Company: ZVRA
Filing Date: 2025-08-12
Form Type: 10-Q
Source: 0001628280-25-039967
Chunk: 148

Company: ZEVRA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-08-12
Form: 10-Q
Item: Part I, Item 8
Chunk 148
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-wake state stability. Typical symptom onset occurs in adolescence or young adulthood, but it can take up to a decade to be properly diagnosed. Although there are several approved medications for narcolepsy, we believe a treatment option based on serdexmethylphenidate (“SDX”), our proprietary prodrug of d-methylphenidate (“d-MPH”), which has previously been classified as a Schedule IV controlled substance, may be beneficial.

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There is currently only one approved product for the treatment of IH, XYWAV, developed by Jazz Pharmaceuticals. A second product, WAKIX, developed by Harmony Biosciences (“Harmony”), was originally approved for the treatment of EDS or cataplexy in adult patients with narcolepsy, but in October 2023, Harmony announced that the difference in outcome for EDS when comparing WAKIX and placebo in its Phase 3 trial with IH patients did not reach statistical significance. Prescribers also utilize narcolepsy medications and various stimulant products “off-label” to treat IH symptoms, with methylphenidate, a stimulant which has been classified by the DEA as a Schedule II controlled substance, being one of the most commonly used stimulants for treating IH. While each of these medications can help to address certain IH symptoms, there are also potential shortcomings, including dosing inconvenience, serious adverse events, such as elevated blood pressure and heart rate, and significant drug-to-drug interactions (“DDIs”), including with medications used to manage contraception and depression. In addition, patients have indicated that the effectiveness of their current medication was poor.

We reported final data for the Phase 1 proof-of-concept study of SDX in the first quarter of 2022. Increased wakefulness, alertness, hypervigilance, and insomnia effects were reported by study participants, which we believe suggests that SDX produced targeted pharmacodynamic effects that have the potential to benefit patients with IH and other sleep disorders. In November 2022, we announced that the FDA has granted the orphan drug designation to SDX for the treatment of IH.

KP1077 utilizes SDX, our prodrug of d-MPH, as its active pharmaceutical ingredient. During the first quarter of 2022, we initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial comparing the cardiovascular safety of SDX to immediate-release and long-acting formulations of RITALIN, a commonly prescribed central nervous system (“CNS”) stimulant. In September 2022, we announced topline data from our exploratory