Awakn Life Sciences Signs Drug Development Agreement with Catalent for Zydis® Technology (An Orally Disintegrating Tablet) to Conduct Feasibility Studies to Improve Differentiation of its MDMA Program
TORONTO, CANADA, Sept, 12 2022 – Awakn Life Sciences Corp. (NEO: AWKN) (OTCQB: AWKNF) (FSE: 954) (‘Awakn’), a revenue-generating biotechnology company researching, developing, and commercializing therapeutics to treat addiction with a near-term focus on Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), today announces it has signed a drug development agreement with Catalent, the global leader in enabling biopharma, cell, gene, and consumer health partners to optimize development, launch, and supply of better patient treatments across multiple modalities.
The agreement will focus on investigating a market-ready proprietary formulation and optimized delivery route for MDMA using Catalent’s proprietary Zydis® orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) technology. Zydis is a unique, freeze-dried, oral solid dosage form that disperses almost instantly in the mouth, without the need for water and has a dispersion speed of as little as three seconds. Zydis is the world’s fastest and best-in-class orally disintegrating tablet and has the potential to deliver a faster onset of activity. Awakn plans to use Zydis technology in its late stage MDMA-assisted therapy clinical trials.
The agreement will allow Awakn to conduct feasibility studies using Zydis technology for addiction, including substance and behavioural addictions, as well as other mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and eating disorders.
The outcome of Awakn’s Phase IIa clinical trial, which examined MDMA-assisted therapy as a treatment for AUD, was very positive. The trial results, which were published in The Journal of Psychopharmacology in February 2021, demonstrated the potential for MDMA-assisted therapy to be used as an effective treatment for AUD.
It is estimated that over 400 million people globally suffer with AUD and only 16% of those suffering seek out treatment. Unfortunately, even for those that do pursue treatment, relapse rates remain consistently high with 75% resuming dangerous levels of alcohol consumption within 12 months of treatment. A new more effective treatment for AUD is desperately needed, particularly given the increase of alcohol dependence following the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Anthony Tennyson, Awakn CEO commented “We are very excited to be working with Catalent, who are a world leader in the drug delivery field. This agreement further strengthens the IP moat for our MDMA program. Having the right partner to help facilitate our upcoming Phase IIb clinical trial is key, but it also provides a defined pathway towards regulatory approval, which is the goal of the program. With such a large cohort of people globally suffering with AUD and a current standard of care that lacks long-term efficacy, a new more effective treatment has never been more needed.”
Catalent has a proven track record of working with partners to develop, launch and supply new therapies that are differentiated from traditional and generic dose forms, and that are difficult to emulate,” commented Tom Hawkeswood, President, Division Head of Pharma Product Delivery, Catalent.“Because it dissolves almost instantly in the mouth, Zydis technology provides multiple potential benefits including initial acceptance, adherence, convenience, and advantages for products where a rapid onset of action is possible.”
NOTES FOR EDITORS
About Awakn Life Sciences Corp.
Awakn Life Sciences Corp. is a revenue-generating biotechnology company researching, developing, and commercialising therapeutics to treat substance and behavioral addictions. Awakn has a near-term focus on Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), a condition affecting 400m people globally for which the current standard of care is inadequate. Our goal is to provide effective therapeutics to addiction sufferers in desperate need and our strategy is focused on commercializing our R&D pipeline across multiple channels.
www.AwaknLifeSciences.com | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | www.AwaknClinics.com
ABOUT CATALENT
Catalent is the global leader in enabling pharma, biotech, and consumer health partners to optimize product development, launch, and full life-cycle supply for patients around the world. With broad and deep scale and expertise in development sciences, delivery technologies, and multi-modality manufacturing, Catalent is a preferred industry partner for personalized medicines, consumer health brand extensions, and blockbuster drugs.
Catalent helps accelerate over 1,000 partner programs and launch over 150 new products every year. Its flexible manufacturing platforms at over 50 global sites supply around 80 billion doses of nearly 8,000 products annually. Catalent’s expert workforce of approximately 19,000 includes more than 3,000 scientists and technicians.
Headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, the company generated nearly $5 billion in revenue in its 2022 fiscal year. For more information, www.catalent.com.
More products. Better treatments. Reliably supplied.™
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Investor Enquiries:
Anthony Tennyson, CEO, Awakn Life Sciences
anthony.tennyson@awaknlifesciences.com
Media Enquiries:
America and Canada:
KCSA Strategic Communications
Anne Donohoe
Adonohoe@KCSA.com
Rest of World:
Gordo Whittaker, CMO, Awakn Life Sciences
gordo@awaknlifesciences.com