On February 28, 2024 Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: IKT) ("Inhibikase" or "Company"), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing protein kinase inhibitor therapeutics to modify the course of Parkinson’s disease, Parkinson’s-related disorders and other diseases of the Abelson Tyrosine Kinases, reported preliminary outcomes of the Company’s discussion with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the path to approval of IkT-001Pro in blood and stomach cancers, the Company’s prodrug of the anticancer agent imatinib mesylate (Press release, Inhibikase Therapeutics, FEB 28, 2024, View Source [SID1234640585]).
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"With the full meeting minutes from the FDA Review Team in hand, we are confident in our approach as we develop the NDA for IkT-001Pro," said Dr. Milton Werner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Inhibikase. "Of note, we may not need to complete a formal risk analysis of the possibility of medication errors following discussion of alternative dosage forms with the FDA, but we will have to provide justification for the selected dosage forms to be proposed in the NDA. Further, we are not restricted from use in children nor restricted to just blood cancer-related approved indications. This opens-up the opportunity to seek all 11 approved indications for IkT-001Pro that were previously approved for imatinib mesylate. We are pleased with the discussions we’ve had so far with the FDA and look forward to the work ahead of us needed for the NDA submission."
On February 12, 2024, the FDA Review Team from the Division of Hematologic Malignancies issued final meeting minutes from the pre-NDA video conference that took place January 19, 2024. In the minutes, the FDA noted that it may not be necessary to conduct a formal use-related risk analysis of medication errors due to the Company proposing dosage forms that would not overlap with those of imatinib mesylate. In the NDA package, the Company will have to justify why its alternate dosage forms could overcome the risk of dosing errors by physicians and patients. Following the discussion with the Review Team about possible differences in the way IkT-001Pro and imatinib mesylate are absorbed in the gut, the FDA agreed with the Company’s assertion that a pre-clinical analysis of gut absorption should be performed to determine whether a food effect clinical study is warranted, since the Company’s clinical measures were all performed using an FDA-approved meal prior to taking IkT-001Pro or imatinib mesylate. While the Company will have to supply data and/or rationale for use of IkT-001Pro in any indication for which imatinib mesylate is approved, use in children will need to be accompanied by a statutory planning document related to dose adjustments and use in children of different ages and/or weights. This planning document is required for any product in which use in children is proposed. All other elements of the pre-NDA meeting remain unchanged from those reported on February 7, 2024.
The Company continues to explore additional indications for which imatinib delivered by IkT-001Pro could be useful and has an upcoming meeting with the FDA to discuss cardiopulmonary applications of IkT-001Pro in April, 2024.
About IkT-001Pro
IkT-001Pro is a prodrug formulation of imatinib mesylate and has been developed to improve the safety of the first FDA-approved Abelson (Abl) kinase inhibitor, imatinib (marketed as Gleevec). Imatinib is commonly taken for hematological and gastrointestinal cancers that arise from Abl kinase mutations found in the bone marrow or for gastrointestinal cancers that arise from c-Kit and/or PDGFRa/b mutations in the stomach; c-Kit, PDGFRa/b and Abl are all members of the Abelson Tyrosine Kinase protein family. IkT-001Pro has the potential to be a safer alternative for patients and may improve the number of patients that reach and sustain major and/or complete cytogenetic responses in Stable-Phase Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia ("Stable-Phase CML") and/or reduce the relapse rate for these patients. In preclinical studies, IkT-001Pro was shown to be as much as 3.4 times safer than imatinib in primates, reducing burdensome gastrointestinal side effects that occur following oral administration. Imatinib delivered as IkT-001Pro was granted Orphan Drug Designation for Stable-Phase CML in September, 2018.