Adial Pharmaceuticals Provides Regulatory and Development Update

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., June 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Adial Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADIL; ADILW), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of treatments for addictions, today announced that it has received correspondence related to its request for Fast Track Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its drug candidate, AD04, for the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in pediatric patients and adult patients with Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) with select polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter and receptor genes. While AD04 is being developed and undergoing a pivotal Phase 3 trial to treat any adult with AUD with the targeted genetics, Adial believes AD04 holds the potential to effectively and safely treat AUD patients that are adolescents or have ALD.

The Company is reporting that on June 23, 2021, it received notice from the FDA that its request for Fast Track Designation has been denied at this time. While the FDA did acknowledge the unmet medical needs of adolescents and ALD patients with AUD, the FDA stated in its letter that the Company has not yet demonstrated that the product shows potential to address an unmet medical need in the situation where other treatments are available. Additionally, the FDA stated additional information would be required regarding how AD04 might compare to other therapies if the Company desires further consideration. Based on this feedback, Adial will review the additional requirements and data requested by the FDA for a Fast Track Designation.

The FDA’s Fast Track is a process designed to facilitate development and expedite the regulatory review of drugs that treat serious conditions and address unmet medical needs with the purpose of getting important drugs to patients earlier. While the FDA judges the seriousness of a condition on a case-by-case basis, the FDA generally considers whether the drug will have an impact on such factors as survival, day-to-day functioning, or the likelihood that the condition, left untreated, will progress to a more serious state.

About the Landmark ONWARD™ Pivotal Phase 3 Clinical Trial

The ONWARD trial is a 24-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group, Phase 3 clinical study to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of AD04 in patients with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and selected polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter and receptor genes. Patients are genetically screened prior to enrollment in the ONWARD trial so that only genetically positive patients are enrolled. The primary endpoint for analysis of efficacy is the change from baseline in the monthly number of heavy drinking days during the last 8 weeks of the 24-week treatment period. ONWARD is currently being conducted in 25 clinical sites in seven countries in Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe (Sweden, Finland, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria and Croatia). The principal investigator is Professor Hannu E.R. Alho, Emeritus Professor of Addiction Medicine at the University of Helsinki.

About Adial Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Adial Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of treatments for addictions. The Company’s lead investigational new drug product, AD04, is a genetically targeted, serotonin-3 receptor antagonist, therapeutic agent for the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and is currently being investigated in the Company’s landmark ONWARD™ pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for the potential treatment of AUD in subjects with certain target genotypes, which are to be identified using the Company’s proprietary companion diagnostic genetic test. A Phase 2b clinical trial of AD04 for the treatment of AUD showed promising results in reducing frequency of drinking, quantity of drinking and heavy drinking (all with statistical significance), and no overt safety concerns (there were no statistically significant serious adverse events reported). AD04 is also believed to have the potential to treat other addictive disorders such as Opioid Use Disorder, gambling, and obesity. The Company is also developing adenosine analogs for the treatment of pain and other disorders. Additional information is available at www.adialpharma.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This communication contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Such statements are based upon various facts and derived utilizing numerous important assumptions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “projects,” “estimates,” “plans” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may” and “could” are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical facts, although not all forward-looking statements include the foregoing. The forward-looking statements include statements regarding the ability to meet the requirements for approval of Fast Track Designation in the future, the potential of AD04 to treat other addictive disorders such as opioid use disorder, gambling, and obesity. Any forward-looking statements included herein reflect our current views, and they involve certain risks and uncertainties, including, among others, our ability to enroll patients within the timelines anticipated and complete clinical trials on time and achieve desired results and benefits as expected, our ability to obtain regulatory approvals for commercialization of product candidates or to comply with ongoing regulatory requirements, regulatory limitations relating to our ability to promote or commercialize our product candidates for specific indications, acceptance of our product candidates in the marketplace and the successful development, marketing or sale of our products, our ability to maintain our license agreements, the continued maintenance and growth of our patent estate, our ability to establish and maintain collaborations, our ability to obtain or maintain the capital or grants necessary to fund its research and development activities, and our ability to retain our key employees or maintain our Nasdaq listing. These risks should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read together with the other cautionary statement included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was initially made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, unless required by law.

Contact:
Crescendo Communications, LLC                        
David Waldman / Natalya Rudman                        
Tel: 212-671-1021                                
Email: adil@crescendo-ir.com