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"We decided to enter into this agreement with Keystone as we believe they have a strong fundamental understanding our business,
and are an ideal strategic partner to support any financial needs that may arise," said William Stilley, CEO of Adial Pharmaceuticals.
"We have no immediate plans to raise capital, with over $7 million of cash on hand as of September 30, 2020;
however, this transaction provides additional flexibility and capability to take advantage of strategic opportunities and future growth initiatives when they may arise."
"We are pleased to enter into this relationship with Adial," said Fred Zaino, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Keystone.
"After evaluating Adial, its clinical pipeline, and its management team, and after thorough due diligence, we believe Adial represents a promising investment opportunity.
Formation of this partnership memorializes our intention to build a long-term relationship with Adial, committing
capital as necessary as the Company builds its business in the growing space of addiction that is currently woefully underserved."
September 1, 2020 • 9:00am EDT
https://ir.adialpharma.com/stock-datahttps://ir.adialpharma.com/company-information
| Shs Outstand | 11.29M |
| Shs Float | 10.55M |
| Short Float | 2.96% |
| Insider Own | 6.20% |
| Book/sh | 0.78 |
| Debt/Eq NO DEBT | 0.00 |
| 52W Range | 1.00 - 3.17 |
| % Held by Insiders | 49.12% |
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1513525/000121390017012521/fs12017a3_adialpharma.htm
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of a therapeutic agent for the treatment of alcohol use
(“AUD”) using our lead investigational new drug product, AD04, a selective serotonin-3 antagonist (i.e., a “5-HT3 antagonist”).
The active ingredient in AD04 is ondansetron, which is also the active ingredient in Zofran®, an approved drug for treating nausea and emesis.
AUD is characterized by an urge to consume alcohol and an inability to control the levels of consumption. We intend to commence
a Phase 3 clinical trial using AD04 for the potential treatment of AUD in subjects with certain target genotypes.
We believe our approach is unique in that it targets the serotonin system and individualizes the treatment of AUD, through the use of genetic screening.
We have created an investigational companion diagnostic biomarker test for the genetic screening of patients with certain biomarkers that, as
reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry (Johnson, et. al. 2011 & 2013), we believe will benefit from treatment with AD04. Our strategy is to integrate
the pre-treatment genetic screening into AD04’s label to create a patient-specific treatment in one integrated therapeutic offering.
Our goal is to develop a genetically targeted, effective and safe product candidate to treat AUD that does not require abstinence as part of the treatment.
We have a worldwide, exclusive license from the University of Virginia Patent Foundation (d.b.a the Licensing & Venture Group) (“UVA LVG”),
which is the licensing arm of the University of Virginia, to commercialize our investigational drug candidate, AD04, subject to Food and Drug Administration
(“FDA”) approval of the product, based upon three separate patents and patent application families, with patents issued in over 40 jurisdictions,
including three issued patents in the U.S. Our investigational agent has been used in several investigator-sponsored trials and we possess or have rights to use toxicology,
pharmacokinetic and other preclinical and clinical data that supports our Phase 3 clinical trial.
Our therapeutic agent was the product candidate used in a University of Virginia investigator sponsored Phase 2b clinical trial of 283 patients. I
in this Phase 2b clinical trial, ultra-low dose ondansetron, the active pharmaceutical agent in AD04, showed a statistically significant difference
between ondansetron and placebo for both the primary endpoint and secondary endpoint, which were reduction in severity of drinking measured in drinks per drinking day
{1.71 drinks/drinking day; p=0.0042), and reduction in frequency of drinking measured in days of abstinence/no drinking (11.56%; p=0.0352), respectively.
Additionally, and importantly, the Phase 2b results showed a significant decrease in the percentage of heavy drinking days (11.08%; p=0.0445)
with a “heavy drinking day” defined as a day with four (4) or more alcoholic drinks for women or five (5) or more alcoholic drinks for men consumed in the same day.
The active pharmaceutical agent in AD04, our lead investigational new drug product, is ondansetron (the active ingredient in Zofran®),
which was granted FDA approval in 1991 for nausea and vomiting post-operatively and after chemotherapy or radiation treatment and is now commercially
available in generic form. In studies of Zofran® conducted as part of its FDA review process, ondansetron was given acutely at dosages up to almost 100 times the dosage
expected to be formulated in AD04 with the highest doses of Zofran®given intravenously (“i.v.”), which results in almost twice the exposure level as oral dosing.
Even at high doses given i.v. the studies found that ondansetron is well-tolerated and results in few adverse side effects at the currently marketed doses,
which reach more than 70 times the AD04 dose and are given i.v. The formulation dosage of ondansetron used in our drug candidate
(and expected to be used by us in our Phase 3 clinical trials) has the potential advantage that it contains a much lower concentration of ondansetron than the
generic formulation/dosage that has been used in prior clinical trials, is dosed orally, and is available with use of a companion diagnostic biomarker.
Our development plan for AD04 is designed to demonstrate both the efficacy of AD04 in the genetically targeted population and the safety of ondansetron when administered chronically at the AD04 dosage.
