Announcement of National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant Award through the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative
Slough, U.K. and Richmond, VA, 27 September, 2019 - Indivior PLC (LON: INDV) announces that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has granted Indivior's application entitled "Clinical Evaluation of C4X3256, a Non-Opioid, Highly-Selective Orexin-1 Receptor Antagonist for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder" pursuant to Funding Opportunity Announcement RFA-DA-19-002 dedicated to the development of medications to prevent and treat opioid use disorder and overdose.
Indivior's award is one of 375 grant awards across 41 states made by the NIH in fiscal year 2019 to apply scientific solutions to reverse the national opioid crisis. The National Institutes of Health launched the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative, in April 2018 to improve prevention and treatment strategies for opioid misuse and addiction and enhance pain management.
"It's clear that a multi-pronged scientific approach is needed to reduce the risks of opioids, accelerate development of effective non-opioid therapies for pain and provide more flexible and effective options for treating addiction to opioids," said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., who launched the initiative in early 2018. "This unprecedented investment in the NIH HEAL Initiative demonstrates the commitment to reversing this devastating crisis."
"Despite the availability of medications to treat opioid use disorder, there is a need for improved treatment modalities that involve new mechanisms of action" said Christian Heidbreder, Ph.D., Indivior's Chief Scientific Officer. "C4X3256 is a novel non-opioid, highly-selective orexin-1 receptor (OX1R) antagonist, suitable for development for the treatment of opioid use disorder. With this award, we will advance C4X3256 from preclinical status through Phase 1 clinical evaluation and perform the necessary toxicology and drug metabolism studies to enable Phase 2 studies."
In March 2018, Indivior entered into a license agreement with C4X Discovery Holdings PLC (C4X) whereby Indivior obtained exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize C4X3256.
About Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)
Opioid use disorder (OUD), sometimes referred to as opioid addiction, is a chronic disease.1 According to DSM-5, "OUD is characterized by signs and symptoms that reflect compulsive, prolonged self-administration of opioid substances that are used for no legitimate medical purpose or, if another medical condition is present that requires opioid treatment, they are used in doses greatly in excess of the amount needed for that medical condition."2
In 2018, an estimated 10.3 million people aged 12 or older misused opioids in the past year, including 9.9 million prescription pain reliever misusers and 808,000 heroin users. Approximately 506,000 people misused prescription pain relievers and used heroin in the past year.3
About Indivior
Indivior is a global specialty pharmaceutical company with a 20-year legacy of leadership in patient advocacy and health policy while providing education on evidence-based treatment models that have revolutionized modern addiction treatment. Our vision is for all patients around the world to have access to evidence-based treatment for the chronic conditions and co-occurring disorders of addiction. The name is the fusion of the words individual and endeavor, and the tagline "Focus on you" makes the Company's commitment clear. Indivior is dedicated to transforming addiction from a global human crisis to a recognized and treated chronic disease. Building on its global portfolio of opioid dependence treatments, Indivior has a strong pipeline of product candidates designed to both expand on its heritage in this category and address other chronic conditions and co-occurring disorders of addiction, including alcohol use disorder and schizophrenia. Headquartered in the United States in Richmond, VA, Indivior employs more than 800 individuals globally and its portfolio of products is available in over 40 countries worldwide. Visit www.indivior.com to learn more. Connect with Indivior on LinkedIn by visiting www.linkedin.com/company/indivior.
Forward-Looking Statements
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Media Contacts
US
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UK
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Investor Contact
Jason Thompson, Indivior
Vice President, Investor Relations
+1 804-379-1033
Jason.Thompson@indivior.com
References
1.SUBLOCADE™ [Prescribing Information]. Indivior Inc., North Chesterfield, VA. March 2018.
2. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
3 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2019). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP19-5068, NSDUH Series H-54). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/