FDA accepts Intellipharmaceutics’ NDA for Rexista to treat moderate to severe pain

On Feb 20, 2017

The US Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing of Intellipharmaceutics International’s New Drug Application (“NDA”) seeking authorization to market its Rexista abuse-deterrent oxycodone hydrochloride extended release tablets in the 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg, 40 mg, 60 mg and 80 mg strengths.

The FDA has determined that the Company’s application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review, and has set a target action date under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (“PDUFA”) of September 25, 2017.

Rexista is indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate. The submission is supported by pivotal pharmacokinetic studies that demonstrated that Rexista is bioequivalent to OxyContin (oxycodone hydrochloride extended release).

The submission also includes abuse-deterrent studies conducted to support abuse-deterrent label claims related to abuse of the drug by various pathways, including oral, intra-nasal and intravenous, having reference to the FDA’s “Abuse-Deterrent Opioids — Evaluation and Labelling” guidance published in April 2015.

The abuse-deterrent properties incorporated into Rexista are designed to make the product unlikable and discourage or make it more difficult to manipulate for the purpose of abuse or misuse via common routes of administration including: ingestion following chewing, licking or crushing; insufflation; inhalation; or injection.

If approved, Rexista may be the only abuse-deterrent oxycodone product with properties that may provide early warning of drug abuse if the product is manipulated or abused. The Company previously announced the results of a food effect study which showed that Rexista can be administered with or without a meal (i.e., no food effect), providing another point of differentiation from currently marketed oral oxycodone extended release products.

Intellipharmaceutics CEO Dr. Isa Odidi said: “The acceptance of filing of our NDA for Rexista represents an important step towards the commercialization of a potentially best–in-class abuse-deterrent oxycodone hydrochloride extended release product. We look forward to working with the FDA during their review of our NDA submission.”

There can be no assurance that we will not be required to conduct further studies for Rexista, that the FDA will ultimately approve the NDA for the sale of Rexista in the US market, or that it will ever be successfully commercialized.