Foamix Announces Dosing of First Patient in Phase 3 Acne Studies for Minocycline Foam FMX101
5/9/2016 |
Rehovot, Israel, and Bridgewater, NJ – May 9, 2016 – Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (NASDAQ: FOMX), a clinical stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing proprietary topical foams to address unmet needs in dermatology, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in its Phase 3 program to evaluate the efficacy and safety of its topical Minocycline Foam 4%, FMX101.
“Commencing enrollment into Phase 3 clinical trials for FMX101 moves us closer to our goal of providing an effective and convenient new treatment for patients with moderate to severe acne,” said Dr. Dov Tamarkin, CEO of Foamix. “We are now focused on executing the trials, which are designed to establish a clear path to regulatory approvals.”
Study Design
The Phase 3 program consists of two multi-center studies that are each planned to enroll approximately 450 patients with moderate-to-severe acne, first into a 12-week double-blind, vehicle-controlled phase to be followed by 9 months of open-label treatment with the active 4% foam. Both studies will be conducted at multiple sites throughout the United States. Patients will be treated once daily for 12 weeks in the initial double-blind portions of the studies.
The primary endpoints are 1) the proportion of patients achieving success at week 12 based on an Investigator’s Global Assessment (success is defined as a score of “clear” or “almost clear” and at least a 2 category improvement from baseline), and 2) the mean change from baseline in inflammatory lesion counts in each treatment group at week 12. Safety evaluation will include reported adverse events, assessments of tolerability, clinical laboratory tests and vital signs.
Patients who complete the 12 weeks of treatment will have the option to continue in a long-term open-label safety extension to evaluate the safety of intermittent use of FMX101 for up to an additional 9 months.
Foamix expects to report top-line results from the blinded phase of the clinical trials in the first half of 2017.
About Moderate to Severe Acne
Acne, the most common skin disorder in the U.S., affects 40 to 50 million Americans and is associated with various psychological and social implications, including anxiety and depression. Moderate-to-severe acne, which afflicts about 20% of these patients, is often unresponsive to currently available topical anti-acne medications. In February 2016, the American Academy of Dermatology issued new guidelines of care for acne treatment, which assert that the systemic antibiotics such as minocycline and doxycycline are the mainstay of acne treatment for moderate to severe inflammatory acne, often in combination with topical agents (JAAD, 2016: 74(5), 945–973).
About FMX101
FMX101 is Foamix’s proprietary 4% minocycline foam formulation for moderate-to-severe acne. In 2013, Foamix completed a dose-ranging Phase II clinical trial of FMX101 in Israel involving 150 patients aged 12 to 25 with moderate-to-severe acne. This trial demonstrated both clinically and statistically significant efficacy for the 4% concentration of minocycline foam versus the control placebo group, with FMX101, 4% reducing inflammatory acne lesions by 71% in six weeks and maintained that level of efficacy for the remainder of the 12 week trial. Additionally, the effect on non-inflammatory lesions also reached statistical significance at week 12, with a 73% reduction in non-inflammatory lesions. No drug-related systemic side effects were observed.
The FMX101 application is intended to be filed under the 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway. In a Phase I pharmacokinetics study in 30 patients with moderate-to-severe acne, the systemic absorption of minocycline after repeated maximum-dose applications of FMX101, 4% was compared directly to that of orally-administered Solodyn® (Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ minocycline HCl extended release tablets) at doses of approximately 1 mg/kg. This study showed that the bioavailability, or systemic exposure, of minocycline following topical FMX101 administration was approximately 700 times lower than that of Solodyn.
About Foamix
Foamix is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary, innovative and differentiated topical drugs for dermatological therapy.
Our clinical stage product candidates include FMX101, our novel minocycline foam for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acne, FMX102 for the treatment of impetigo, FMX103 for the treatment of rosacea, and FDX104, our doxycycline foam for the management of acne-like rash induced by EGFRI anticancer drugs.
In addition, we have development and license agreements relating to our technology with various pharmaceutical companies including Bayer HealthCare, Merz, Allergan and Prestium.
For more information, please visit www.foamixpharma.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts, such as statements regarding assumptions, expectations, forecasts, beliefs or intentions related to financial results, commercial results, timing and results of clinical trials and U.S. FDA and other regulatory agencies authorizations. Forward-looking statements are based on our current knowledge and our present beliefs and expectations regarding possible future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including, but not limited to, unexpected delays, excess costs or unfavorable results of clinical trials, delays or denial in the U.S. FDA approval process, additional competition in the acne market, denial of reimbursement by third party payors or inability to raise additional capital. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F (File No. 161477078) filed on March 7, 2016, and elsewhere in that Annual Report. Any forward-looking statements that may be made herein speak only as of the date of this release and Foamix undertakes no obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as otherwise required by law.
Contact: US Investor Relations
Dorit Hayon Michael Rice
Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. LifeSci Advisors, LLC
+972-8-9316233 646-597-6979
BD@foamixpharma.com mrice@lifesciadvisors.com