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Somaxon Pharmaceuticals Announces Issuance of Patent Relating to Pharmacokinetics (Food Effect) of Silenor

^{Published on 2011-03-29 13:10:45 - Market Wire}
 

SAN DIEGO--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOMX), a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. patent no. 7,915,307, entitled aMethods of Improving the Pharmacokinetics of Doxepin.a This patent generally relates to dosing Silenor® (doxepin) at least three hours after a meal to promote faster onset of action and reduce the potential for next-day residual sedation. This patent will expire no earlier than July 2027, and Somaxon has submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the required information to list the patent in the Orange Book.

"Our most important corporate objective is to maximize sales of Silenor, and the issuance of this new patent relating to the Silenor food effect is an important catalyst in that effort because it expands the scope and duration of Silenora™s patent exclusivity"

aOur most important corporate objective is to maximize sales of Silenor, and the issuance of this new patent relating to the Silenor food effect is an important catalyst in that effort because it expands the scope and duration of Silenora™s patent exclusivity,a said Richard W. Pascoe, Somaxona™s President and Chief Executive Officer. aBased on Silenora™s differentiated clinical efficacy and safety profile, its non-scheduled status and the reaction to the product to date from physicians and patients, we see significant growth potential for Silenor. We will continue to direct our Silenor commercial efforts at those activities which we believe can deliver meaningful results in 2011 and beyond.a

About Silenor

Silenor is a low-dose (3 mg, 6 mg) oral tablet formulation of doxepin, and is the first and only non-scheduled prescription sleep medication approved to treat insomnia characterized by difficulty with sleep maintenance. Sleep maintenance is defined as waking frequently during the night and/or waking too early and being unable to return to sleep.

Important Safety Information

A doctor should be consulted if insomnia worsens or is not better within 7 to 10 days. This may mean that there is another condition causing the sleep problem.

Patients should be sure that they are able to devote 7 to 8 hours to sleep before being active again. Silenor should be taken within 30 minutes of bedtime. Patients should not take Silenor with alcohol or with other medicines that can cause drowsiness. Silenor should not be taken with or within two weeks after taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). Patients should not take Silenor if they have untreated narrow angle glaucoma, if they have severe urinary retention, if they have severe sleep apnea or if they are allergic to any of the ingredients in Silenor. Until patients know how they will react to Silenor, they should not drive or operate machinery at night after taking Silenor, and they should be careful in performing such activities during the day following taking Silenor. Before taking Silenor, patients should tell their doctors if they have a history of depression, mental illness or suicidal thoughts. Patients should call their doctors right away if after taking Silenor they walk, drive, eat or engage in other activities while asleep. Drowsiness was the most common adverse event observed in clinical trials.

For more information, please see the complete Prescribing Information, including the Medication Guide, at [ www.silenor.com ] or [ www.somaxon.com ].

About Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the in-licensing, development and commercialization of proprietary branded pharmaceutical products and late-stage product candidates to treat important medical conditions where there is an unmet medical need and/or high-level of patient dissatisfaction, currently in the central nervous system therapeutic area. Somaxona™s product Silenor, now available by prescription in the United States, is indicated for the treatment of insomnia characterized by difficulty with sleep maintenance.

For more information, please visit the companya™s web site at [ www.somaxon.com ].

Safe Harbor Statement

Somaxon cautions readers that statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements.For example, statements regarding the listing of U.S. patent no. 7,915,307 in the Orange Book, the expected scope provided by and the expiration of such patent and the potential for growth of commercial sales of Silenor in the future are forward-looking statements.The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Somaxon that any of its plans will be achieved.Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in Somaxona™s business, including, without limitation, the scope, validity and duration of patent protection and other intellectual property rights for Silenor; whether the approved label for Silenor is sufficiently consistent with such patent protection to provide exclusivity for Silenor; Somaxona™s ability to successfully commercialize Silenor; Somaxona™s reliance on its co-promotion partner, Procter & Gamble, and its contract sales force provider, Publicis, for critical aspects of the commercial sales process for Silenor; the performance of Procter & Gamble and Publicis and their adherence to the terms of their contracts with Somaxon; the ability of Somaxona™s sales management personnel to effectively manage the sales representatives employed by Publicis; the ability of Somaxon to ensure adequate and continued supply of Silenor to successfully meet anticipated market demand; Somaxona™s ability to successfully enforce its intellectual property rights and defend its patents, including any developments relating to the recent submission of abbreviated new drug applications for generic versions of Silenor 3 mg and 6 mg and related patent litigation; the possible introduction of generic competition for Silenor; Somaxona™s ability to raise sufficient capital to fund its operations, and the impact of any such financing activity on the level of its stock price; the impact of any inability to raise sufficient capital to fund ongoing operations, including any patent infringement litigation; Somaxona™s ability to operate its business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others; the market potential for insomnia treatments, and Somaxona™s ability to compete within that market; inadequate therapeutic efficacy or unexpected adverse side effects relating to Silenor that could adversely impact commercial success, or that could result in recalls or product liability claims; other difficulties or delays in development, testing, manufacturing and marketing of Silenor; the timing and results of post-approval regulatory requirements for Silenor, and the FDAa™s agreement with Somaxona™s interpretation of such results; and other risks detailed in Somaxona™s prior press releases as well as in its periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and Somaxon undertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.