Currax™ Pharmaceuticals LLC Announces First Acquisition: Acquires North American Rights to ONZETRA® Xsail®
Currax’s first acquisition comes fewer than five months after the company’s founding in April of 2019
The acquisition of ONZETRA® Xsail® bolsters Currax’s Branded products portfolio
September 25, 2019
Morristown, NJ – Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC, a specialty biopharmaceutical company with both Branded and generic business units, announced today a deal whereby Currax obtained patent rights to ONZETRA® Xsail® (sumatriptan nasal powder) in North America from OptiNose AS, a subsidiary of OptiNose, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPTN).
ONZETRA® Xsail® provides a 22mg dose, dry powder formulation of sumatriptan, administered via a breath powered exhalation delivery system and is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the acute treatment of migraine in adults with or without aura.
“Despite the recent advances in migraine therapy, many patients still suffer debilitating migraine pain and are dissatisfied with their current treatments,” said Stewart Tepper, MD professor of Neurology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. “The Xsail® Breath Powered delivery device allows the medication to be deposited deep into the nose, an area that is rich with blood vessels. By delivering sumatriptan here, ONZETRA® Xsail® provides targeted and efficient delivery with the potential for fast relief.”
“We are pleased to announce our first acquisition so early in the lifecycle of our company,” said George Hampton, chief executive officer at Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC. “This acquisition is in line with both our focus to create greater patient access to life changing medicines and our business growth strategy to acquire underappreciated and clinically differentiated medicines.”
ONZETRA® Xsail® was approved by FDA on January 28, 2016.
About Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC
Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC is a specialty pharmaceutical business focused on acquiring and commercializing prescription drugs within the US market. Currax distributes a range of both Branded and generic pharmaceutical products, including Silenor®, Treximet®, Zohydro® ER with BeadTek®, the authorized generic of Treximet®, and now ONZETRA® Xsail®.
About ONZETRA® Xsail®
ONZETRA® Xsail® is a prescription medication approved for the acute treatment of migraine, with or without aura in adults. ONZETRA® Xsail® is used for people who have been told by a healthcare provider that they have migraine headaches. ONZETRA® Xsail® is not for the prevention of migraines or for other types of headaches, including cluster headache.
Important Safety Information
ONZETRA® Xsail® may cause serious side effects, including:
- Heart attack and other heart problems, which may lead to death. Stop using ONZETRA® Xsail® and get emergency medical help right away if you have any symptoms of a heart attack like shortness of breath or tightness, pain, pressure, or heaviness in your chest, throat, neck, or jaw that is severe or does not go away
- Changes in color or sensation in your fingers and toes (Raynaud’s Syndrome)
- Stomach and intestinal problems (gastrointestinal and colonic ischemic events)
- Problems with blood circulation to your legs and feet (peripheral vascular ischemia)
- Serious allergic reactions (symptoms include hives; tongue, mouth, lip, or throat swelling; problems breathing)
- Medication overuse headaches. Some people who use ONZETRA® Xsail® too many times may have worse headaches. If your headaches get worse your doctor may decide to stop your treatment with ONZETRA® Xsail®
- Serotonin syndrome, a rare but serious problem that can happen in people using ONZETRA® Xsail®, especially if ONZETRA® Xsail® is used with antidepressant medicines called SSRIs, SNRIs, or TCAs. Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms of serotonin syndrome: mental changes such as seeing things that are not there (hallucinations), agitation, or coma; fast heartbeat; changes in blood pressure; high body temperature; tight muscles; trouble walking; or nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Seizures. Seizures have happened in people taking sumatriptan who have never had seizures before