CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 14, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHTP) today announced that it has submitted additional information to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to resolve certain technical deficiencies in the Company's resubmitted New Drug Application (NDA) for NORTHERA™ (droxidopa). Pending confirmation by the FDA, the resubmission is expected to be deemed a complete response to the March 28, 2012 Complete Response Letter (CRL) issued by the Agency. A new six month review clock, as specified under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), will be set from the date of receipt.
As previously announced on July 17, 2013, Chelsea received written confirmation from the FDA that the Company's NDA resubmission was deemed to be a complete response to its CRL. The FDA later notified the Company of deficiencies in the NDA that related primarily to the formatting of certain submitted electronic datasets and statistical programs describing the methods used to generate tables and listings. The deficiencies were unrelated to study conduct, interpretability of study results, or validity of study conclusions.
About Northera
NORTHERA™ (droxidopa), the lead investigational agent in Chelsea Therapeutics' pipeline, is currently in Phase III development for the treatment of symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH) in patients with primary autonomic failure — an indication that includes a significant number of patients with Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy (MSA) and pure autonomic failure (PAF). Droxidopa is a synthetic catecholamine that is directly converted to norepinephrine (NE) via decarboxylation, resulting in increased levels of NE in the nervous system, both centrally and peripherally.
Droxidopa, developed by and licensed from Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (DSP), initially received Japanese approval in 1989 for the treatment of frozen gait and dizziness on standing associated with Parkinson's Disease and for the treatment of orthostatic hypotension, syncope or dizziness on standing associated with Shy-Drager syndrome and Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy. In 2000, Droxidopa received expanded marketing approval to include prevention of vertigo, dizziness and weakness associated with orthostatic hypotension in hemodialysis patients.
About Chelsea Therapeutics
Chelsea Therapeutics (Nasdaq:CHTP) is a biopharmaceutical development company that acquires and develops innovative products for the treatment of a variety of human diseases, including central nervous system disorders. Chelsea is currently pursuing FDA approval in the U.S. for Northera™ (droxidopa), a novel, late-stage, orally-active therapeutic agent for the treatment of symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension in patients with primary autonomic failure. For more information about the Company, visit www.chelseatherapeutics.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events including our intention to pursue the development of Northera. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual events or results to differ materially. These include reliance on key personnel and our ability to attract and/or retain key personnel; the risk that FDA will not agree that our clinical trial results demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of droxidopa; the risk that the FDA will not accept our proposal regarding any trial or other data to support a new drug application; the risk that the FDA will not approve the resubmitted NDA; the risk that our resources will not be sufficient to conduct any study of Northera that will be acceptable to the FDA; the risk that we cannot complete any additional study for Northera without the need for additional capital; the risks and costs of drug development and that such development may take longer or be more expensive than anticipated; our need to raise additional operating capital in the future; our reliance on our lead drug candidate droxidopa; risk that we will not be able to obtain regulatory approvals of droxidopa or our other drug candidates for additional indications; risk of volatility in our stock price, related litigation, and analyst coverage of our stock; reliance on collaborations and licenses; intellectual property risks; our history of losses; competition; market acceptance for our products if any are approved for marketing.