter @CircassiaUSA and LinkedIn.
Indication and Usage
DUAKLIR PRESSAIR (aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate inhalation powder) is indicated for the maintenance treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
References:
1 DUAKLIR® PRESSAIR® (aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate inhalation powder) [prescribing information]. Wilmington, DE: AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; 2019. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2019/210595lbl.pdf. Accessed March 29, 2019.
2 World Health Organization. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Fact Sheet. December 1, 2017. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-(copd) Accessed March 15, 2019.
3 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. 2019.
4 American Lung Association. https://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/learn-about-copd/how-serious-is-copd.html Accessed March 15, 2019.
5 Van der Palen J. et al. Preference, satisfaction and errors with two dry powder inhalers in patients with COPD. Expert Opin Drug Deliv 2013;10 (8):1023-1031.
6 Pascual S. et al. Preference, satisfaction and critical errors with GENUAIR and Breezhaler inhalers in patients with COPD: a randomised, cross-over, multicentre study. Primary Care Respiratory Medicine 2015; 25, 15018; doi:10.1038/npjpcrm.2015.18; Published online April 30 2015.
7 Gavaldà A. et al. Characterization of aclidinium bromide, a novel inhaled muscarinic antagonist, with long duration of action and a favorable pharmacological profile. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2009;331:740-51.
8 Singh D. et al. Efficacy and safety of aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate fixed-dose combinations compared with individual components and placebo in patients with COPD (ACLIFORM-COPD): a multicentre, randomised study. BMC Pulmonary Medicine. 2014;14:178.
9 D’Urzo A. et al. Efficacy and safety of fixed-dose combinations of aclidinium bromide/formoterol fumarate: the 24-week, randomized, placebo-controlled AUGMENT COPD study. Respiratory Research. 2014;15:123.
10 Sethi S. et al. AMPLIFY: a randomized, Phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of aclidinium/formoterol vs monocomponents and tiotropium in patients with moderate-to-very severe symptomatic COPD. Int. J. COPD 2019:14 667—682. International Journal of COPD 14 2019 667 to 682. Accessed March 22, 2019. April 2019 PP-DUA-US-0002 v3.0
SOURCE: Circassia Pharmaceuticals
Post Views: 45
