Horizon Pharma Announces FDA Approval Of RAYOS® (prednisone) Delayed-Release Tablets For Rheumatoid Arthritis And Multiple Additional Indications

DEERFIELD, Ill., July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Horizon Pharma, Inc., (NASDAQ:  HZNP) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved RAYOS ^® (prednisone) delayed-release tablets (1 mg, 2 mg and 5 mg) to treat a broad range of diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) ( see full prescribing information at www.RAYOSrx.com ).  The FDA approval was supported by data bridging the pharmacokinetics of RAYOS to immediate-release prednisone and data from the Circadian Administration of Prednisone in RA (CAPRA-1 and 2) trials.  The CAPRA-2 trial demonstrated that people with moderate to severe RA treated with RAYOS experienced a statistically significant improvement in ACR20 response criteria compared to placebo.  The CAPRA-1 trial supported the overall safety of RAYOS.

"We are extremely pleased the FDA has approved RAYOS for a broad range of indications, including RA and polymyalgia rheumatica," said Timothy P. Walbert, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Horizon Pharma.  "Our initial focus will be on the launch of RAYOS in rheumatologic diseases such as RA and polymyalgia rheumatica in the fourth quarter of this year.  Based on the extent of the approved indications, we will be developing a broader commercial strategy to expand the opportunity for RAYOS in key IL-6 mediated diseases, including asthma and COPD."

RAYOS Clinical Data  U.S. New Drug Application  The efficacy of RAYOS in the treatment of RA was assessed in the CAPRA-2 trial, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, 12-week trial in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed according to American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. Enrolled patients were not currently being treated with corticosteroids but had received non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy for at least 6 months prior to receipt of study medication, with an incomplete response to DMARD therapy alone.  Patients were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to treatment with RAYOS 5 mg (n=231) or placebo (n=119) administered at 10 p.m. in addition to their DMARD therapy.  A total of 350 patients were enrolled and ranged in age from 27 to 80 years (median age 57 years).  Patients were predominantly Caucasian and 84% were female.

Results from CAPRA-2 demonstrated:

• A statistically significant improvement in ACR20 response criteria, the primary study endpoint, for patients who were treated with RAYOS compared to the placebo group (47% vs. 29%; p-value = 0.001).
• A statistically significant improvement in ACR50 response compared to placebo (22% vs. 10%; p-value = 0.007) and an improvement in the more stringent ACR70 response criteria (7% vs. 3%; p-value = 0.0984).  Both ACR50 and ACR70 were pre-specified secondary endpoints.

The relative change from baseline in the duration of morning stiffness at 12 weeks was assessed as a pre-specified secondary endpoint.  Patients treated with RAYOS had a median decrease in the duration of morning stiffness of 55 minutes compared to 33 minutes in placebo-treated patients (20 minute estimated median difference between treatment groups with 95% confidence interval [7, 32; p-value = 0.001]).

1 2 3 4 5 Next › Last »