KemPharm Announces FDA Approval of AZSTARYS (serdexmethylphenidate and dexmethylphenidate capsules, for oral use, CII), A New Once-Daily Treatment for ADHD

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CELEBRATION, Fla., March 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KemPharm, Inc. (NASDAQ: KMPH), a specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of proprietary prodrugs, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the New Drug Application for (NDA) AZSTARYS (formerly referred to as KP415), a once-daily product for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in patients age six years and older. AZSTARYS consists of serdexmethylphenidate (SDX), KemPharm’s prodrug of d-methylphenidate (d-MPH), co-formulated with immediate-release d-MPH.  

Corium, Inc. (Corium), a portfolio company of Gurnet Point Capital (GPC), will lead the commercialization of AZSTARYS per the definitive collaboration and license agreement (the “License Agreement”) between KemPharm and an affiliate of GPC. Corium expects to make AZSTARYS commercially available in the U.S. as early as the second half of 2021.

“The FDA approval of the AZSTARYS NDA is a transformational event for KemPharm and, we believe, an important advancement in the treatment of ADHD,” said Travis C. Mickle, Ph.D., President and CEO of KemPharm. “Today’s approval highlights both the value potential of SDX, our prodrug of d-MPH, and the ability of our LAT platform technology to develop new prodrugs of approved medications that improve one or more of the attributes of the parent drug. We look forward to continuing our support of Corium as they forge ahead with the commercial launch of AZSTARYS.”

“Today’s approval by the FDA is met with great excitement for this innovative new ADHD therapy and the potential it holds to meet the unmet needs of children, adolescents and adults,” said Perry Sternberg, CEO of Corium. “Our team is mobilized to put our commercial plans into action as the approval of the AZSTARYS NDA now enables us to finalize our preparations for commercial launch as early as the second half of this year.”

Ann Childress, M.D., President of the Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and an investigator in the AZSTARYS clinical trial, commented: “The ADHD industry, and specifically the MPH space, has seen little innovation in recent years, leaving prescribers and patients desiring new treatment options. In my research and practice, three properties are repeatedly cited by patients and their caregivers as being underserved by current ADHD medications: onset of action, duration of effect and consistency of therapy. Having investigated AZSTARYS and directly observed its clinical impact on patients, I believe this product will be an important new tool for physicians to use in providing effective care for patients with ADHD.”