TEL-AVIV, Israel and RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RedHill Biopharma Ltd. (Nasdaq: RDHL) (Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange: RDHL) (“RedHill” or the “Company”), a specialty biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary drugs for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Talicia (omeprazole magnesium, amoxicillin and rifabutin) delayed-release capsules 10 mg1/250 mg/12.5 mg for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in adults. RedHill expects to launch Talicia1 in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2020 with its dedicated sales force.

Talicia is the only rifabutin-based therapy approved for the treatment of H. pylori infection and is designed to address the high resistance of H. pylori bacteria to current clarithromycin-based standard-of-care therapies. It is estimated that H. pylori resistance to clarithromycin more than doubled between 2009-20132.

Professor David Y. Graham, MD, MACG, Professor of Medicine, Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston and Lead Investigator of the Talicia Phase 3 studies, said: “Talicia offers patients a much-needed new treatment option for H. pylori with an excellent safety and efficacy profile that is not compromised by clarithromycin or metronidazole resistance. The clinical studies for Talicia demonstrated high efficacy in eradication of H. pylori. Studies with Talicia found zero resistance to rifabutin and showed 17% resistance to clarithromycin, a current standard-of-care macrolide antibiotic, consistent with current data showing that clarithromycin-containing therapies fail in approximately 25-40% of cases.”

Colin W. Howden, MD, AGAF, FACG, Hyman Professor of Medicine & Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, added: “H. pylori is a major cause of peptic ulcer and gastritis. It is also carcinogenic and is the leading cause of gastric cancer. Treatment of H. pylori infection has become increasingly difficult due to growing bacterial resistance and the lack of advances in treatment options over the past decade. Talicia offers a new effective treatment option to overcome bacterial resistance and provide optimal efficacy and I believe it could become a recommended first-line standard-of-care treatment for H. pylori infection.”

“The FDA’s approval of Talicia demonstrates our unwavering dedication to patients suffering from gastrointestinal diseases. We thank the patients, researchers and clinical staff who participated in the studies of Talicia and the RedHill team and vendors for this important milestone achieved by their commitment and hard work,” said Dror Ben-Asher, Chief Executive Officer of RedHill Biopharma. “We are working to expand our sales force to approximately 140 representatives who will promote Talicia, Aemcolo and other gastrointestinal-focused products in our basket.”

RedHill will host an Investor and Analyst day on November 22, 2019 in New York to review launch plans for Aemcolo® and Talicia® and provide an overview of the Company’s commercial operations. A live webcast of the event, including the slide presentation, will be available on the Company's website: https://ir.redhillbio.com/events. Additional information will be made available on the Company’s website.

About Talicia

Talicia (omeprazole magnesium, amoxicillin and rifabutin) delayed-release capsules 10 mg1/250 mg/12.5 mg is a novel, fixed-dose, all-in-one oral capsule combination of two antibiotics (amoxicillin and rifabutin) and a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) (omeprazole), approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of H. pylori infection in adults. To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of Talicia and other antibacterial drugs, Talicia should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria. Talicia is designed to address the increasing resistance of H. pylori bacteria to the antibiotics commonly used in current standard-of-care therapies and the imperative need for new treatments.5 Talicia’s approval is based, in part, on the results of two positive Phase 3 studies in the U.S. for the treatment of H. pylori-positive adult patients complaining of epigastric pain and/or discomfort. The confirmatory Phase 3 study of Talicia demonstrated 84% eradication of H. pylori infection with Talicia vs. 58% in the active comparator arm (p<0.0001). Further, in an analysis of data from this study, it was observed that subjects with measurable blood levels of drug at Day 13 had response rates of 90.3% in the Talicia arm vs. 64.7% in the active comparator arm3. No resistance to rifabutin, a key component of Talicia, was detected in the study. Treatment discontinuation due to an adverse reaction occurred in 1% of patients (4/305) receiving Talicia. The adverse reactions leading to the patients’ discontinuation of Talicia were nausea and vomiting, nausea, nasal congestion, and nasopharyngitis, respectively. Talicia is eligible for a total of eight years of U.S. market exclusivity under its Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) designation, in addition to patent protection extending until at least 2034.

About H. pylori

H. pylori bacterial infection affects over 50% of the population worldwide4 and approximately 35%, or over 100 million people, in the U.S., with an estimated 2.5 million patients treated annually in the U.S.5 H. pylori is classified as a Group I carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. It is the strongest risk factor for the development of gastric cancer6 and a major risk factor for peptic ulcer disease7 and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma8, with infected persons having a 6-fold increased risk of developing non-cardia gastric cancer and MALT lymphoma9. Eradication of H. pylori is becoming increasingly difficult; current standard-of-care therapies fail in approximately 25-40% of patients who remain H. pylori positive due to growing resistance of H. pylori to clarithromycin and metronidazole, antibiotics commonly used in standard combination therapies10. Clarithromycin-resistant H. pylori was formally categorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pathogen for which there is a high priority need to develop new treatments11.

INDICATION AND USAGE
Talicia is a three-drug combination of omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor, amoxicillin, a penicillin-class antibacterial, and rifabutin, a rifamycin antibacterial­­, indicated for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in adults.

To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of Talicia and other antibacterial drugs, Talicia should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION CONTRAINDICATIONS

• Known hypersensitivity to omeprazole, amoxicillin or any other beta-lactam antibacterial drugs, rifabutin or any other rifamycin, or any component of Talicia.
• Rilpivirine-containing products.
• Delavirdine.
• Voriconazole.

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

• Hypersensitivity Reactions: Serious and occasionally fatal reactions (e.g., anaphylaxis) have been reported with components of Talicia. If hypersensitivity reactions occur, discontinue Talicia and institute immediate therapy (e.g., anaphylaxis management).
• Clostridioides difficile-Associated Diarrhea (CDAD): Evaluate if diarrhea occurs.
• Reduction in the Efficacy of Hormonal Contraceptives: Additional non-hormonal highly effective methods of contraception should be used while taking Talicia.
• Acute Interstitial Nephritis (AIN): Observed in patients taking Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) and penicillins. Discontinue Talicia if AIN develops.
• Cutaneous and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Mostly cutaneous; new onset or exacerbation of existing disease; discontinue TALICIA and evaluate.

ADVERSE REACTIONS
Most common adverse reactions (≥1%) were diarrhea, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, chromaturia, rash, dyspepsia, oropharyngeal pain, vomiting, and vulvovaginal candidiasis.

DRUG INTERACTIONS
Components of Talicia have the potential for clinically important drug interactions. See full prescribing information for important drug interactions with Talicia.

USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS

• Talicia may cause fetal harm.
• Renal Impairment: Avoid use in severe renal impairment.
• Hepatic Impairment: Avoid use. 

To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact RedHill Biopharma INC. at 1-833-ADRHILL (1-833-237-4455) or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Please also see full Prescribing Information. (Article from : www.drugs.com)