TFF Pharmaceuticals Provides Regulatory Update on Tacrolimus Inhalation Powder Clinical Program for the Prevention of Lung Transplant Rejection

TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recently announced a regulatory update on its TFF TAC clinical program following its recent interaction with the US FDA. In April 2024, the company submitted a briefing book to the FDA to help guide the next steps in the clinical development pathway for TFF TAC. Following its review of the briefing book, the FDA concurred that mitigation or prevention of tacrolimus associated toxicities without placing the lung allograft at risk will be an important therapeutic benefit and provided constructive feedback and valuable guidance on the roadmap for advancement of TFF TAC. Based on this feedback, the Company does not expect a significant change to either its timelines or the estimated costs associated with the clinical advancement of TFF TAC.

“The initial feedback from the FDA on the TFF TAC clinical program has provided us with additional clarity on how we can continue advancing this innovative product towards registrational testing,” said Dr. Zamaneh Mikhak, Chief Medical Officer of TFF Pharmaceuticals. “Over the next several weeks, we expect to receive additional guidance from the FDA, which should allow us to provide a more detailed regulatory update on the program in the third quarter of 2024.”

TFF TAC is an inhaled dry powder formulation of tacrolimus, a potent immunosuppressive drug. Oral tacrolimus is currently the first line calcineurin inhibitor used for prevention of rejection after solid organ transplantation but it is associated with many toxicities such as kidney toxicity, particularly when high doses are needed as is the case after lung transplantation.

TFF TAC delivers tacrolimus directly to the lung to yield improved lung immunosuppression at lower doses and systemic exposures compared to oral tacrolimus to improve efficacy and decrease systemic toxicities such as kidney toxicity. TFF TAC is delivered via an easy-to-use dry powder inhaler.

The ongoing Phase 2 trial of TFF TAC is an open-label study in lung transplant patients who require reduced tacrolimus blood levels due to kidney toxicity. Part A of the trial is a 12-week treatment period, and Part B is an optional safety extension period. Trial endpoints include safety and tolerability including kidney function, acute allograft rejection and pharmacokinetics.

TFF Pharmaceuticals’ proprietary Thin Film Freezing (TFF) technology allows for the transformation of both existing compounds and new chemical entities into dry powder formulations exhibiting unique characteristics and benefits. The TFF process is a particle engineering process designed to generate dry powder particles with advantageous properties for inhalation, as well as parenteral, nasal, oral, topical and ocular routes of administration. The process can be used to engineer powders for direct delivery to the site of need, circumventing challenges of systemic administration and leading to improved bioavailability, faster onset of action, and improved safety and efficacy. The ability to deliver therapies directly to the target organ, such as the lung, allows TFF powders to be administered at lower doses compared to oral drugs, reducing unwanted toxicities and side effects. Laboratory data suggests the aerodynamic properties of the powders created by TFF can deliver as much as 75% of the dose to the deep lung. TFF does not introduce heat, shear stress, or other forces that can damage more complex therapeutic components, such as fragile biologics, and instead enables the reformulation of these materials into easily stored and temperature-stable dry powders, making therapeutics and vaccines more accessible for distribution worldwide. The advantages of TFF can be used to enhance traditional delivery or combined to enable next-generation pharmaceutical products.

TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaging patented rapid freezing technology to develop and transform medicines into potent dry powder formulations for better efficacy, safety, and stability. The company’s versatile TFF technology platform has broad applicability to convert most any drug, including vaccines, small and large molecules, and biologics, into an elegant dry powder highly advantageous for inhalation or for topical delivery to the eyes, nose and skin.