ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPRY), a biopharmaceutical
company dedicated to empowering at-risk patients and their
caregivers to better protect patients from allergic reactions that
could lead to anaphylaxis, today announced a licensing agreement
with ALK-Abelló A/S (“ALK”, Nasdaq: ALK B), that provides ALK
exclusive rights to commercialize
neffy® (epinephrine nasal spray)
(trade name
EURneffy® in Europe),
the first and only needle-free emergency treatment for Type I
allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, in Europe, Canada and
other geographies outside of the U.S. ARS Pharma retains all rights
to
neffy in the U.S., and there are no changes to
its existing partnerships in Japan, China, Australia and New
Zealand.
“ALK is a specialized pharmaceutical company and a global leader
in the allergy field, serving millions of allergy patients across
46 countries. As a multi-billion-dollar, commercial leader with
strong ties to regulators, healthcare practitioners and patients,
ALK is the ideal partner to further accelerate and expand the
global reach of neffy,” said Richard Lowenthal,
Co-Founder, President, and CEO of ARS Pharma. “This collaboration
enhances our strategic agreements to better ensure that individuals
who need neffy can access this innovative,
needle-free treatment for Type I allergic reactions, including
anaphylaxis. Additionally, the capital from this agreement enables
us to focus fully on our ongoing U.S. commercial launch of
neffy, with significant operational flexibility.
We are excited about neffy's future and our
ability to positively impact the lives of millions, empowering
patients and their caregivers to manage allergic reactions with
confidence.”
Under the terms of the agreement, ARS Pharma will receive an
upfront payment of $145 million and is eligible to receive up to an
additional $320 million in regulatory and sales milestones, as well
as tiered, double-digit royalties in the teens on net sales in
licensed geographies. ARS Pharma will be responsible for
manufacturing and supplying neffy to ALK.
“We are thrilled to partner with ARS Pharma, a company that
shares our commitment to advancing transformative allergy solutions
for patients. We have closely followed developments with
neffy since ARS Pharma first demonstrated that
safe, low-dose, injection-like delivery of epinephrine could be
achieved through a nasal spray,” said Peter Halling, President and
CEO of ALK. “We believe that nasal delivery of epinephrine could
become an important new standard of care in anaphylaxis management
over the next decade, as nasal delivery addresses the hesitation
often associated with needle-based options. neffy
offers strong scientific and commercial ties to our existing
product portfolio and sales channels, and this licensing agreement
is an important step in our strategic efforts to establish leading
positions in anaphylaxis, food allergy, and other adjacent disease
areas to supplement our core offering in respiratory allergy. We
look forward to making this much-needed treatment accessible to
patients.”
In August 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved
neffy in the U.S. That same month, the European
Commission granted marketing authorization for
EURneffy in the EU. ARS Pharma
plans to file for regulatory approval in Canada by the end of
2024.
ARS Pharma is also evaluating its intranasal epinephrine
technology for the treatment of acute flares in patients with
chronic urticaria, with plans to being a Phase 2b clinical trial in
early 2025. The license agreement with ALK also provides them
exclusive rights for any new indications in the licensed
territories.
About
neffy®neffy is
an intranasal epinephrine product for patients with Type I allergic
reactions including food, medications, and insect bites that could
lead to life-threatening anaphylaxis.
INDICATION AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR
neffy (epinephrine nasal spray)
INDICATION
neffy 2 mg is indicated for emergency treatment
of Type I allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in adult and
pediatric patients who weigh 30 kg or greater.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
It is recommended that patients are prescribed and have
immediate access to two neffy nasal sprays at all
times. In the absence of clinical improvement or if symptoms worsen
after initial treatment, administer a second dose of
neffy in the same nostril with a new nasal spray
starting 5 minutes after the first dose.
neffy is for use in the nose only.
Advise patients when to seek emergency medical assistance for
close monitoring of the anaphylactic episode and in the event
further treatment is required.
Absorption of neffy may be affected by
underlying structural or anatomical nasal conditions.
Administer with caution to patients who have heart disease;
epinephrine may aggravate angina pectoris or produce ventricular
arrhythmias. Arrhythmias, including fatal ventricular fibrillation,
have been reported, particularly in patients with underlying
cardiac disease or taking cardiac glycosides, diuretics, or
anti-arrhythmics.
The presence of a sulfite in neffy should not
deter use.
neffy may alter nasal mucosa for up to 2 weeks
after administration and increase systemic absorption of nasal
products, including neffy.
Patients with certain medical conditions or who take certain
medications for allergies, depression, thyroid disorders, diabetes,
and hypertension, may be at greater risk for adverse reactions.
