NEWTON, Mass. and GENEVA, Aug. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acer Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ACER) (“Acer”), a pharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of therapies for serious rare and life-threatening diseases with significant unmet medical needs, and RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG (SIX: RLF, OTCQB: RLFTF) (“Relief”), a biopharmaceutical company seeking to provide patients therapeutic relief from serious diseases with high unmet need, today announced the submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ACER-001 (sodium phenylbutyrate) for the treatment of Urea Cycle Disorders (UCDs). ACER-001 is a nitrogen-binding agent in development for use as adjunctive therapy in the chronic management of patients with UCDs involving deficiencies of carbamylphosphate synthetase (CPS), ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC), or argininosuccinic acid synthetase (AS). Based on standard FDA review timelines, Acer expects to receive notification from FDA on the potential acceptance of the NDA for filing within 60 days of submission and subsequent substantive review.
The 505(b)(2) NDA submission is supported by results from two previously announced bioequivalence (BE) trials in which ACER-001 showed similar relative bioavailability for both phenylbutyrate (PBA) and phenylacetate (PAA), the active metabolite of sodium phenylbutyrate, compared to BUPHENYL® (sodium phenylbutyrate). Acer has also received an Agreement Letter from FDA in response to the Company’s initial Pediatric Study Plan (iPSP) which outlines an agreed upon approach that addresses the needs of pediatric patients with UCDs.
“The submission of our NDA for ACER-001 marks an important step toward bringing this potential alternative treatment option to patients with UCDs,” said Chris Schelling, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Acer. “We look forward to working with the FDA through the review process and will continue advancing our preparations for a potential launch of ACER-001, while also assisting Relief toward regulatory submissions in Europe.”
Jack Weinstein, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Relief Therapeutics, added, “We are excited about the progress made to date in support of a potential regulatory approval of ACER-001 for UCDs in the U.S. With the NDA now submitted, we will continue our efforts to back ACER-001’s development in Europe by targeting submission of a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for the treatment of UCDs in Europe by the end of 2021.”
ACER-001 is an investigational product candidate which has not been approved by FDA or the European Medicines Agency (EMA). There is no guarantee that this product candidate will be accepted for substantive review, or if accepted, receive regulatory authority approval in any territory, or become commercially available for the indications under investigation.
About UCDs UCDs are a group of disorders caused by genetic mutations that result in a deficiency in one of the six enzymes that catalyze the urea cycle, which can lead to an excess accumulation of ammonia in the bloodstream, a condition known as hyperammonemia. Acute hyperammonemia can cause lethargy, somnolence, coma, and multi-organ failure, while chronic hyperammonemia can lead to headaches, confusion, lethargy, failure to thrive, behavioral changes, and learning and cognitive deficits. Common symptoms of both acute and chronic hyperammonemia also include seizures and psychiatric symptoms. 1,2 The current treatment of UCDs consists of dietary management to limit ammonia production in conjunction with medications that provide alternative pathways for the removal of ammonia from the bloodstream. Some patients may also require individual branched-chain amino acid supplementation.
Current medical treatments for UCDs include nitrogen scavengers, RAVICTI® and BUPHENYL®, in which the active pharmaceutical ingredients are glycerol phenylbutyrate (GPB) and sodium phenylbutyrate, respectively. According to a 2016 study by Shchelochkov et al., published in Molecular Genetics and Metabolism Reports , while nitrogen scavenging medications have been shown to be effective in helping to manage ammonia levels in some patients with UCDs, non-compliance with treatment is common. Reasons referenced for non-compliance associated with some available medications include unpleasant taste, frequency with which medication must be taken, required number of pills, and the high cost of the medication. 3
About ACER-001 ACER-001 (sodium phenylbutyrate) is being developed for the treatment of various inborn errors of metabolism, including UCDs and MSUD. ACER-001 is a nitrogen-binding agent in development for use as adjunctive therapy in the chronic management of patients with UCDs involving de
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