UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
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Item 8.01 – Other Events
Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s product candidate under a license, development and commercialization agreement with Abuse Deterrent Pharmaceuticals LLC, LTX-03 (hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen) tablets using its LIMITx technology manufactured in the three New Drug Application (“NDA”) required registration batches, successfully passed testing at the twelve month time point in an ongoing shelf life study when stored at normal temperature and humidity conditions, also known as controlled room temperature (“CRT”). The patented LIMITx technology is a composition of inactive ingredients formulated in a manner that reduces the risks of drug overdose by reducing peak drug levels when inappropriate numbers of tablets are ingested.
When stored at higher temperature and humidity, also known as intermediate conditions (“IC”), the twelve month tests revealed the presence of a previously disclosed, known derivative of hydrocodone. The IC samples also showed the presence of two as yet unidentified impurities at levels in excess of typical FDA standards for unknown impurities.
The known hydrocodone derivative was also detected in the CRT samples. The unknown impurities were also detected in the CRT samples at levels within typically FDA accepted standards for such impurities. We intend to continue the shelf life study with the CRT samples as previously planned.
The LTX-03 tablets were produced at the commercial contract manufacturer, in the to-be-marketed formulation, at commercial (equipment and process) scale. The data being generated in the shelf life study is intended to be used to support the manufacturing and shelf life requirements for an NDA. FDA Guidance allows for the use of CRT data to establish shelf life standards for a product.
LTX-03 (hydrocodone bitartrate with acetaminophen)
Recent reports suggest growing numbers of legitimate pain patients are going undertreated as they can no longer find doctors willing to treat them due to new prescribing guidelines associated with the opioid epidemic. Suicide is increasingly seen as the only remedy for some of these patients through opioid overdose. Our goal with LIMITx is to develop a treatment for effective pain relief at a one or two tablet dose while providing overdose protection by limiting high peak levels of drug in the bloodstream (Cmax) that can lead to respiratory depression and death when more than the recommended dose is ingested. LIMITx works by neutralizing stomach acid with buffering ingredients as increasing numbers of tablets are swallowed thereby reducing the stomach acid available to cause the release and subsequent systemic absorption of the active ingredient from micro-particles contained in the LIMITx tablets. In a human clinical study, formulations of LTX-03 demonstrated, under fasted conditions, analgesic levels of hydrocodone in the blood when taken at a recommended one or two tablet dose but reduced the maximum blood level (Cmax) up to 34% when subjects were exposed to higher buffer ingredient levels. Hydrocodone with acetaminophen remains the single largest prescribed opioid in the U.S. with excess oral ingestion as the most prevalent method of misuse. Clinical studies with hydromorphone (LTX-04) demonstrated reductions in Cmax of up to 65% when up to 8 tablets were ingested. Analysis of forensic data associated with hydrocodone overdose death suggests a typical consumption of approximately 16 immediate-release tablets, well within the number of tablets in an average filled opioid prescription. The Company intends to demonstrate that a meaningful reduction in Cmax associated with oral overdose can mitigate the risk of respiratory depression and death. LTX-03 may offer safety advantages over existing opioid therapies consistent with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recently proposed new guidelines for the approval of opioid products.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to:
| · | our ability to fund or obtain funding for our continuing operations, including the development of our products utilizing our LIMITx and IMPEDE technologies; |
| · | whether we will receive FDA acceptance for an NDA for LTX-03 by the target date; |
| · | whether our licensees will terminate the license prior to commercialization; |
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| · | the results of our clinical and other studies relating to LTX-03 or any successor product candidate, the date by which such studies will start and/or complete and the results will be available and whether any product candidate will ultimately meet FDA standards and receive FDA approval; |
| · | whether our clinical program, as designed, will be sufficient for a successful NDA review; |
| · | the ability of LTX-03 single tablets to achieve bioequivalence or to demonstrate efficacy in a clinical study; |
| · | whether our licensing partners will develop any additional products and utilize Acura for such development; |
| · | whether LIMITx will retard the release of opioid active ingredients as dose levels increase; |
| · | whether the extent to which products formulated with the LIMITx technology mitigate respiratory depression risk will be determined sufficient by the FDA; |
| · | our and our licensee’s ability to successfully launch and commercialize our products and technologies; |
| · | our and our licensee’s ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and commercialize products utilizing our technologies; |
| · | the market acceptance of, timing of commercial launch and competitive environment for any of our products; |
| · | our ability to develop and enter into additional license agreements for our product candidates using our technologies; |
| · | the ability to avoid infringement of patents, trademarks and other proprietary rights of third parties; |
| · | the ability of our patents to protect our products from generic competition and our ability to protect and enforce our patent rights in any paragraph IV patent infringement litigation; |
| · | the adequacy of the development program for our product candidates, including whether additional clinical studies will be required to support an NDA and FDA approval of our product candidates; |
| · | changes in regulatory requirements; |
| · | adverse safety findings relating to our commercialized products or product candidates in development; |
| · | whether or when we are able to obtain FDA approval of labeling for our product candidates for the proposed indications and whether we will be able to promote the features of our technologies; and |
| · | whether our product candidates will ultimately perform as intended in commercial settings. |
In some cases, you can identify forward- looking statements by terms such as "may," “will”, "should," "could," "would," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," “indicates”, "projects," “predicts," "potential" and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Current Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| Date: July 13, 2022 | ACURA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. | |
| By: | /s/ Peter A. Clemens | |
| Peter A. Clemens | ||
| Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer | ||
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