Epinephrine can temporarily exacerbate the underlying condition
or increase symptoms in patients with the following:
hyperthyroidism, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, renal impairment.
Epinephrine should be administered with caution in patients with
these conditions, including elderly patients and pregnant
women.
Adverse reactions to neffy may include throat
irritation, intranasal paresthesia, headache, nasal discomfort,
feeling jittery, paresthesia, fatigue, tremor, rhinorrhea, nasal
pruritus, sneezing, abdominal pain, gingival pain, hypoesthesia
oral, nasal congestion, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.
These are not all of the possible side effects of
neffy. To report suspected adverse reactions,
contact ARS Pharmaceuticals Operations, Inc. at 1-877-MY-NEFFY
(877-696-3339) or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or
www.fda.gov/medwatch.
For additional information on neffy, please see
Full Prescribing Information at www.neffy.com.
About Type I Allergic Reactions Including
Anaphylaxis Type I allergic reactions are serious and
potentially life-threatening events that can occur within minutes
of exposure to an allergen and require immediate treatment with
epinephrine, the only FDA-approved medication for these reactions.
While epinephrine autoinjectors have been shown to be highly
effective, there are well published limitations that result in many
patients and caregivers delaying or not administering treatment in
an emergency situation. These limitations include fear of the
needle, lack of portability, needle-related safety concerns, lack
of reliability, and complexity of the devices. There are
approximately 40 million people in the United States who experience
Type I allergic reactions. Of this group, over the last three
years, approximately 20 million people have been diagnosed and
treated for Type I allergic reactions that may lead to anaphylaxis,
but (in 2023, for example) only 3.2 million filled their active
epinephrine autoinjector prescription, and of those, only half
consistently carry their prescribed autoinjector. Even if patients
or caregivers carry an autoinjector, more than half either delay or
do not administer the device when needed in an emergency.
About ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.ARS Pharma is a
biopharmaceutical company dedicated to empowering at-risk patients
and their caregivers to better protect patients from allergic
reactions that could lead to anaphylaxis. The Company is
commercializing neffy® 2
mg (trade
name EURneffy® in
the EU) (previously referred to as ARS-1), an epinephrine nasal
spray indicated in the US for emergency treatment of Type I
allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in adult and pediatric
patients who weigh 30 kg or greater, and in the EU for emergency
treatment of allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) due to insect stings
or bites, foods, medicinal products, and other allergens as well as
idiopathic or exercise induced anaphylaxis in adults and children
who weigh 30 kg or greater. For more information,
visit www.ars-pharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not purely historical
in nature are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
statements include, but are not limited to: ARS Pharma’s belief
that the license agreement with ALK-Abelló will accelerate and
further expand the global reach of neffy; ARS
Pharma’s plans regarding regulatory submissions in Canada, the
United Kingdom, China, Japan and Australia; the needle-free profile
of neffy increasing the likelihood that patients
will both carry and administer adrenaline; and other statements
that are not historical fact. Because such statements are subject
to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially
from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Words such as “could,” “enables,” “ideal,” “excited,” “look
forward,” “plans,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements are based upon ARS Pharma’s current expectations and
involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be
incorrect. Actual results and the timing of events could differ
materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking
statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, which
include, without limitation: ARS Pharma’s reliance on ALK-Abelló
for the commercialization of neffy outside the
United States in previously unpartnered territories; the potential
that ARS Pharma may not receive milestone payments or royalty
payments under the ALK-Abelló license agreement in the amounts and
at the times expected, if at all; potential safety and other
complications from neffy; the labelling for
neffy in any future indication or patient
population, if approved; the scope, progress and expansion of
developing and commercializing neffy; the
potential for payors to delay, limit or deny coverage for
neffy; the size and growth of the market therefor
and the rate and degree of market acceptance thereof vis-à-vis
intramuscular injectable products; ARS Pharma’s ability to protect
its intellectual property position; and the impact of government
laws and regulations. Additional risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those
contemplated by the forward-looking statements are included under
the caption “Risk Factors” in ARS Pharma’s Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”)
on August 6, 2024. These documents can also be accessed on ARS
Pharma’s website at www.ars-pharma.com by clicking on the
link “Financials & Filings” under the “Investors & Media”
tab.
The forward-looking statements included in this press release
are made only as of the date hereof. ARS Pharma assumes no
obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking
statements, except as required by law.
Investor Contacts:Justin Chakma, ARS
Pharmaceuticalsjustinc@ars-pharma.com
Alex Straus, THRUST alex@thrustsc.com
Media Contact:Christy Curran, Sam Brown
Inc.christycurran@sambrown.com
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