Melt Pharmaceuticals Announces Dosing of Last Patient in Pivotal Phase 3 Study of Its Lead Product Candidate, MELT-300, for Needle- and Opioid-Free Sedation in Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery
October 10 2024 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
Topline Readout Expected in Q4 2024
FDA Agrees to a MELT-300 Phase 3 Special
Protocol Assessment
Melt Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Melt”), a clinical-stage
pharmaceutical company developing novel approaches for procedural
sedation, today announced the dosing of the last patient in its
pivotal Phase 3 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of its
lead product candidate, MELT‑300, a non-IV, non-opioid tablet for
procedural sedation during cataract surgery.
MELT-300 combines fixed doses of midazolam (3mg) and ketamine
(50mg) in one tablet that is administered sublingually using
Catalent’s proprietary Zydis® delivery technology to dissolve and
absorb the active ingredients across the sublingual mucosa rapidly.
The MELT-300 Phase 3 clinical trial is a randomized, double-blind,
three-arm study comparing, at a 4:1:1 ratio, MELT-300, sublingual
midazolam, and sublingual placebo, respectively, for procedural
sedation. The study was conducted at 13 clinical sites and enrolled
over 525 patients. The topline readout from this study is expected
before the end of 2024.
Additionally, Melt today announced that it had reached an
agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) on a
Special Protocol Assessment (“SPA”) for the MELT-300 Phase 3 study.
FDA agreed the study would “adequately address the objectives
necessary to support a regulatory submission.” The SPA agreement
establishes a binding agreement on key elements to support a future
marketing application. Further, based on its review of results from
a recently completed cardiac safety study evaluating the potential
risk for a serious drug-induced irregular heart rhythm, the FDA
agreed that MELT-300 did not alter normal heart rhythm. A final
decision regarding marketing approval will be based on the FDA’s
review of the full MELT-300 submission package.
Melt previously announced its MELT-300 Phase 2 clinical trial
results in patients undergoing cataract surgery, which compared
MELT-300 against (i) sublingual placebo alone, (ii) sublingual
midazolam, and (iii) sublingual ketamine in over 300 patients.
MELT-300 was statistically superior for procedural sedation
compared to all individual comparator arms: (i) sublingual placebo
(P<0.0001), (ii) sublingual midazolam (P=0.0129), and (iii)
sublingual ketamine (P=0.0096).
In commenting on the announcement, Dr. Larry Dillaha, Chief
Executive Officer of Melt, said, “Completing the enrollment in our
Phase 3 study and receiving the FDA’s agreement on our SPA are key
milestones in the development of MELT-300 as we pursue our mission
to provide needle- and opioid-free procedural sedation. We are
extremely grateful to the investigators and patients who
participated in this pivotal study and are excited to learn and
share the findings of the Phase 3 study in the coming weeks.”
Dr. Dillaha added, “To our knowledge, this is the first
constructive attempt to advance the standard of care of procedural
sedation for cataract surgery patients, affecting the more than 5
million patients estimated to undergo this procedure annually in
the U.S. in the coming years. Additionally, we believe success in
the MELT-300 Phase 3 study should fuel further development and
label expansion, with the potential of allowing MELT-300 to be
utilized for procedural sedation in over 100 million annual
procedures in areas such as dermatology, plastics, dental,
gastrointestinal, and emergency rooms.”
About Melt Pharmaceuticals
Melt Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical
company focused on developing proprietary non-IV, non-opioid,
sedation, and analgesia therapeutics for human medical procedures
in the hospital, outpatient, and in-office settings. Melt intends
to seek regulatory approval through the FDA’s 505(b)(2) regulatory
pathway for its proprietary, patented small-molecule product
candidates, where possible. Melt’s core intellectual property is
the subject of multiple granted patents in North America, Europe,
Asia, and the Middle East. Melt Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a former
subsidiary of Harrow, Inc. (Nasdaq: HROW) and was carved out as a
separately managed business in 2019. To learn more about Melt,
please visit their website, www.meltpharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which
are all statements other than those statements of historical facts.
No representation or warranty is made as to such statements, all of
which involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Actual results
could vary materially.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241010858192/en/
Investor Contact: Larry Dillaha, M.D. Chief Executive
Officer ldillaha@meltpharma.com
Media Contact: Deb Holliday Holliday Communications, Inc.
deb@hollidaycommunications.net 412-877-4519
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