Vanda Presents Data From Tasimelteon Phase III Studies In Non-24-Hour Disorder

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Vanda) (NASDAQ: VNDA) presented additional entrainment and patient-level clinical data at SLEEP 2013, the 27th Annual Meeting of Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Baltimore, from its SET (Safety and Efficacy of Tasimelteon) and RESET (Randomized-withdrawal study of the Efficacy and Safety of Tasimelteon to treat Non-24-Hour Disorder) Phase III studies of tasimelteon, a circadian regulator for the treatment of Non-24-Hour Disorder (Non-24) in totally blind individuals.  Non-24 is a serious, rare and chronic circadian rhythm disorder that affects a majority of totally blind individuals who lack light perception and cannot entrain (synchronize) their master body clock to the 24-hour day.  Currently there is no approved FDA treatment for Non-24.

In the SET study, tasimelteon achieved the primary endpoints of entrainment (synchronizing) of the melatonin (aMT6s) rhythm as compared to placebo and clinical response as measured by entrainment plus a score of greater than or equal to 3 on the Non-24 Clinical Response Scale (N24CRS).  Tasimelteon also demonstrated significant improvement versus placebo across a number of sleep and wake parameters including measures of total sleep time, nap duration, and timing of sleep, as well as in the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGI-C), an overall global functioning scale.  In treated patients, daytime naps decreased by 46 minutes per day in the worst 25% of days in a cycle and nighttime sleep increased by 57 minutes per day during the worst 25% of nights in a cycle.

The RESET study demonstrated that continued treatment with 20mg of tasimelteon was required to maintain entrainment of melatonin and cortisol circadian rhythms in individuals with Non-24. Patients treated with tasimelteon maintained their clinical benefits while patients who received placebo showed significant deterioration in measures of nighttime sleep, daytime naps and timing of sleep.  Furthermore, discontinuation of tasimelteon resulted in a rapid relapse of circadian entrainment and a return to misaligned circadian rhythms, reinforcing the importance of chronic therapy. 

Study investigator, Steven W. Lockley, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Sleep Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, commented, "the results clearly demonstrate that tasimelteon can entrain the circadian clock, and that continued treatment is necessary to maintain entrainment."

About Non-24-Hour Disorder
Non-24 is a serious, rare, and chronic circadian rhythm disorder characterized by the inability to entrain (synchronize) the master body clock with the 24-hour day-night cycle. Non-24 affects the majority of totally blind individuals, or between 65,000 and 95,000 people in the U.S.  Non-24 occurs almost entirely in individuals who lack the light sensitivity necessary to entrain the master body clock in the brain with the 24-hour day-night cycle.  Most people have a master body clock that naturally runs longer than 24-hours and light is the primary environmental cue that resets it to 24-hours each day.  Individuals with Non-24 have a master body clock that continually delays, resulting in prolonged periods of misalignment  between their circadian rhythms and the 24-hour day-night cycle, including the timing of melatonin and cortisol secretion and the sleep-wake cycle.  As a result of this misalignment, Non-24 is associated with significant impairments in social and occupational functioning and marked subjective distress.  For more information on Non-24, please visit www.Non-24.com.

About Tasimelteon
Tasimelteon is a circadian regulator in development for the treatment of Non-24.  Tasimelteon is a dual melatonin receptor agonist (DMRA) with selective agonist activity at the MT1 and MT2 receptors.  Tasimelteon's ability to reset the master body clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) results in the entrainment of the body's melatonin and cortisol rhythms with the 24-hour day-night cycle.  The patent claiming tasimelteon as a new chemical entity extends through December 2022, assuming a 5-year extension to be granted under the Hatch-Waxman Act.  Tasimelteon has been granted orphan drug designation for the treatment of Non-24 from both the U.S. and the European Union. 

About Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.:
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of products for the treatment of central nervous system disorders.  For more on Vanda, please visit www.vandapharma.com.  

Company Contact:
Jim Kelly
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.
(202) 734-3428
[email protected]

Media Contact:
Laney Landsman
Assistant Vice President
Makovsky
(212) 508-9643
[email protected]  

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Various statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" under the securities laws. Words such as, but not limited to, "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "project," "target," "goal," "likely," "will," "would," and "could," or the negative of these terms and similar expressions or words, identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations that involve risks, changes in circumstances, assumptions and uncertainties.  Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the company's forward-looking statements include, among others: Vanda's failure to obtain regulatory approval for tasimelteon for the treatment of Non-24-Hour Disorder or to comply with ongoing regulatory requirements; and other factors that are described in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of Vanda's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 which is on file with the SEC and available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.  In addition to the risks described above and in Vanda's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, other unknown or unpredictable factors also could affect Vanda's results.  There can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by Vanda will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Vanda.  Therefore, no assurance can be given that the outcomes stated in such forward-looking statements and estimates will be achieved.

All written and verbal forward-looking statements attributable to Vanda or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to herein.  Vanda cautions investors not to rely too heavily on the forward-looking statements Vanda makes or that are made on its behalf.  The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and Vanda undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines any obligation, to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.