Liquidia Corporation (NASDAQ: LQDA) announced today that the Court
of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit) has affirmed
all rulings by the United States District Court for the District of
Delaware (District Court) in litigation filed by United
Therapeutics (UTHR) under the Drug Price Competition and Patent
Term Restoration Act (Hatch-Waxman litigation), which alleged that
Liquidia’s YUTREPIA™ (treprostinil) inhalation powder infringes
U.S. Patent No. 9,593,066 (‘066 Patent) and U.S. Patent No.
10,716,793 (‘793 Patent). The District Court had previously ruled
in August 2022 that five of the six asserted claims of the '066
patent are invalid, that the only valid asserted claim of the ‘066
patent is not infringed by Liquidia, and that Liquidia would induce
infringement of the five asserted claims in the ‘793 patent based
on the arguments presented at the District Court.
Today’s ruling does not affect the decision by the Patent Trial
and Appeal Board (PTAB) in July 2022, which the PTAB re-affirmed in
February 2023, that all claims in the ‘793 patent are unpatentable
as supported by the inter partes review (IPR) filed by Liquidia.
UTHR has appealed the PTAB’s decision to the Federal Circuit and
briefing should be completed in the fourth quarter of 2023. The
Federal Circuit has ordered that oral arguments are to be heard
after briefing is completed on the next available date in the oral
argument calendar, which is expected to be in late fourth quarter
2023 to early 2024. Once argued, the Federal Circuit could rule
within a few days after oral argument, in the case of summary
affirmance, or within a few months after oral argument if a full
written opinion is issued. If the Federal Circuit upholds the PTAB
decision, then Liquidia will seek final regulatory approval for
YUTREPIA.
Dr. Roger Jeffs, Chief Executive Officer of Liquidia, said:
“With today’s decision, only one of the three patents asserted
against Liquidia stands in the way of seeking final approval for
YUTREPIA. We remain confident that this single patent will no
longer be at issue upon conclusion of the on-going appeal of the
‘793 IPR decision, which invalidated all claims in the patent. We
will continue to prepare for the potential launch of YUTREPIA to
treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and will work with
regulatory authorities to add the indication to treat pulmonary
hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease
(PH-ILD).“
About YUTREPIA™(treprostinil) inhalation
powder
YUTREPIA is an investigational, inhaled dry powder formulation
of treprostinil delivered through a convenient, low-resistance,
palm-sized device. On November 5, 2021, the FDA issued a tentative
approval for YUTREPIA, which is indicated for the treatment of
pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to improve exercise ability
in adult patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional
Class II-III symptoms. The FDA has confirmed that YUTREPIA may add
the indication to treat pulmonary hypertension with interstitial
lung disease (PH-ILD) without additional clinical studies. YUTREPIA
was designed using Liquidia’s PRINT® technology, which enables the
development of drug particles that are precise and uniform in size,
shape, and composition, and that are engineered for enhanced
deposition in the lung following oral inhalation. Liquidia has
completed INSPIRE, or Investigation of the Safety and Pharmacology
of Dry Powder Inhalation of Treprostinil, an open-label,
multi-center phase 3 clinical study of YUTREPIA in patients
diagnosed with PAH who are naïve to inhaled treprostinil or who are
transitioning from Tyvaso® (nebulized treprostinil). YUTREPIA was
previously referred to as LIQ861 in investigational studies.
About pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare, chronic,
progressive disease caused by hardening and narrowing of the
pulmonary arteries that can lead to right heart failure and
eventually death. Currently, an estimated 45,000 patients are
diagnosed and treated in the United States. There is currently no
cure for PAH, so the goals of existing treatments are to alleviate
symptoms, maintain or improve functional class, delay disease
progression, and improve quality of life.
About pulmonary hypertension associated with
interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD)
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with interstitial lung
disease (ILD) includes a diverse collection of up to 150 different
pulmonary diseases, including interstitial pulmonary fibrosis,
chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, connective tissue disease
related ILD, and sarcoidosis among others. Any level of PH in ILD
patients is associated with poor 3-year survival between 30 to 35%.
A current estimate of PH-ILD prevalence in the United States is
greater than 60,000 patients, though population growth in many of
these underlying ILD diseases is not yet known due to factors
including underdiagnosis and lack of approved treatments until
March 2021, when inhaled treprostinil was first approved for this
indication.
About Liquidia Corporation
Liquidia Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on
the development and commercialization of products in pulmonary
hypertension and other applications of its PRINT® Technology. The
company operates through its two wholly owned subsidiaries,
Liquidia Technologies, Inc. and Liquidia PAH, LLC. Liquidia
Technologies has developed YUTREPIA™ (treprostinil) inhalation
powder for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)
and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung
disease (PH-ILD). Liquidia Technologies is also developing L606, an
investigational liposomal formulation of treprostinil administered
twice-daily with a short-duration next-generation nebulizer, for
use in North America. Liquidia PAH provides the commercialization
for pharmaceutical products to treat pulmonary disease, such as
generic Treprostinil Injection. For more information, please visit
www.liquidia.com.
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking
StatementsThis press release may include forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release
other than statements of historical facts, including statements
regarding our future results of operations and financial position,
our strategic and financial initiatives, our business strategy and
plans and our objectives for future operations, are forward-looking
statements. Such forward-looking statements, including statements
regarding clinical trials, clinical studies and other clinical work
(including the funding therefor, anticipated patient enrollment,
safety data, study data, trial outcomes, timing or associated
costs), regulatory applications and related submission contents and
timelines, including the potential for final FDA approval of the
NDA for YUTREPIA, the timeline or outcome related to appeals
arising from our patent litigation in the U.S. District Court for
the District of Delaware or inter partes review proceedings
conducted at the PTAB, the issuance of patents by the USPTO and our
ability to execute on our strategic or financial initiatives,
involve significant risks and uncertainties and actual results
could differ materially from those expressed or implied herein. The
favorable decisions of the PTAB in the IPR for the ’793 patent and
of the Court and CAFC in the Hatch-Waxman litigation are not
determinative of the outcome of any appeal of those decisions. The
words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,”
“expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,”
“project,” “should,” “target,” “would,” and similar expressions are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based
these forward-looking statements largely on our current
expectations and projections about future events and financial
trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results
of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business
operations and objectives and financial needs. These
forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks
discussed in our filings with the SEC, including the impact of the
coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on our Company and our financial
condition and results of operations, as well as a number of
uncertainties and assumptions. Moreover, we operate in a very
competitive and rapidly changing environment and our industry has
inherent risks. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not
possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess
the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which
any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and
assumptions, the future events discussed in this press release may
not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely
from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking
statements. Nothing in this press release should be regarded as a
representation by any person that these goals will be achieved, and
we undertake no duty to update our goals or to update or alter any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
Contact InformationMedia &
Investors:Jason AdairChief Business
Officer919.328.4400jason.adair@liquidia.com
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