Complete Response Letter for neffy(epinephrine nasal spray) to treat allergic reactions and anaphylaxis
ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to empowering at-risk patients and caregivers to better protect patients from severe allergic reactions that could lead to anaphylaxis, announced that the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter (CRL) regarding its New Drug Application (NDA) for neffy (epinephrine nasal spray) in the treatment of Allergic Reactions (Type I), including anaphylaxis for adults and children greater than 30 kg. ARS Pharma plans to submit a Formal Dispute Resolution Request (FDRR) to appeal the issuance of this CRL.
In the letter, the FDA requested completion of a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic study assessing repeat doses of neffy compared to repeat doses of an epinephrine injection product under allergen-induced allergic rhinitis conditions to support approval. This request comes after the recommendation of the FDA Advisory Committee (PADAC) in May 2023 to approve neffy without the need for additional studies to demonstrate its efficacy or safety. Further, FDA and ARS Pharma previously aligned in August 2023 on final physician’s labeling and a post-marketing requirement to conduct this study as informative for labeling.
The PADAC meeting was held on May 11, 2023, and concluded a favorable benefit-risk profile of neffy, with a 16:6 vote in favor for adults and 17:5 vote in favor for children ( greater than 30 kg) for the treatment of patients with allergic reactions (Type I), including anaphylaxis. In that session, no member of the Committee raised specific concerns about the result of the completed study in people with allergen-induced acute rhinitis with single-dose neffy, which showed enhanced absorption during the time period when a clinical response would be expected.