JERUSALEM, Israel I November 9, 2015 I Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE:TEVA) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation status to SD-809 (deutetrabenazine) for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe tardive dyskinesia, a hyperkinetic movement disorder affecting about 500,000 people in the United States.

Breakthrough Therapy Designation is granted to a drug that is intended to treat a serious condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement on a clinically significant endpoint over available therapy or placebo where there is no available therapy. For SD-809, the designation request included results from Teva’s Phase II/III study, Aim to Reduce Movements in Tardive Dyskinesia (ARM-TD). In the ARM-TD study, SD-809 was compared to placebo for change in Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) score from baseline to end of therapy.

“The granting of Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA represents significant progress toward advancing the clinical program for SD-809, as a potential, much-needed treatment option for the underserved tardive dyskinesia patient population. We remain excited about studying this innovative compound across a number of indications,” said Michael Hayden, M.D., Ph.D., President of Global R&D and Chief Scientific Officer at Teva.

Tardive dyskinesia, for which there are no approved therapies in the United States, has been described as a condition characterized by repetitive and uncontrollable movements of the tongue, lips, face, and extremities and has been reported with some widely used medications for psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disease, as well as with certain drugs used for treating various gastrointestinal disorders.

About The ARM-TD Study

The ARM-TD study was a 1:1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of 117 patients (104 patients completed the study) with moderate to severe tardive dyskinesia. Enrolled patients received either SD-809 or placebo, which was titrated to optimal dosage over the course of six weeks, and then administered at that dose for another six weeks for a total treatment of 12 weeks. For further details on the ARM-TD study, visit https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT02195700.

The objectives of the study were to evaluate the efficacy of SD-809 in reducing the severity of abnormal involuntary movements associated with tardive dyskinesia and to evaluate the safety and tolerability of titration and maintenance therapy with SD-809 in subjects with tardive dyskinesia.

About SD-809

SD-809 (deutetrabenazine) is an investigational, oral, small molecule inhibitor of vesicular monoamine 2 transporter, or VMAT2, that is designed to regulate the levels of a specific neurotransmitter, dopamine, in the brain. SD-809 is being developed for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington’s disease, a neurodegenerative movement disorder that impacts cognition, behavior, and movements. Teva is investigating the broad potential of SD-809 for treating additional movements disorders such as tardive dyskinesia and tics associated with Tourette syndrome.

About Teva

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) is a leading global pharmaceutical company that delivers high-quality, patient-centric healthcare solutions to millions of patients every day. Headquartered in Israel, Teva is the world’s largest generic medicines producer, leveraging its portfolio of more than 1,000 molecules to produce a wide range of generic products in nearly every therapeutic area. In specialty medicines, Teva has a world-leading position in innovative treatments for disorders of the central nervous system, including pain, as well as a strong portfolio of respiratory products. Teva integrates its generics and specialty capabilities in its global research and development division to create new ways of addressing unmet patient needs by combining drug development capabilities with devices, services and technologies. Teva’s net revenues in 2014 amounted to $20.3 billion. For more information, visit www.tevapharm.com.

SOURCE: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries