U.S. FDA Accepts AbbVie’s New Drug Application for Atogepant for the Preventive Treatment of Migraine

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., March 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its New Drug Application (NDA) for atogepant, an investigational orally administered calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist (gepant), for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults who meet criteria for episodic migraine. AbbVie anticipates a regulatory decision in late Q3 2021.

Migraine is a complex, chronic disease with attacks that are often incapacitating and can include headache pain as well as neurologic and autonomic symptoms.³ Migraine symptoms and severity range widely among individuals.

The NDA is supported by data from a robust clinical program evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of orally administered atogepant in nearly 2,500 patients who experience 4-14 migraine days per month including but not limited to the pivotal Phase 3 ADVANCE study, the pivotal Phase 2b/3 study, and the Phase 3 long-term safety study.

"With the integration of Allergan, AbbVie is now a committed leader in migraine with an almost 25-year history in migraine research. We look forward to potentially adding a new treatment option to our portfolio that will help more people with migraine," said Michael Gold, MD, vice president, neuroscience development, AbbVie. "We believe atogepant is an advancement with the potential to offer meaningful benefits as a safe, effective oral preventive treatment option. Despite the availability of other migraine treatment options, the medical community and people living with migraine recognize the unmet need of those who face the unpredictable and debilitating realities of this disease."

In the Phase 3 ADVANCE study, all active treatment arms of atogepant met their primary endpoint of a statistically significant reduction in mean monthly migraine days over a 12-week treatment period. Also, the 30 and 60 mg doses met all six secondary endpoints with statistical significance. This study followed positive results from the Phase 2b/3 study that met the same primary endpoint across all doses and dosing regimens. The Phase 3 long-term safety study evaluated safety and tolerability of 60 mg oral atogepant administered daily over 52 weeks. The Phase 3 long-term safety study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting. Results from the Phase 2b/3 study and the Phase 3 ADVANCE study were previously announced.^1,4

About the Phase 3 ADVANCE Study
The pivotal Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of oral atogepant for the preventive treatment of migraine in those with 4 to 14 migraine days per month. A total of 910 patients were randomized to one of four treatment groups evaluating 10 mg, 30 mg, and 60 mg of atogepant once daily, or placebo. Efficacy analyses were based on the modified intent-to-treat (mITT) population of 873 patients. 

The primary endpoint was change from baseline in mean monthly migraine days across the 12-week treatment period. All atogepant dose groups met the primary endpoint and demonstrated statistically significant reductions in mean monthly migraine days compared to placebo. Patients treated in the 10 mg, 30 mg, and 60 mg atogepant arms experienced a decrease of 3.69, 3.86, and 4.2 days, respectively, compared to patients in the placebo arm, who experienced a decrease of 2.48 days (all dose groups vs. placebo, p=<.0001).

A key secondary endpoint measured the proportion of patients that achieved at least a 50% reduction in mean monthly migraine days across the 12-week treatment period. The trial demonstrated that 55.6%, 58.7%, and 60.8% of patients in the 10 mg, 30 mg, and 60 mg atogepant arms, respectively, achieved at least a 50% reduction, compared to 29.0% of patients in the placebo arm (all dose groups vs. placebo, p=<.0001). 

All doses were well tolerated. The most common adverse events reported with a frequency ≥ 5% in at least one atogepant treatment arm, and greater than placebo, were constipation (6.9-7.7% across all doses vs. 0.5% for placebo), nausea (4.4-6.1% across all doses vs. 1.8% for placebo), and upper respiratory tract infection (3.9-5.7% across all doses vs. 4.5% for placebo). The majority of cases of constipation, nausea and upper respiratory tract infection were mild or moderate in severity and did not lead to discontinuation.

The study results were announced in a July 2020 press release and presented at the 2020 Virtual Migraine Trust International Symposium.

About the Phase 2b/3 CGP-MD-01 Study
The pivotal Phase 2b/3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of orally administered atogepant demonstrated that all active treatment arms met the primary endpoint with a statistically significant reduction from baseline in mean monthly migraine days compared with placebo across the 12-week treatment period in those with 4 to 14 migraine days per month. The results were announced in a June 2018 press release and were also presented at the 2019 American Headache Society Annual Meeting.

About the Phase 3 Long-Term Safety Study
The Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, open-label study evaluated the long-term safety and tolerability of 60 mg oral atogepant administered daily over 52 weeks for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults with 4-14 migraine days per month. Further details on the study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting.

About Migraine
Migraine is a complex, chronic disease with recurrent attacks that are often incapacitating and characterized by headache pain as well as neurologic and autonomic symptoms.² It is highly prevalent, affecting more than 1 billion people worldwide, including 39 million people in the U.S. alone,² and is the highest cause of disability worldwide for people under 50 years of age.^5,6 Due to the unpredictability and fluctuation of attack frequency and severity, migraine substantially impacts many aspects of an individual's life both during and between attacks. Daily activities, work, school and personal relationships can be negatively affected, leading to a significant burden on the person with migraine, their family, friends, employers and healthcare systems.

About Atogepant
Atogepant is an investigational orally administered, CGRP receptor antagonist (gepant) specifically developed for the preventive treatment of migraine. CGRP and its receptors are expressed in regions of the nervous system associated with migraine pathophysiology. Studies have shown that CGRP levels are elevated during migraine attacks and selective CGRP receptor antagonists confer clinical benefit in migraine.

About AbbVie Leadership in Migraine
AbbVie, a leader in the migraine space, markets BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA), the first FDA-approved, preventive treatment for adults with chronic migraine and UBRELVY® (ubrogepant), the first FDA-approved oral calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist (gepant), which is indicated for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults.

BOTOX® Indication
BOTOX® is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used:

• To prevent headaches in adults with Chronic Migraine who have 15 or more days each month with headache lasting 4 or more hours each day in people 18 years or older

It is not known whether BOTOX® is safe and effective to prevent headaches in patients with migraine who have 14 or fewer headache days each month (episodic migraine).

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

BOTOX® may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Get medical help right away if you have any of these problems any time (hours to weeks) after injection of BOTOX®:

• Problems swallowing, speaking, or breathing, due to weakening of associated muscles, can be severe and result in loss of life. You are at the highest risk if these problems are pre-existing before injection. Swallowing problems may last for several months
• Spread of toxin effects. The effect of botulinum toxin may affect areas away from the injection site and cause serious symptoms including: loss of strength and all-over muscle weakness, double vision, blurred vision and drooping eyelids, hoarseness or change or loss of voice, trouble saying words clearly, loss of bladder control, trouble breathing, and trouble swallowing

There has not been a confirmed serious case of spread of toxin effect away from the injection site when BOTOX® has been used at the recommended dose to treat chronic migraine.

BOTOX® may cause loss of strength or general muscle weakness, vision problems, or dizziness within hours to weeks of taking BOTOX®. If this happens, do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities.

Do not receive BOTOX® if you: are allergic to any of its ingredients in BOTOX® (see Medication Guide for ingredients); had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such as Myobloc® (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Dysport® (abobotulinumtoxinA), or Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA); have a skin infection at the planned injection site.

The dose of BOTOX® is not the same as, or comparable to, any other botulinum toxin product.

Serious and/or immediate allergic reactions have been reported, including itching, rash, red itchy welts, wheezing, asthma symptoms, or dizziness or feeling faint. Get medical help right away if you experience symptoms; further injection of BOTOX® should be discontinued.

Tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions such as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects including difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing from typical doses of BOTOX®.

Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you: have or have had bleeding problems; have plans to have surgery; had surgery on your face; weakness of forehead muscles; trouble raising your eyebrows; drooping eyelids; any other abnormal facial change; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if BOTOX® can harm your unborn baby); are breastfeeding or plan to (it is not known if BOTOX® passes into breast milk).

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using BOTOX® with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received BOTOX® in the past.

Tell your doctor if you have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last 4 months; have received injections of botulinum toxin such as Myobloc®, Dysport®, or Xeomin® in the past (tell your doctor exactly which product you received); have recently received an antibiotic injection; take muscle relaxants; take allergy or cold medicines; take sleep medicine; take aspirin-like products or blood thinners.

Other side effects of BOTOX® include: dry mouth, discomfort or pain at injection site, tiredness, headache, neck pain, eye problems: double vision, blurred vision, decreased eyesight, drooping eyelids, swelling of your eyelids, dry eyes; drooping eyebrows.

For more information refer to the Medication Guide or talk with your doctor.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.  Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see BOTOX® full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide.

UBRELVY® Indication

UBRELVY (ubrogepant) is indicated for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults. UBRELVY is not indicated for the preventive treatment of migraine.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Contraindication: Concomitant use of strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (eg, ketoconazole, itraconazole, clarithromycin).

Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse reactions were nausea (4%) and somnolence (3%).

Please see UBRELVY full Prescribing Information.

About AbbVie
AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Forward-Looking Statements
Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, failure to realize the expected benefits from AbbVie's acquisition of Allergan plc ("Allergan"), failure to promptly and effectively integrate Allergan's businesses, competition from other products, challenges to intellectual property, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry and the impact of public health outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics, such as COVID-19. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. AbbVie undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

References:

1. AbbVie. (2020, July 29). AbbVie Announces Positive Phase 3 Data for Atogepant in Migraine Prevention. https://news.abbvie.com/news/press-releases/abbvie-announces-positive-phase-3-data-for-atogepant-in-migraine-prevention.htm
2. Migraine Research Foundation. Migraine Facts. https://migraineresearchfoundation.org/about-migraine/migraine-facts/#:~:text=Migraine%20is%20an%20extraordinarily%20prevalent,U.S.%20and%201%20billion%20worldwide.
3. Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society (IHS) The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition. Cephalalgia. 2018;38:1-211.
4. Allergan, an AbbVie Company. (2018, June 11). Allergan's Oral CGRP Receptor Antagonist Atogepant Demonstrates Robust Efficacy and Safety in Episodic Migraine Prevention in a Phase 2b/3 Clinical Trial. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/allergans-oral-cgrp-receptor-antagonist-atogepant-demonstrates-robust-efficacy-and-safety-in-episodic-migraine-prevention-in-a-phase-2b3-clinical-trial-300663770.html 
5. GBD 2016 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet. 2017;390:1211-1259.
6. Steiner TJ, Stovner LJ, Vos T, Jensen R, Katsarava Z. Migraine is first cause of disability in under 50s: Will health politicians now take notice? J Headache Pain. 2018;19:17.

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SOURCE AbbVie