MISSISSAUGA, ON, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Cipher Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that it has appealed the position taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its approvable letter for CIP-TRAMADOL ER, using the FDA’s Formal Dispute Resolution process. Cipher received an approvable letter from the FDA in May 2007 pertaining to its New Drug Application (NDA) for CIP-TRAMADOL ER, the Company’s extended-release formulation of tramadol.
“After further dialogue with the FDA over the past several months on the questions raised in the approvable letter, we have determined that the formal dispute resolution process is the most appropriate path forward at this time to achieve final regulatory approval for this product,” said Larry Andrews, President and CEO of Cipher.
About Cipher Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Cipher Pharmaceuticals is a drug development company focused on commercializing novel formulations of successful, currently marketed molecules using advanced drug delivery technologies. Cipher’s strategy is to in-license products that incorporate proven drug delivery technologies and advance them through the clinical development and regulatory approval stages, after which the products are out-licensed to international partners. Because Cipher’s products are based on proven technology platforms applied to currently marketed drugs, they are expected to have lower approval risk, shorter development timelines and significantly lower development costs. The Company’s lead compound, CIP-FENOFIBRATE, received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada in the first quarter of 2006. The product is being marketed in the United States by ProEthic Pharmaceuticals under the label Lipofen(TM). In addition, Cipher is developing formulations of the pain reliever tramadol and the acne treatment isotretinoin.
Cipher is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ‘DND’ and has approximately 24 million shares outstanding. For more information, please visit www.cipherpharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements made in this news release, other than those concerning historical financial information, may be forward-looking and therefore subject to various risks and uncertainties. Some forward-looking statements may be identified by words like “may”, “will”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, or “continue” or the negative thereof or similar variations. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Factors that could cause results to vary include those identified in the Company’s Annual Information Form and other filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities, such as the applicability of patents and proprietary technology; possible patent litigation; regulatory approval of products in the Company’s pipeline; changes in government regulation or regulatory approval processes; government and third-party payer reimbursement; dependence on strategic partnerships for product candidates and technologies, marketing and R&D services; meeting projected drug development timelines and goals; intensifying competition; rapid technological change in the pharmaceutical industry; anticipated future losses; the ability to access capital to fund R&D; and the ability to attract and retain key personnel. All forward-looking statements presented herein should be considered in conjunction with such filings. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements; such statements speak only as of the date made.
CONTACT: Craig Armitage, Investor Relations, The Equicom Group, (416)
815-0700 ext 278, (416) 815-0080 fax, carmitage@equicomgroup.com; Larry
Andrews, President and CEO, Cipher Pharmaceuticals, (905) 602-5840 ext 324,
(905) 602-0628 fax, landrews@cipherpharma.com
