Adial Pharmaceuticals to pursue FDA approval for AD04

Adial Pharmaceuticals provided an update on its regulatory strategy for AD04, the company’s lead compound for the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder, or AUD. The company said, "Adial’s lead compound, AD04, is a genetically targeted therapeutic agent for the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and was recently investigated in a Phase 3 clinical trial for the potential treatment of AUD in subjects with certain target genotypes, which were identified using the Company’s companion diagnostic genetic test. ONWARD results showed that AD04 achieved a statistically significant reduction of heavy drinking days in a subgroup of patients – the "heavy drinkers." The "heavy drinker" population, defined as patients who drank fewer than 10 drinks per drinking day prior to enrollment, accounted for approximately two-thirds of the trial population. Based on the ONWARD trial results, and after discussions with its regulatory advisors and key opinion leaders (KOLs), Adial believes there is a clear, cost-effective path toward FDA approval that it plans to aggressively pursue. This decision was based on a detailed analysis of both the prior Phase 2 clinical trial and the recently completed ONWARD Phase 3 clinical trial. These results were reviewed with regulatory and statistical experts to confirm their validity. Additionally, after these results were analyzed and confirmed, Adial engaged commercial experts to confirm the value of this data as tested through market research with physicians and payers. This detailed analysis of the Phase 2 and Phase 3 data identified two specific genotypes that Adial believes can meet the FDA’s prespecified, confirmed and recommended primary endpoint, which is to measure the proportion of patients who attain and sustain zero heavy drinking days in a pre-specified efficacy observation period, which was months five and six of the six-month study period in ONWARD. The prevalence of patients with these genotypes, which performed best during the trials, is estimated to exist in about 20% of the AUD population. Based on the information collected and analyses to date, Adial has submitted a Type C meeting request to the FDA and was granted a meeting, which will be held in Q2 of 2023. The Type C meeting is expected to provide Adial with confirmation of a clear clinical development plan. As previously anticipated, it is possible an additional Phase 3 trial will be required. Adial currently intends to engage a U.S. partner to assist with funding the required clinical trial and, assuming a successful outcome with FDA, to advance commercialization efforts. Adial is exploring partnerships with companies that have an established commercial presence and existing relationships with psychiatrists and addiction specialists. With an experienced partner, Adial believes it can rapidly penetrate the U.S. market given the expectation of AD04 being widely accessible, reasonably priced, and reimbursable. Furthermore, Adial is progressing discussions with five European country-level regulatory authorities: France, Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Meeting dates with Sweden and Germany are scheduled for March and April of 2023, respectively, and the schedule for the remaining countries are pending confirmation. The expected outcome from these meetings would be to gain a clear understanding from these regulatory authorities regarding the most expeditious path to approval in Europe. This would include whether any additional trials would be required. Additionally, Adial is in ongoing discussions with potential commercial partners in Europe, which it believes have the capability to accelerate AD04’s path to market and maximize impact in Europe."