Otonomy, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance of the company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the clinical trial of OTO-104 in patients with Meniere's disease, a debilitating disorder of the inner ear affecting balance and hearing.
The FDA clearance enables Otonomy to move forward with the first clinical trial of a sustained release drug delivered by direct otic injection. Using an approach called intratympanic (IT) injection, otolaryngologists deposit the drug into the middle ear via a small perforation in the tympanic membrane (eardrum). IT drug delivery results in increased drug exposure to the inner ear where the organs for balance and hearing are located, and minimizes systemic exposure that can cause side effects.
"This marks an important milestone for the company and completes our rapid transition to a clinical-stage organization after less than eighteen months from the start of OTO-104 development," said Jay Lichter, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Otonomy. "Furthermore, this advancement demonstrates the utility of our novel, patent-protected formulation approach and enables us to move other development programs toward clinical trials."
The study is a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, Phase 1b study of OTO-104 given as a single IT injection in subjects with unilateral Meniere's disease. While the primary endpoint of the study is safety and tolerability, a number of efficacy endpoints will be monitored, including the frequency of vertigo attacks experienced by patients pre- and post-treatment.