However, to the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive clinical study has been performed to date that has evaluated the safety profile of ondansetron for long-term use as anticipated at any dosage.
According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (the “NIAAA”) and the Journal of the American Medical Association (“JAMA”), in the United States alone,
approximately 35 million people each year have AUD (such number is based upon the 2012 data provided in Grant et. al. the JAMA 2015 and has been adjusted to reflect
a compound annual growth rate of 1.13%, which is the growth rate reported by U.S. Census Bureau for the general adult population from 2012-2017), resulting in significant health,
social and financial costs with excessive alcohol use being the fourth leading cause of preventable death and is responsible for 31% of driving fatalities in the
United States (NIAAA Alcohol Facts & Statistics). AUD contributes to over 200 different diseases and 10% of children live with a person that has an alcohol problem.
The Centers for Disease Control (the “CDC”) has reported that AUD costs the U.S. economy about $250 billion annually,
with heavy drinking accounting for greater than 75% of the social and health related costs. Despite this, according to the article in the JAMA 2015 publication,
only 7.7% of patients (i.e., approximately 2.7 million people) with AUD are estimated to have been treated in any way and only 3.6% by a physician (i.e., approximately 1.3 million people).
In addition, according to the NIAAA, the problem in the United States appears to be growing with almost a 50% increase in AUD prevalence between 2002 and 2013.
Our Proposed Solution
Our goal is to develop an effective and safe product to treat AUD that does not require abstinence as part of the treatment and does not have the negative side effects of the current drugs on the market.
Our product candidate is designed for patients who desire to control their drinking but cannot or do not want to completely abstain from drinking.
By removing the difficulties associated with abstinence and the side effects associated with the other current products on the market, we believe that we may be able
to remove barriers to patient adoption that inhibit adoption of current therapies and can attract a greater portion of the many millions of patients with AUD that remain untreated.
Unlike other therapies, our investigational product, AD04, uses a novel mode of action for treating AUD that involves genetic screening with a companion diagnostic genetic test
prior to treatment and is designed to reduce cravings for alcohol to effectively curb alcohol intake, without the requirement of abstinence prior to or during treatment.
Our product candidate is intended to be easy to use since it is administered orally, currently on a twice daily basis and with a once-a-day tablet planned as part of the product’s life cycle management. T
o date, clinical testing of AD04 has shown it to have a positive safety and tolerability profile with side effects similar to placebo.
The companion diagnostic genetic test to be used to identify patients that are most likely to benefit from treatment with AD04 may potentially enhance the likelihood of a successful outcome for those undergoing treatment.
Additionally, it may provide doctors with the opportunity to have a non-threatening conversation about alcohol with their patients
and may provide the patient an acceptable path to help them determine if they might be a candidate for help with their alcohol use.
If the test results are positive, they would have a science based rationale for their treatment, which reduces some of the stigma patients might otherwise endure,
and allows them to be treated in the confidence of their doctor, potentially with a simple, oral tablet.
Large Market Opportunity for an Effective Solution
As stated above, in the United States alone, it is estimated that approximately 35 million people have AUD in 2017.
Based on data from the Phase 2b trial of AD04 and our analysis of publicly available genetic databases, we preliminarily estimate that about one in three patients with AUD in the U.S.
will have the genetic markers to indicate possible treatment with AD04.
At this time, we are not aware of any oral pharmaceutical treatment approved in the U.S. that addresses the needs of patients who desire
to control their drinking but cannot or do not want to abstain from drinking. The current abstinence-based treatments have limitations.
The limited side effects expected for our investigational new drug, based on clinical data so far, are also believed to be an important factor in the expected market acceptance of AD04.
Our approach, if approved by FDA, may allow for social drinking to continue and is aimed at reducing dangerous, heavy drinking. This would allow patients to live the life they want
without the stigma associated with complete abstention and currently endured by those seeking help for their excessive drinking.
Assuming that one-third of AUD patients are genotype positive for treatment with AD04 and a $235 price for a one month supply of the drug (assumed pricing based on
an average of prices published by Blue Cross Blue Shield in June 2017 for tier-3 oral, on-patent, chronic maintenance drugs, discounted by 16.6%, to reflect the average
difference between retail and wholesale pricing for branded drugs as reported by drugs.com), and that all such patients are treated with AD04,
the total potential market for AD04 would be approximately $36 billion in the United States alone.
Beyond the United States, alcohol consumption worldwide is a serious health issue.
The 2014 Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health published by the World Health Organization (the “WHO”) states that 5.9% of all deaths (about 3.3 million per year)
and 5.1% of disease worldwide are attributable to alcohol consumption.
Europe consumes over 25% of the total alcohol consumed worldwide despite only having 14.7% of the world’s population.
The WHO estimates that about 55 million people in Europe have AUD and, within Europe, Eastern Europe has a particularly acute problem with Russia estimated to have about 21 million people with AUD.
The WHO further estimates that 17.4% of adult Russians and 31% of adult Russian males have AUD,\
and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data indicates that 30% of all deaths in Russia are alcohol related as reported by Quartz Media.
