FDA Approves MOVANTIK™ (naloxegol) Tablets C-II for the Treatment of Opioid-Induced Constipation in Adult Patients with Chronic Non-Cancer Pain

AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved MOVANTIK (naloxegol) Tablets C-II as the first once-daily oral peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) medication for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC), in adult patients with chronic, non-cancer pain. Millions of patients are treated with opioids in the United States. Opioids play an important role in chronic pain relief by binding to mu-receptors in the central nervous system, but they also bind to mu-receptors in the gastrointestinal tract, which may result in OIC.

“The FDA approval of MOVANTIK provides a new treatment option for adult patients with chronic non-cancer pain suffering from opioid-induced constipation, a common side effect of opioid therapy,” said Dr. Briggs Morrison, Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development & Chief Medical Officer, AstraZeneca. “We are pleased to provide physicians and their patients with a once-daily oral treatment option supported by a robust clinical program.”

The FDA approval of MOVANTIK was based on data from the KODIAC clinical program, which is comprised of four studies: KODIAC-4, -5, -7 and -8. KODIAC-4 and -5 were both placebo controlled, double-blind, 12 week studies assessing safety and efficacy, while KODIAC-7 was a 12 week safety extension to KODIAC-4, and KODIAC-8 was a 52 week long-term, open-label, safety study.

MOVANTIK is expected to be available to patients in the first half of 2015. MOVANTIK is currently a schedule II controlled substance because it is structurally related to noroxymorphone. During the review of the NDA, the FDA evaluated the abuse potential of MOVANTIK and the approved labeling indicates that MOVANTIK has no risk of abuse or dependency. AstraZeneca submitted a petition for the descheduling of MOVANTIK to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in March 2012 which was accepted for review and will be considered by the DEA as part of the process for addressing the descheduling request.

Results from KODIAC-4 and -5 were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on June 19, 2014.

Important Safety Information for MOVANTIK

  • MOVANTIK is contraindicated in:
    • Patients with known or suspected gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction and patients at increased risk of recurrent obstruction due to the potential for GI perforation
    • Patients receiving strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g., clarithromycin, ketoconazole) because these medications can significantly increase exposure to naloxegol which may precipitate opioid withdrawal symptoms
    • Patients with a known serious or severe hypersensitivity reaction to MOVANTIK or any of its excipients
  • Cases of GI perforation have been reported with the use of another peripherally acting opioid antagonist in patients with conditions that may be associated with localized or diffuse reduction of structural integrity in the wall of the GI tract. Monitor for severe, persistent, or worsening abdominal pain; discontinue if this symptom develops
  • Symptoms consistent with opioid withdrawal, including hyperhidrosis, chills, diarrhea, abdominal pain, anxiety, irritability, and yawning, occurred in patients treated with MOVANTIK. Patients receiving methadone in the clinical trials were observed to have a higher frequency of GI adverse reactions that may have been related to opioid withdrawal than patients receiving other opioids. Patients with disruptions to the blood-brain barrier may be at increased risk for opioid withdrawal or reduced analgesia. Monitor for symptoms of opioid withdrawal when using MOVANTIK in such patients.
  • The most common adverse reactions with MOVANTIK in clinical trials were: abdominal pain (21%), diarrhea (9%), nausea (8%), flatulence (6%), vomiting (5%), headache (4%), and hyperhidrosis (3%)

Please see full US Prescribing Information
http://www.azpicentral.com/movantik/movantik.pdf

NOTES TO EDITORS

About MOVANTIK (naloxegol) tablets C-II

MOVANTIK (naloxegol) tablets C-II is the first FDA approved once-daily oral peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) specifically designed for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adult patients with chronic non-cancer pain. In the Phase III clinical studies, MOVANTIK was administered as a once-daily tablet and was designed to block the binding of opioids to opioid receptors, in tissues such as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

MOVANTIK is part of the exclusive worldwide license agreement announced on September 21, 2009 between AstraZeneca and Nektar Therapeutics. MOVANTIK was developed using Nektar’s oral small molecule polymer conjugate technology.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune, oncology, infection and neuroscience diseases. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.

For more information about AstraZeneca in the US or our AZ&Me™ Prescription Savings programs, please visit: www.astrazeneca-us.com or call 1-800-AZandMe (292-6363).

3026006 Last updated 9/14

REFERENCES

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4. Brock C et al. Drugs. 2012;72(14):1847-1865
5. Pappagallo M. Am J Surg. 2001;183(Nov suppl):11S-18S.
6. Chey WD, et al. N Engl J Med. 2014: 370:2387-2396.
7.

National Institutes of Health. A 12-week Extension of the Phase III Study (D3820C00004) to Assess the Effect and Safety of NKTR-118 in Patients With Non-cancer-related Pain and Opioid-induced Constipation; clinicaltrials.gov. http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01395524. Accessed August 28, 2014.

8. Webster L et al. Randomised clinical trial: the long-term safety and tolerability of naloxegol in patients with pain and opioid-induced constipation. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2014;40:771–779.

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