FDA approves Olpruva to treat certain patients living with urea cycle disorders

“The FDA’s approval of Olpruva, an innovative formulation of sodium phenylbutyrate packaged for the first time in single-dose envelopes, marks the culmination of our ongoing dedication to develop new and differentiated treatment options for those affected by rare diseases,” said Chris Schelling, chief executive officer and founder of Acer. “Patients who are living with UCDs now have an alternative treatment option with Olpruva to address some of the challenges they may have with existing therapy. We are pleased to be able to provide a new, approved treatment choice for those living with this challenging disease.”

Olpruva’s approval triggers the availability of a $42.5 million term loan to Acer under the previously announced March 2022 loan agreement the Company entered into with affiliates of Marathon Asset Management L.P. If Acer requests and receives the loan proceeds, management believes it will have sufficient resources to fund current operations into H2 2023.

Olupruva as been approved as an oral suspension by the FDA for the treatment of patients with UCDs. UCDs are a group of rare, genetic disorders that can cause harmful ammonia to build up in the blood, potentially resulting in brain damage and neurocognitive impairments, if ammonia levels are not controlled. Any increase in ammonia over time is serious. Therefore, it is important to adhere to any dietary protein restrictions and have alternative medication options to help control ammonia levels.

Olpruva received FDA approval under section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), a regulatory pathway that allows applicants to rely, at least in part, on third party data for approval. In its New Drug Application (NDA), Acer cited preclinical and clinical safety and efficacy data from the reference listed drug (RLD), Buphenyl powder, which is approved as adjunctive therapy in the chronic management of patients with UCDs involving deficiencies of CPS, OTC or AS. In its NDA, Acer also provided additional data including studies that evaluated the bioavailability and bioequivalence of Olpruva compared to Buphenyl powder. The data from these studies, presented at the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders (SIMD) Annual Meeting in April 2022 and the Genetic Metabolic Dieticians International (GMDI) Conference in May 2022, showed that Olpruva was bioequivalent to Buphenyl powder.

Commitment to Patient Access- Acer intends to offer Navigator by Acer Therapeutics, a suite of integrated patient support services designed to facilitate access to therapy. Navigator by Acer Therapeutics is designed to assist UCD patients with support, access, education, and adherence.