UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 1, 2019
Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 001-33221 | 94-2875566 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | ||
| 4242 Campus Point Court, Suite 200, San Diego, CA | 92121 | |||
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) | |||
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (858) 251-4400
N/A
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| ☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 8.01 Other Events.
On May 1, 2019, Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing that it had received a Complete Response Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on April 30, 2019 for the Company’s New Drug Application for the investigational agent HTX-011, a long-acting, extended-release formulation of the local anesthetic bupivacaine in a fixed-dose combination with the anti-inflammatory meloxicam for the management of postoperative pain (the “Press Release”). A copy of the Press Release is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit |
Description | |
| 99.1 | Press Release, dated May 1, 2019 | |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| Heron Therapeutics, Inc. | ||||
| Date: May 1, 2019 | /s/ David Szekeres | |||
| David Szekeres Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Business Development and Corporate Secretary | ||||
Exhibit 99.1
HERON THERAPEUTICS RECEIVES COMPLETE RESPONSE LETTER FOR HTX-011 FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF POSTOPERATIVE PAIN
- Complete Response Letter Requests Additional Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls
(CMC) and Non-Clinical Information -
- No Clinical Safety or Efficacy Issues Identified, and No Requirement for Further Clinical Data -
- Conference Call and Webcast Today at 8:30 a.m. ET -
SAN DIEGO, Calif.--(PR NEWSWIRE)—May 1, 2019-- Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: HRTX), a commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on improving the lives of patients by developing best-in-class treatments to address some of the most important unmet patient needs, today announced that it received a Complete Response Letter (CRL) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 30, 2019 regarding its New Drug Application (NDA) for HTX-011 for the management of postoperative pain.
The CRL stated that the FDA is unable to approve the NDA in its present form based on the need for additional CMC and non-clinical information. Based on the complete review of the NDA, the FDA did not identify any clinical safety or efficacy issues, and there is no requirement for further clinical studies or data analyses.
“We plan to request a meeting with the FDA to obtain its agreement on our approach to resolve the issues outlined in the CRL and resubmit the NDA as soon as possible,” said Barry Quart, Pharm.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Heron Therapeutics.
Conference Call and Webcast
Heron Therapeutics will host a conference call and webcast today, May 1, 2019, at 8:30 a.m. ET (5:30 a.m. PT). The conference call can be accessed by dialing 877-311-5906 for domestic callers and 281-241-6150 for international callers. Please provide the operator with the passcode 9591606 to join the conference call. The conference call will be available via webcast under the Investor Relations section of Heron’s website at www.herontx.com. An archive of today’s teleconference and webcast will be available on Heron’s website for 60 days following the call.
About HTX-011 for Postoperative Pain
HTX-011, which utilizes Heron’s proprietary Biochronomer® drug delivery technology, is an investigational, long-acting, extended-release formulation of the local anesthetic bupivacaine in a fixed-dose combination with the anti-inflammatory meloxicam for the management of postoperative pain. By delivering sustained levels of both a potent anesthetic and a local anti-inflammatory agent directly to the site of tissue injury, HTX-011 was designed to deliver superior pain relief while reducing the need for systemically administered pain medications such as opioids, which carry the risk of harmful side effects, abuse and addiction. HTX-011 has been shown to reduce pain significantly better than placebo or bupivacaine solution in five diverse surgical models: hernia repair, abdominoplasty, bunionectomy, total knee arthroplasty and breast augmentation. HTX-011 was granted Fast Track designation from the FDA in the fourth quarter of 2017 and Breakthrough Therapy designation in the second quarter of 2018.
Heron submitted an NDA to the FDA for HTX-011 in October of 2018 and received Priority Review designation in December of 2018. A CRL was received from the FDA regarding the NDA for HTX-011 on April 30, 2019. An MAA for HTX-011 was validated by the EMA in March 2019 for review under the Centralised Procedure.
About Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
Heron Therapeutics, Inc. is a commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on improving the lives of patients by developing best-in-class treatments to address some of the most important unmet patient needs. Heron is developing novel, patient-focused solutions that apply its innovative science and technologies to already-approved pharmacological agents for patients suffering from pain or cancer. For more information, visit www.herontx.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Heron cautions readers that forward-looking statements are based on management’s expectations and assumptions as of the date of this news release and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to, those associated with: whether the FDA approves the HTX-011 NDA; the timing of the commercial launch of HTX-011; the timing of the CHMP’s review process for HTX-011; whether the EMA authorizes the MAA for HTX-011; and other risks and uncertainties identified in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements reflect our analysis only on their stated date, and Heron takes no obligation to update or revise these statements except as may be required by law.
Investor Relations Contact:
David Szekeres
Senior VP, General Counsel, Business Development and Corporate Secretary
Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
dszekeres@herontx.com
858-251-4447
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