Tonix Pharmaceuticals Enters into Agreement to Acquire Two FDA-Approved, Marketed Migraine Products from Upsher-Smith Laboratories, LLC
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: TNXP) (Tonix Pharmaceuticals or Tonix) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Tonix Medicines, Inc. (Tonix Medicines), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that they have entered into an agreement to acquire two currently-marketed products from Upsher-Smith Laboratories, LLC (Upsher-Smith): Zembrace® SymTouch® (sumatriptan injection) 3 mg and Tosymra® (sumatriptan nasal spray) 10 mg. Zembrace SymTouch and Tosymra are both indicated for the treatment of acute migraine with or without aura in adults. Zembrace SymTouch is the only branded sumatriptan autoinjector professionally promoted in the United States and is designed for ease of use and favorable tolerability with a low 3 mg dose.1,3 Tosymra is a novel intranasal sumatriptan product formulated with a permeation enhancer that provides rapid and efficient absorption of sumatriptan.4,5 Collectively, these products generated product sales of approximately $23 million for the full year 2022.6 Zembrace SymTouch and Tosymra each may provide onset of migraine pain relief in as few as 10 minutes for some patients and currently have patent protection to 2036 and 2031, respectively.1,4
“Approximately 16% of Americans suffer from migraines, which represents about 40 million patients in the U.S.7,” said Seth Lederman, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. “Sumatriptan remains the acute migraine ‘gold standard’ treatment for many patients and continues to represent the largest segment of the market in terms of unit sales.8 With migraine pain relief possible in as few as ten minutes for some patients and convenient administration, we believe both Zembrace SymTouch and Tosymra are well-suited to address the unmet needs of patients using traditional or emerging oral acute migraine medications, particularly for rapid-onset treatment.”
“Despite increasing options for prevention and treatment of migraine, migraine headaches and breakthrough migraine headaches remain significant unmet needs, and can lead to emergency room visits," said Gregory Sullivan, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. “For adults needing acute treatment of migraine, Zembrace SymTouch and Tosymra have the potential to be first-line treatments or ‘rescue’ medications for breakthrough migraines, due to their fast onset of action and high pain-relief rates. For certain patients who present to ERs, Zembrace SymTouch and Tosymra also provide ER staff a straightforward acute treatment option. Additionally, because both of these products bypass the gastrointestinal tract, they have the potential to provide a treatment option for migraines complicated by severe nausea and vomiting.”
“These two products are a strategic fit for our company, and we look forward to working with Upsher-Smith to ensure a smooth product transition. To that end, this transaction includes established manufacturing and supplier relationships that allow for a seamless transition of manufacturing and supply chain responsibilities. The franchise today is supported by managed care contracts covering approximately 200 million lives. During the transition, we expect to secure our own contracts,” said James Hunter, Executive Vice President of Commercial Operations at Tonix Pharmaceuticals and President of Tonix Medicines.
Dr. Lederman concluded, “In addition to the potential growth that these two on-market products represent over time, the acquisition helps build Tonix’s commercial capabilities ahead of the potential launch of our TNX-102 SL product candidate for the treatment of fibromyalgia. In addition, these products align strongly with our TNX-1900 (intranasal potentiated oxytocin) product candidate, in clinical development for the prevention of chronic migraine. This is an important step in the evolution of Tonix into a fully integrated pharmaceutical company.”
Zembrace SymTouch (sumatriptan injection) 3 mg is the only actively promoted brand of sumatriptan autoinjector in the United States (other sumatriptan autoinjector products on the market are Imitrex® and generics to Imitrex®). It has a unique low dose and has demonstrated onset of migraine pain relief in as few as 10 minutes (17% of patients vs. 5% for placebo).9 Zembrace SymTouch also demonstrated migraine pain freedom for 46% of patients (vs 27% for placebo) at 2 hours in a single-attack, double-blind study (N=230).2 Zembrace SymTouch currently has patent protection to 2036. Tosymra (sumatriptan nasal spray) 10 mg employs Intravail® permeation enhancer technology and is pharmacokinetically equivalent to 4 mg subcutaneous sumatriptan.3,4 Tosymra delivers migraine pain relief in as little as 10 minutes with just one spray for some patients (13% vs. 5% for placebo).4,9,10 Tosymra currently has patent protection to 2031.
About Migraine
Nearly 40 million people in the United States suffer from migraine6 and it has been recognized as the second leading cause of disability in the world.11 Migraine is characterized by debilitating attacks lasting four to 72 hours with multiple symptoms, including pulsating headaches of moderate to severe pain intensity often associated with nausea or vomiting, and/or sensitivity to sound (phonophobia) and sensitivity to light (photophobia).12
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “expect,” and “intend,” among others. These forward-looking statements are based on Tonix's current expectations and actual results could differ materially. There are a number of factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, risks related to the failure to obtain FDA clearances or approvals and noncompliance with FDA regulations; delays and uncertainties caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic; risks related to the timing and progress of clinical development of our product candidates; our need for additional financing; uncertainties of patent protection and litigation; uncertainties of government or third party payor reimbursement; limited research and development efforts and dependence upon third parties; and substantial competition. As with any pharmaceutical under development, there are significant risks in the development, regulatory approval and commercialization of new products. Tonix does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. Investors should read the risk factors set forth in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 13, 2023, and periodic reports filed with the SEC on or after the date thereof. All of Tonix's forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by all such risk factors and other cautionary statements. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date thereof.
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Tonix Pharmaceuticals
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