MYSTIC, Conn., and DUBLIN, Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Amarin Corporation plc (Nasdaq: AMRN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a focus on cardiovascular disease, today reported the completion of patient randomization for its ANCHOR trial, a pivotal Phase 3 trial of AMR101. The Company indicated that it anticipates reporting top-line results from this trial in Q2 2011 (the Company’s previous guidance for the timing of such results was mid-2011).
The ANCHOR trial is a multi-center, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, 12-week pivotal study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 2 grams and 4 grams of AMR101 (ethyl-EPA) in patients with high triglyceride levels from 200 mg/dL to less than 500 mg/dL who are also on statin therapy. Patients in this trial are characterized as having high triglyceride levels with mixed dyslipidemia (two or more lipid disorders) and are at significant risk of cardiovascular disease. No omega-3 based therapy is approved by the FDA for treating this patient population.
The ANCHOR trial is being conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The trial recruited and randomized 702 patients. Prior to randomization into the 12-week treatment period, all patients underwent a six-to-eight week washout period of lipid altering drugs, as well as diet and lifestyle stabilization. The Company expects that the 702 patients randomized will be sufficient to demonstrate statistical significance in accordance with the trial protocol. All of the clinical sites in the trial are in the U.S. The primary endpoint in the trial is the percent change in triglyceride level from baseline to week 12. An important secondary endpoint in the ANCHOR trial is to show that the addition of AMR101 to statin therapy does not increase LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C or “bad cholesterol”) compared to placebo in this population.
“We are pleased that the ANCHOR study has been able to complete the patient randomization process before the end of 2010,” said Joseph S. Zakrzewski, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Amarin. “Following the very positive results of the recently reported MARINE study in which AMR101 demonstrated that it reduced triglyceride levels without increasing LDL-C in patients with very high triglycerides (>500 mg/dL), the ANCHOR study evaluates AMR101 in a different and larger patient population. AMR101 is designed to be first-in-class for this indication. In the U.S. alone, there are 36 million patients with triglyceride levels in the range being studied in the ANCHOR trial.”
On November 29, 2010, the Company reported positive top-line data for its pivotal Phase 3 MARINE study. In that study, AMR101 was shown to effectively lower triglyceride levels in patients with very high triglycerides (>500mg/dl) without increasing LDL-C. AMR101 is the first omega-3 based product outside of Japan to demonstrate statistically significant triglyceride reduction without an increase in LDL-C. The Company believes that this is because AMR101, like a similar product in Japan, consists of >96% ethyl-EPA (ethyl icosapentate) and no DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid). DHA has been linked to increases in LDL-C. The MARINE study results also included favorable findings with respect to significant reductions in total cholesterol, non-HDL-C, Apo B, and Lp-PLA2 levels together with a safety profile for AMR101 that appears to be both comparable to placebo and more favorable compared to other triglyceride lowering therapies. The MARINE study was conducted in a population representative of millions of people with very high triglyceride levels, including more than 3.8 million in the U.S. Amarin believes that AMR101 is positioned to be best-in-class for this indication.
About Amarin
Amarin Corporation plc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with expertise in lipid science focused on the treatment of cardiovascular disease. The Company’s lead product candidate is AMR101, the active ingredient in which is ethyl-EPA (ethyl icosapentate). On November 29, 2010, the Company reported positive, statistically significant top-line results from the MARINE trial, the first of its Phase 3 clinical trials of AMR101. In the MARINE trial, AMR101 was investigated as a treatment for very high triglycerides (>500 mg/dL). AMR101 is presently being investigated in a second Phase 3 clinical trial, the ANCHOR trial, for the treatment of patients on statin therapy with high triglycerides (200 and <500mg/dL) with mixed dyslipidemia. The MARINE trial was, and the ANCHOR trial currently is, conducted under Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreements with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Amarin also has next-generation lipid candidates under evaluation for preclinical development. For more information, including a summary of MARINE trial top-line results, please visit www.amarincorp.com.
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Disclosure Notice
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the timing and success of clinical trial results, competitive market positioning and the commercial opportunity for AMR101, including the number of patients that could potentially benefit from AMR101. These forward-looking statements are not promises or guarantees and involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described or projected herein are the following: anticipated operating losses and the likely need for additional capital to fund future operations; uncertainties associated generally with research and development, clinical trials and related regulatory approvals; the risk that historical clinical trial enrolment and randomization rates may not be predictive of future results; uncertainties relating to the timing of data collection and analysis for the ANCHOR and MARINE trials; dependence on third-party manufacturers, suppliers and collaborators; significant competition; loss of key personnel; and uncertainties associated with market acceptance and adequacy of reimbursement, technological change and government regulation. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other matters can be found in Amarin’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise.
SOURCE Amarin Corporation plc
