AMAG Pharmaceuticals Provides Update on FDA’s Proposal Regarding Makena® (Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate Injection)
October 05 2020 - 9:05PM
AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAG) announced today that it
received a notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
that the FDA is proposing to withdraw approval of Makena®
(hydroxyprogesterone caproate injection), a treatment approved to
reduce preterm birth in pregnant women who have had a prior
spontaneous preterm birth. The FDA in its letter also notified AMAG
that the company has the opportunity to request a hearing on the
withdrawal.
AMAG is evaluating its full range of potential
options. The company has 15 days to respond to the FDA indicating
whether AMAG would like to proceed with a hearing. If AMAG does
request a hearing, the FDA Commissioner would decide whether to
grant AMAG’s request and, if granted, would conduct a hearing and
decide whether to withdraw approval following the hearing. This
process can take months and during this time Makena and the
approved generics of Makena will remain on the market, according to
the FDA.
“We disagree with the FDA’s proposal to withdraw
Makena without having the opportunity to meet with them to discuss
the generation of additional effectiveness data while preserving
access for patients to the only FDA approved treatment option for
indicated women,” said AMAG CEO Scott Myers. “We are reviewing our
options, including the opportunity to request an oral hearing, and
will respond to the agency within the allotted time. We continue to
expect the transaction with Covis to close in November 2020.”
At this time, it is important to note that Makena’s
approval and product label remain unchanged. The product continues
to remain available to patients and prescribers. You may learn more
about current medical society guidelines by visiting
the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists and Society for Maternal-Fetal
Medicine.
“I am concerned that withdrawal of Makena, as well
as the generic equivalents, would leave vulnerable women with high
risk pregnancies without access to a safe medication that
physicians have relied upon for years, and has previously been
shown to be highly effective when studied by the NICHD in a U.S.
only population,” Sean Blackwell M.D., Chair of the Department
of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at
the McGovern Medical School – UTHealth at Houston.
“The PROLONG trial did not re-affirm efficacy, in my opinion,
because it did not include enough women at high enough preterm
birth risk. Given the results of the original NICHD trial,
removing the ability for physicians and their patients to make a
shared-decision on the benefits and risks of the only FDA-approved
medication to prevent preterm birth is disappointing.”
AMAG believes the totality of clinical data on
Makena supports its continued positive benefit-risk profile and
remains fully committed to retaining patient access to approved
therapy. Makena and the generic equivalents are the only
FDA-approved treatments available for pregnant women at risk for
recurrent preterm birth.
Preterm birth is the leading cause of infant
morbidity and mortality in the U.S,i and a history of
spontaneous preterm birth is a substantial risk factor for
recurrent preterm birth.ii Women, particularly those of color,
are profoundly impacted by preterm birth, which is associated with
the potential for babies born early to experience lifelong
complications.iii There is also increasing recognition that
health care outcomes, such as preterm birth, are impacted by social
determinants of health.iv
ABOUT AMAGAMAG is a
commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on bringing
innovative products to patients with unmet medical needs. The
company does this by leveraging its development and commercial
expertise to invest in and grow its pharmaceutical products across
a range of therapeutic areas. For additional company information,
please visit www.amagpharma.com.
Forward Looking StatementsThis
press release contains forward-looking information about AMAG
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws.
Any statements contained herein which do not describe historical
facts, including, among others, expectations about the path forward
for Makena and our interactions with the FDA, our plans following
receipt of the Notice, including the possibility of requesting a
hearing and the timeline for the process and that Makena will
remain on the market, beliefs about the impact of withdrawal on the
patient population and data supporting the efficacy of Makena,
including our belief that the totality of clinical data on Makena
supports its continued positive benefit-risk profile, and
expectations for the recently announced tender offer and merger
transaction are based on management’s current expectations and
beliefs and are forward-looking statements which involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those discussed in such forward-looking statements.
Such risks and uncertainties include, among others,
risks and uncertainties related to the path forward for Makena and
our ability to successfully and timely request a hearing and
compile information that might be helpful to the FDA; the
possibility that our request for a hearing could be denied, or that
the FDA will withdraw marketing approval for Makena even following
such a hearing, the pursuit and planning of which could be costly
and distracting to management and those other risks identified in
AMAG’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2019 (as amended), its Current Reports on Form 8-K,
its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, including for the quarters
ended March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020, and in any subsequent
filings with the SEC, which are available at the SEC’s website at
www.sec.gov. Any such risks and uncertainties could materially and
adversely affect AMAG’s results of operations, its profitability
and its cash flows, which would, in turn, have a significant and
adverse impact on AMAG’s stock price. AMAG cautions you not to
place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of the date they are made.
AMAG disclaims any obligation to publicly update or
revise any such statements to reflect any change in expectations or
in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements
may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results
will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking
statements.
AMAG Pharmaceuticals®, the logo and designs, are
registered trademarks of AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Makena® is a registered trademark of AMAG Pharma USA,
Inc.
AMAG CONTACT:Investors &
Media: Rushmie Nofsinger(781) 530-6838
i March of Dimes. Long-term Health Effects of
Premature Birth.
https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/long-term-health-effects-of-premature-birth.aspx.
Accessed October 22, 2019.ii March of Dimes. Preterm Labor and
Premature Birth: Are You at Risk?
https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/preterm-labor-and-premature-birth-are-you-at-risk.aspx.
Accessed October 22, 2019.iii National Center for Chronic
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Reproductive
Health. Preterm Birth.
https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/pretermbirth.htm.
Accessed October 22, 2019.iv Importance of social determinants
of health and cultural awareness in the delivery of reproductive
health care. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 729. American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstet Gynecol 2018;131:e43–8
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