Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced top-line results of
its Phase III clinical program for armodafinil (NUVIGIL®) as
adjunct therapy in adults with major depression associated with bipolar
1 disorder. While study 3072 demonstrated a numerical improvement, it
did not reach statistical significance in meeting its primary endpoint
-- to determine whether armodafinil treatment, at a dosage of 150 mg per
day, is more effective than placebo as adjunct therapy to mood
stabilizers and/or atypical antipsychotics. This is the second of three,
Phase III studies; results of the first pivotal study 3071 announced in
May, 2012 were positive (P=0.0097). Study 3073 and open-label extension
study 3074 are ongoing; results are expected for study 3073 later this
year.
“While we are disappointed that the second study did not reach
statistical significance, we are firmly committed to continuing with the
third, Phase III trial based on the promising results of the first
study, the trend seen in the second, and comparable safety results
between the two studies. Bipolar 1 disorder is a complex disease where
there remains a significant unmet patient need to successfully treat
associated depressive episodes,” said Michael Hayden, M.D., president of
Global R&D and Chief Scientific Officer. “We believe that armodafinil
may have a unique mechanism of action in patients with depression
associated with bipolar 1 disorder, and we will continue to study it as
adjunct therapy in adults with this debilitating disease. At Teva, we
are dedicated to advancing the science in serious neuropsychiatric
conditions, such as this.”
Bipolar disorder is among the top 20 most severely disabling disorders.i
Bipolar 1 disorder is defined by manic or mixed episodes that last at
least a week in which an individual feels abnormally euphoric,
optimistic, and energetic, and can be so severe as to require
hospitalization, followed by depressive episodes typically lasting at
least two weeks. The depressive episodes of bipolar 1 disorder can be so
severe that the person cannot function normally at work, school, or homeii.
About Armodafinil
Armodafinil is currently available as NUVIGIL®, a
prescription medicine indicated to improve wakefulness in adults who
experience excessive sleepiness (ES) due to obstructive sleep apnea
(OSA), shift work disorder (SWD), or narcolepsy. NUVIGIL is not approved
for use in treating major depression associated with bipolar 1 disorder.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
The NUVIGIL (armodafinil) label includes a bolded warning for serious
or life-threatening rash, including Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, requiring
hospitalization and discontinuation of treatment, that has been reported
in adults in association with the use of modafinil and armodafinil and
in children in association with the use of modafinil, a racemic mixture
of S and R modafinil (the latter is armodafinil, the active ingredient
in NUVIGIL). NUVIGIL is not approved for use in pediatric
patients for any indication.
In controlled trials in adults administered NUVIGIL, psychiatric
symptoms resulting in treatment discontinuation were anxiety, agitation,
nervousness, and irritability. Caution should be exercised when NUVIGIL
is given to patients with a history of psychosis, depression, or mania.
Consider discontinuing NUVIGIL if psychiatric symptoms develop.
The most common adverse events in controlled clinical trials (five
percent or greater) were headache, nausea, dizziness, and insomnia. Full
prescribing information for NUVIGIL is available at www.NUVIGIL.com.
About Teva
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA) is a leading global
pharmaceutical company, committed to increasing access to high-quality
healthcare by developing, producing and marketing affordable generic
drugs as well as innovative and specialty pharmaceuticals and active
pharmaceutical ingredients. Headquartered in Israel, Teva is the world's
leading generic drug maker, with a global product portfolio of more than
1,000 molecules and a direct presence in about 60 countries. Teva's
branded businesses focus on CNS, oncology, pain, respiratory and women's
health therapeutic areas as well as biologics. Teva currently employs
approximately 46,000 people around the world and reached $18.3 billion
in net revenues in 2011.
Teva's Safe Harbor Statement under the U. S. Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
This release contains forward-looking statements, which express the
current beliefs and expectations of management. Such statements are
based on management’s current beliefs and expectations and involve a
number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause our
future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from
the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the results
of the GALA phase III trial and the potential efficacy or future market
or marketability of glatiramer acetate 40 mg/1 ml. Following further
analysis, Teva's interpretation of the results could differ materially
depending on a number of factors, and we caution investors not to place
undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press
release as there can be no guarantee that the results from the phase III
trial discussed in this press release will be confirmed upon full
analysis of the results of the trial and additional information relating
to the safety, efficacy or tolerability of glatiramer acetate 40 mg/1 ml
may be discovered upon further analysis of data from the phase III
trial. Even if the results described in this release are confirmed upon
full analysis of the GALA study, we cannot guarantee that glatiramer
acetate 40 mg/1 ml will be approved for marketing in a timely manner, if
at all, by regulatory authorities in the EU or in the U.S. Important
factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks
relating to: our ability to develop and commercialize additional
pharmaceutical products, competition for our innovative products,
especially Copaxone® (including competition from innovative
orally-administered alternatives, as well as from potential generic
equivalents), competition for our generic products (including from other
pharmaceutical companies and as a result of increased governmental
pricing pressures), competition for our specialty pharmaceutical
businesses, our ability to achieve expected results through our
innovative R&D efforts, the effectiveness of our patents and other
protections for innovative products, decreasing opportunities to obtain
U.S. market exclusivity for significant new generic products, our
ability to identify, consummate and successfully integrate acquisitions
(including the acquisition of Cephalon), the effects of increased
leverage as a result of the acquisition of Cephalon, the extent to which
any manufacturing or quality control problems damage our reputation for
high quality production and require costly remediation, our potential
exposure to product liability claims to the extent not covered by
insurance, increased government scrutiny in both the U.S. and Europe of
our agreements with brand companies, potential liability for sales of
generic products prior to a final resolution of outstanding patent
litigation, including that relating to the generic version of Protonix®,
our exposure to currency fluctuations and restrictions as well as credit
risks, the effects of reforms in healthcare regulation and
pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement, any failures to comply with
complex Medicare and Medicaid reporting and payment obligations,
governmental investigations into sales and marketing practices
(particularly for our specialty pharmaceutical products), uncertainties
surrounding the legislative and regulatory pathway for the registration
and approval of biotechnology-based products, adverse effects of
political or economical instability, major hostilities or acts of
terrorism on our significant worldwide operations, interruptions in our
supply chain or problems with our information technology systems that
adversely affect our complex manufacturing processes, any failure to
retain key personnel (including Cephalon employees) or to attract
additional executive and managerial talent, the impact of continuing
consolidation of our distributors and customers, variations in patent
laws that may adversely affect our ability to manufacture our products
in the most efficient manner, potentially significant impairments of
intangible assets and goodwill, potential increases in tax liabilities,
the termination or expiration of governmental programs or tax benefits,
environmental risks and other factors that are discussed in our Annual
Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2011 and in our
other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are
made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
i World Health Organizations. (2004).The Global Burden of
Disease. Retrieved January 1, 2013 from http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/GBD_report_2004update_full.pdf.
ii National Institute of Mental Health. (2009). Bipolar
disorder. (No. 09-3679). Retrieved January 1, 2013 from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder/nimh-bipolar-adults.pdf