Our Strategy
We develop pharmaceutical treatments for addictions and addictive disorders. The focus of our business strategy is to advance AD04, our lead investigational drug candidate,
toward regulatory approval for alcohol addiction in the United States, the European Union, and then eventually other territories.
We subsequently plan to develop label expansions into other indications (e.g., drug addiction, obesity, smoking cessation, eating disorders and anxiety).
Our goals in executing this strategy are to keep capital requirements to a minimum, expedite product development,
gain access to clinical research and manufacturing expertise that will advance product development, approval and eventual market uptake of our product,
and rely on a well-defined and carefully executed intellectual property strategy in order to position AD04 with long-term, defensible, competitive advantages.
Execution of this strategy may include seeking grant funding and funding from partners and collaborators when available on terms we believe to be favorable to us.
Our near-term strategy includes:
• Obtaining regulatory approval for our lead product in the United States and Europe. We intend to commence Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of AUD.
The first Phase 3 trial is planned to be conducted in Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe, where the genetic prevalence of the target genotypes appear to be higher.
If our initial Phase 3 clinical trial is successful we expect to conduct a second, and possibly a third,
Phase 3 clinical trial in the same areas but with additional clinical sites in the United States and Western Europe.
• Prosecuting and expanding our intellectual property and product portfolio.
We have acquired rights to a promising drug candidate and made a significant investment in the development of our licensed patent portfolio
to protect our technologies and programs, and we intend to continue to do so.
We have obtained exclusive rights to three different patent families directed to therapeutic methods related to our AD04 platform.
These families include 3 issued U.S. patents, and at least one foreign equivalent patent covering AD04 issued in over 40 jurisdictions, including most of Europe and Eurasia.
Divisional and continuation applications to expand the coverage have also been filed in certain jurisdictions.
We intend that product portfolio expansions will be focused on promising addiction therapies and/or late-stage clinical assets.
• Evaluating the additional use of our product candidate in other indications.
In addition to alcohol addiction, we plan to conduct exploratory work to investigate using AD04 as a potential treatment for opioid addiction,
gambling addiction, smoking cessation, obesity, and other addiction related disorders in which 5-HT3 antagonism may have a treatment effect.
We believe we will be able to undertake this initial exploratory effort with minimal additional cash cost to our company through the use of
academic partnerships, grants, human laboratory studies and/or non-clinical studies.
We believe that, due to its hypothesized mechanism of action (i.e., the modulation of the serotonin system in patients that are genetically targeted based
on the apparent sensitivity to such modulation, where the modulation appears to reduce cravings),
AD04 has the potential to be used for the treatment of such other addictive disorders.
To date, we have not discussed these potential uses with the FDA or any other regulatory bodies.6
• Maximizing commercial opportunity for our technology. Our lead product candidate targets large markets with significant unmet medical need.
We intend to develop an extended release, once-a-day formulation of AD04 to enhance patient compliance and market appeal.
• Managing our business with efficiency and discipline. We believe we have efficiently utilized our capital and human resources to develop
and acquire our product candidate and programs, and create a broad intellectual property portfolio.
We operate cross-functionally and are led by an experienced management team with backgrounds in developing product candidates.
We use project management techniques to assist us in making disciplined strategic program decisions and to attempt to limit the risk profile of our product pipeline.
Companion Genetic Bio-Marker Aimed at Identifying Patients Most Likely to Respond To Treatment, Potentially Results in Increased Use of AD04
We believe our drug is unique in that it is designed to treat individuals with certain genotypes.
We are pursuing a strategy that aims to integrate pre-treatment screening with the companion diagnostic genetic test into the drug label,
essentially combining the test and treatment into one integrated therapeutic offering that has combined intellectual property protections.
This companion diagnostic testing approach may be a useful genetic screening tool to predict those most likely to respond to the drug and to have minimal side effects.
Based on the clinical experience to date and publicly available databases, we believe the genetic prevalence of genotype positive people is
about 33% of the population in the United States and that the prevalence in certain areas of Eastern Europe and in Scandinavia may be greater than 50%.
The FDA has agreed that the Phase 3 trials of AD04 can proceed only enrolling patients that are genotype positive, which greatly reduces, the cost,
time and risk relative to a trial that also enrolled patients that are genotype negative for treatment with AD04.
Our plan to conduct our first Phase 3 trial in geographic areas with expected higher prevalence of genotype positive patients should further reduce the cost,
time and risk to achieve Phase 3 results. The FDA has indicated that any approval based on a trial only in genotype positive patients would result in labeling restricted to treating genotype positive patients.
We believe that the companion diagnostic genetic test enables physicians to more easily have an initial conversation with their patients about alcohol use and,
for the patient, provides a less threatening and obtrusive first step toward treatment because the conversation will include the topic of genetic testing and not be solely about behavior.
Patients that then test positive against the AD04 genetic panel would be expected to be more likely to then receive a prescription for
AD04 (based on an external quantitative market study of 156 primary care physicians and psychiatrists that was conducted by Ipsos-Insight LLC,
who we commissioned,
and that concluded a majority of genetically targeted patients currently receiving pharmacologic treatment would be switched to a drug with the characteristics expected for AD04).
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