UroGen Pharma Files Patent Infringement Action Against Teva Pharmaceuticals

April 3, 2024
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PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 3, 2024-- UroGen Pharma Ltd. (Nasdaq: URGN), a biotech company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel solutions that treat urothelial and specialty cancers, today announced that it has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against Teva Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Numbers 9,040,074 (“the ’074 patent”) and 9,950,069 (“the ’069 patent”). Both patents are listed in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (“FDA”) Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (commonly known as the Orange Book) for JELMYTO® (mitomycin) for pyelocalyceal solution. JELMYTO® is indicated for the treatment of adults with low-grade, upper tract urothelial cancer (“LG-UTUC”) and utilizes UroGen’s RTGel® reverse-thermal hydrogel, a proprietary sustained-release, hydrogel-based platform technology.

“UroGen pioneered a significant breakthrough and remains at the forefront of transforming urothelial cancer treatment,” said Liz Barrett, President and CEO, UroGen. “UroGen has full confidence in the strength of its patents and plans to vigorously defend our intellectual property rights.”

The lawsuit follows an Abbreviated New Drug Application filed by Teva Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which seeks authorization from the FDA to manufacture, use or sell a generic version of mitomycin for pyelocalyceal solution, 40 mg/vial in the United States before the expiry of the ’074 and ’069 patents.

About JELMYTO

JELMYTO® (mitomycin) for pyelocalyceal solution is a mitomycin-containing reverse thermal gel containing 4 mg mitomycin per mL gel indicated for the treatment of adult patients with LG-UTUC. It is recommended for primary treatment of biopsy-proven LG-UTUC in patients deemed appropriate candidates for renal-sparing therapy. JELMYTO is a viscous liquid when cooled and becomes a semi-solid gel at body temperature. The drug slowly dissolves over four to six hours after instillation and is removed from the urinary tract by normal urine flow and voiding. It is approved for administration in a retrograde manner via ureteral catheter or antegrade through nephrostomy tube. The delivery system allows the initial liquid to coat and conform to the upper urinary tract anatomy. The eventual semisolid gel allows for chemoablative therapy to remain in the collecting system for four to six hours without immediately being diluted or washed away by urine flow.

About Upper Tract Urothelial Cancer (UTUC)

Urothelial cancer is the ninth most common cancer globally and the eighth most lethal neoplasm in men in the U.S. Between five percent and ten percent of primary urothelial cancers originate in the ureter or renal pelvis and are collectively referred to as upper tract urothelial cancers (UTUC). In the U.S., there are approximately 6,000 - 7,000 new or recurrent low-grade UTUC patients annually. Most cases are diagnosed in patients over 70 years old, and these older patients often face comorbidities. There are limited treatment options for UTUC, with the most common being endoscopic surgery or nephroureterectomy (removal of the entire kidney and ureter). These treatments can lead to a high rate of recurrence and relapse.

About UroGen Pharma Ltd.

UroGen is a biotech company dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative solutions that treat urothelial and specialty cancers because patients deserve better options. UroGen has developed RTGel reverse-thermal hydrogel, a proprietary sustained-release, hydrogel-based platform technology that has the potential to improve the therapeutic profiles of existing drugs. UroGen’s sustained release technology is designed to enable longer exposure of the urinary tract tissue to medications, making local therapy a potentially more effective treatment option. Our first product to treat low-grade upper tract urothelial cancer and investigational treatment UGN-102 (mitomycin) for intravesical solution for patients with low-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer are designed to ablate tumors by non-surgical means. UroGen is headquartered in Princeton, NJ with operations in Israel. Visit www.urogen.com to learn more or follow us on X (Twitter), @UroGenPharma.

APPROVED USE FOR JELMYTO

JELMYTO® is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with a type of cancer of the lining of the upper urinary tract including the kidney called low-grade Upper Tract Urothelial Cancer (LG-UTUC).

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

You should not receive JELMYTO if you have a hole or tear (perforation) of your bladder or upper urinary tract.

Before receiving JELMYTO, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:

  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. JELMYTO can harm your unborn baby. You should not become pregnant during treatment with JELMYTO. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant during treatment with JELMYTO. Females who are able to become pregnant: You should use effective birth control (contraception) during treatment with JELMYTO and for 6 months after the last dose. Males being treated with JELMYTO: If you have a female partner who is able to become pregnant, you should use effective birth control (contraception) during treatment with JELMYTO and for 3 months after the last dose.
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if JELMYTO passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment with JELMYTO and for 1 week after the last dose.
  • Tell your healthcare provider if you take water pills (diuretic).

