In continuation of my update on treprostinil
Liquidia Corporation announced that, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted tentative approval for Yutrepia™ (treprostinil) inhalation powder, previously referred to as LIQ861. Yutrepia is indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to improve exercise ability in adult patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Class II-III symptoms. Tentative approval indicates that Yutrepia has met all regulatory standards for quality, safety and efficacy required for approval in the United States.
Dr. Tushar Shah, Chief Medical Officer of Liquidia, said: “We would like to take the opportunity to thank the patients and investigators who participated in the clinical development of Yutrepia. The tentative approval for Yutrepia is another step toward providing an important option for patients with PAH in the U.S. We believe Yutrepia can improve the limitations of current nebulized therapies by allowing the administration of an expanded dose range of inhaled treprostinil using a proven, convenient, palm-sized device.”
The addressable market for inhaled treprostinil is significant and expected to grow. In 2020, United Therapeutics reported that its nebulized formulation of treprostinil indicated for PAH achieved sales of more than $480 million. The attributes of Yutrepia including ease-of-use, convenience, direct lung delivery, and higher dosage range may not only make Yutrepia a preference to nebulized therapy, but also an alternative to oral treatments, and possibly a treatment option to delay the use of parenteral therapies in PAH. There may also be future expansion opportunities for inhaled treprostinil into additional indications.
Damian deGoa, Chief Executive Officer of Liquidia added: “This is a significant milestone for Liquidia. We are really proud of our team. Not only does the tentative approval establish the safety and efficacy of Yutrepia for PAH patients but, in the process, we have validated our proprietary PRINT® technology to engineer discrete drug particles with uniform composition, size, and shape. There is more work to be done. We will now focus our efforts on pre-commercial launch activities and the growing market opportunity for Yutrepia in PAH and potential new indications.”
Due to a regulatory stay pursuant to the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act (Hatch-Waxman Act), Yutrepia cannot yet be marketed in the United States. In June 2020, United Therapeutics filed a lawsuit against Liquidia for alleged infringement of three patents related to Tyvaso®. As a result, the FDA cannot give final approval of Yutrepia until the expiration of the regulatory stay on October 27, 2022, or earlier resolution or settlement of the ongoing litigation.
About Yutrepia™(treprostinil) inhalation powder
Yutrepia is an investigational, inhaled dry powder formulation of treprostinil delivered through a proven, convenient, palm-sized device. On November 5, 2021, the FDA issued a tentative approval for Yutrepia, which is indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to improve exercise ability in adult patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Class II-III symptoms. Yutrepia was designed using Liquidia’s PRINT® technology, which enables the development of drug particles that are precise and uniform in size, shape, and composition, and that are engineered for optimal deposition in the lung following oral inhalation. Liquidia has completed INSPIRE, or Investigation of the Safety and Pharmacology of Dry Powder Inhalation of Treprostinil, an open-label, multi-center phase 3 clinical study of Yutrepia in patients diagnosed with PAH who are naïve to inhaled treprostinil or who are transitioning from Tyvaso (nebulized treprostinil). Yutrepia was previously referred to as LIQ861 in investigational studies.
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