Exhibit 99.1
TLC Announces Initiation of Phase III Pivotal Clinical Trial of TLC599 for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis Knee Pain
- Phase II results showed statistically significant pain relief through 24 weeks
- Phase III to evaluate efficacy of single and repeated doses up to 52 weeks
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA and TAIPEI, Taiwan– October 1, 2019 –TLC (Nasdaq: TLC, TWO: 4152), a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of novel nanomedicines designed to target areas of unmet medical need in pain management, ophthalmology and oncology, today announced the initiation of a Phase III clinical trial (“EXCELLENCE”) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of single as well as repeated doses ofTLC599 in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. TLC599 is aBioSeizer® sustained release formulation of dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DSP) intended for the management of OA pain.
In the Phase II clinical trial, a single intraarticular injection of TLC599 resulted in statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in pain relief in both the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores compared to placebo from Day 3 all the way through the end of the study at 24 weeks. Over half of the patients in the TLC599 group had a durable response, maintaining at least 30% pain reduction in both WOMAC and VAS pain scores at all visits through the entire 24 weeks.
EXCELLENCE is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active comparator-controlled pivotal study that will treat approximately 500 knee OA patients at40-50 sites in the US and Australia.
“The initiation of EXCELLENCE, which was carefully designed in alignment with guidance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), marks a significant milestone for both TLC and the millions of people suffering from knee OA,” said George Yeh, President of TLC. “We are pleased to have arrived at this pivotal moment, as we believe TLC599, which provided immediate as well as prolonged pain relief in previous clinical studies, has the potential to be an effective therapy, eluding pain and delivering a better quality of life to patients who are still in search of better treatment options.”
OA is the most prevalent joint disease and a leading source of chronic pain and disability in the United States and other developed nations. Knee OA accounts for more than 80% of the disease’s total burden and affects at least 19% of American adults aged 45 years and older.
About EXCELLENCE
EXCELLENCE, a Phase III, randomized, double-blinded, placebo- and active comparator-controlled pivotal study, will evaluate the safety and efficacy of single and