DURECT: Pfizer provides update on investigational drug Remoxy

DURECT Corporation (Nasdaq: DRRX) today announced that Pfizer has provided an update on Remoxy as part of their Form 10-Q filing. Pfizer's disclosure is as follows: "In 2005, King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (King) entered into an agreement with Pain Therapeutics, Inc. (PT) to develop and commercialize Remoxy. In August 2008, the FDA accepted the NDA for Remoxy that had been submitted by King and PT. In December 2008, the FDA issued a "complete response" letter.  In March 2009, King exercised its right under the agreement with PT to assume sole control and responsibility for the development of Remoxy. In December 2010, King resubmitted the NDA for Remoxy with the FDA. In June 2011, we and PT announced that a "complete response" letter was received from the FDA with regard to the resubmission of the NDA. We have been working to address the issues raised in the letter, which primarily relate to manufacturing. We met with the FDA in March 2013 to discuss our plan to address the June 2011 "complete response" letter. We received written guidance from the FDA in May regarding required next steps, including additional clinical studies, to address the letter.  Based on this guidance, we are considering our options with respect to Remoxy.  If we elect to continue development of Remoxy, we would not expect to submit a response to the "complete response" letter before mid-2015." 

We understand from Pfizer that additional clinical studies are necessary and include, in part, a pivotal bioequivalence study with the modified formulation to bridge to the clinical data conducted with the original formulation, as well as an abuse potential study with the modified Remoxy formulation.