KemPharm Continues to Expand its Pain Therapy Pipeline with Discovery of KP606, a Novel Prodrug of Oxycodone

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa and LAS VEGAS, Sept. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- KemPharm, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of new, safer therapies to treat pain, today announced the advancement of a new pain therapy program, KP606, a first-in-class oral prodrug of oxycodone.  KP606 adds to the Company's franchise of abuse-deterrent prodrugs, which includes KP201 (hydrocodone) and KP511 (hydromorphone).

KemPharm announced the discovery of KP606 at PAINWeek 2013, the nation's largest pain conference for frontline clinicians with an interest in pain management.  

In preclinical studies, KP606 exhibited superior pharmacological characteristics that suggest an improved safety profile compared to currently marketed oxycodone products, possibly reducing or preventing symptoms of constipation and limiting abuse potential. KP606 also features tamper resistant properties that make it difficult to extract oxycodone from the prodrug, which is not active until cleaved in the body.

Travis C. Mickle, Ph.D., President and CEO of KemPharm, commented, "With the discovery of KP606, KemPharm now has the most complete – and advanced – pipeline of abuse-deterrent opioid prodrugs in development. Oxycodone, along with hydrocodone and hydromorphone, are not only the most prescribed opioid-based pain medications, but are three of the most prescribed drugs in the entire world.  As we continue towards an NDA filing for KP201 in the second quarter of 2014, KemPharm's goal is to re-define the pain management market by developing a franchise of therapeutics that offer unique physicochemical and pharmacological attributes that may deliver additional patient benefits, including reduced potential for abuse and reduction or elimination of opioid-induced constipation."

About KemPharm

KemPharm is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of new chemical entities (NCEs) to treat serious medical conditions through its proprietary and broadly applicable Ligand Activated Therapy (LAT) approach.  The company utilizes its LAT technology to generate improved prodrug versions of FDA approved drugs in the high needs areas of pain, ADHD and other CNS diseases.  KemPharm's lead clinical candidate, KP201, is in development for the treatment of acute, moderate to moderately severe pain with a new drug application (NDA) expected to be filed in the second quarter of 2014. Composed of hydrocodone chemically bound to a ligand, KP201 offers unique physicochemical and pharmacological attributes that may deliver additional patient benefits, including reduced potential for abuse and reduction or elimination of opioid-induced constipation (OIC). KemPharm's pipeline is also highlighted by KP511, its hydromorphone prodrug for pain, KP606, its oxycodone prodrug for pain, and KP415, a prodrug of methylphenidate for the treatment of ADHD.  For more information on KemPharm, please visit the company's website at www.kempharm.com

SOURCE KemPharm, Inc.