How will I receive JELMYTO?

  • Your healthcare provider will tell you to take a medicine called sodium bicarbonate before each JELMYTO treatment.
  • You will receive your JELMYTO dose from your healthcare provider 1 time a week for 6 weeks. It is important that you receive all 6 doses of JELMYTO according to your healthcare provider’s instructions. If you miss any appointments, call your healthcare provider as soon as possible to reschedule your appointment. Your healthcare provider may recommend up to an additional 11 monthly doses.
  • JELMYTO is given to your kidney through a tube called a catheter.
  • During treatment with JELMYTO, your healthcare provider may tell you to take additional medicines or change how you take your current medicines.

After receiving JELMYTO:

  • JELMYTO may cause your urine color to change to a violet to blue color. Avoid contact between your skin and urine for at least 6 hours.
  • To urinate, males and females should sit on a toilet and flush the toilet several times after you use it. After going to the bathroom, wash your hands, your inner thighs, and genital area well with soap and water.
  • Clothing that comes in contact with urine should be washed right away and washed separately from other clothing.

JELMYTO may cause serious side effects, including:

  • Swelling and narrowing of the tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder (ureteric obstruction). If you develop swelling and narrowing, and to protect your kidney from damage, your healthcare provider may recommend the placement of a small plastic tube (stent) in the ureter to help the kidney drain. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you develop side pain or fever during treatment with JELMYTO.
  • Bone marrow problems. JELMYTO can affect your bone marrow and can cause a decrease in your white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet counts. Your healthcare provider will do blood tests prior to each treatment to check your blood cell counts during treatment with JELMYTO. Your healthcare provider may need to temporarily or permanently stop JELMYTO if you develop bone marrow problems during treatment with JELMYTO.
  • The most common side effects of JELMYTO include: urinary tract infection, blood in your urine, side pain, nausea, trouble with urination, kidney problems, vomiting, tiredness, stomach (abdomen) pain.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1‑800‑FDA‑1088. You may also report side effects to UroGen Pharma at 1-855-987-6436.

Please see JELMYTO Full Prescribing Information, including the Patient Information, for additional information.

Forward-Looking Statements

This statement contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements regarding: the potential for UroGen to transform urothelial cancer treatments; the strength of UroGen’s patents and UroGen’s plans to vigorously defend its intellectual property rights; the patient population for UTUC; the potential of UroGen’s proprietary RTGel technology to improve therapeutic profiles of existing drugs; and UroGen’s sustained release technology making local delivery potentially more effective as compared to other treatment options. Words and phrases such as “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “expected,” “if,” “indicate,” “look forward to,” “potential,” “will,” or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, but not limited to: uncertainties related to whether UroGen’s patent-infringement lawsuit against Teva will be successful; the ability obtain and maintain adequate intellectual property rights and adequately protect and enforce such rights; the costs and outcome of legal proceedings to enforce such intellectual property rights, including the lawsuit against Teva; competition in UroGen’s industry, including the potential approval and introduction of generic or branded products that compete with UroGen’s product or product candidates; the ability to maintain regulatory approval; complications associated with commercialization activities; the scope, progress and expansion of developing and commercializing UroGen’s product candidates; the timing and success of clinical trials and potential safety and other complications thereof; the size and growth of the market(s) for UroGen’s product and product candidates and the rate and degree of market acceptance thereof vis-à-vis alternative therapies; UroGen’s RTGel technology may not perform as expected; UroGen may not successfully develop and receive regulatory approval of any other product that incorporates RTGel technology; UroGen’s ability to attract or retain key management, members of the board of directors and personnel; and UroGen’s financial condition and need for additional capital in the future. In light of these risks and uncertainties, and other risks and uncertainties that are described in the Risk Factors section of UroGen’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on March 14, 2024 (which are available at http://www.sec.gov), the events and circumstances discussed in such forward-looking statements may not occur, and UroGen’s actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied thereby. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on information available to UroGen as of the date of this release.

INVESTOR CONTACT:
Vincent Perrone
Senior Director, Investor Relations
vincent.perrone@urogen.com
609-460-3588 ext. 1093

MEDIA CONTACT:
Cindy Romano
Director, Corporate Communications
cindy.romano@urogen.com
609-460-3583 ext. 1083

Source: UroGen Pharma Ltd.