FDA Approves VTAMA® (tapinarof) cream, 1% for the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis in Adults and Children 2 Years of Age and Older

Rhea-AI Summary

Organon (NYSE: OGN) announced FDA approval of VTAMA® (tapinarof) cream, 1% for treating atopic dermatitis in adults and children aged 2 and older. The approval came ahead of the March 2025 target date. In pivotal studies ADORING 1 and 2, up to 46% of patients achieved treatment success at Week 8 versus 18% on vehicle.

The drug demonstrated powerful skin clearance with patients remaining treatment-free for ~80 consecutive days in the 48-week long-term extension study. VTAMA showed rapid itch relief within 24 hours and maintained a favorable safety profile. Common side effects included upper respiratory tract infection (12%) and folliculitis (9%).

Positive

• Early FDA approval received ahead of March 2025 target date
• High efficacy with 46% treatment success rate vs 18% for vehicle
• Long remission period of ~80 consecutive days without treatment
• No label warnings, precautions, contraindications, or usage restrictions
• Rapid onset of action with itch relief within 24 hours

Negative

• Notable adverse reactions including respiratory infections (12%) and folliculitis (9%)

Insights

Medical Research Analyst

This FDA approval represents a significant milestone for Organon's VTAMA cream. The clinical data is particularly impressive, with up to 46.4% of patients achieving clear or almost clear skin versus 18% on vehicle, demonstrating strong efficacy. The long-term extension study shows sustained benefits with an average 80-day treatment-free period, suggesting excellent durability of response. The safety profile appears robust with no major warnings or restrictions, which is particularly noteworthy for a treatment approved for children as young as 2 years old. The rapid onset of action for itch relief within 24 hours is also clinically meaningful for this typically burdensome symptom.

Financial Analyst

This approval significantly expands VTAMA's market opportunity, as atopic dermatitis affects approximately 9.6 million children and 16.5 million adults in the U.S. alone. The early approval, well ahead of the March 2025 PDUFA date, could accelerate market penetration. The product's unique positioning as a non-steroidal option with no usage restrictions and strong efficacy data should support favorable pricing and reimbursement discussions. For Organon, with a market cap of $3.94B, this second indication could meaningfully impact revenue growth, particularly given the large pediatric market potential.

• EFFICACY: In the pivotal studies, ADORING 1 and ADORING 2, up to 46% of patients on VTAMA cream achieved vIGA-AD™ treatment success at Week 8 versus 18% of patients on vehicle.
• POWERFUL SKIN CLEARANCE: The majority of patients entered with or achieved complete disease clearance (vIGA-AD=0) at least once in the 48-week open-label ADORING long-term extension (LTE) study and remained treatment-free (remittive effect) for an average of ~80 consecutive days.
• RAPID ITCH RELIEF: Itch improvement as early as 24 hours after first application of VTAMA cream was reported by patients and caregivers.
• SAFE AND TOLERABLE: VTAMA cream demonstrated a favorable and consistent safety profile in both the 8-week pivotal studies and the 48-week long-term extension (LTE) study; and was well-tolerated, including on affected sensitive skin areas.

JERSEY CITY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Organon (NYSE: OGN), a global healthcare company with a mission to improve the health of women throughout their lives, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved VTAMA^® (tapinarof) cream, 1%, an aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist, for an additional indication of the topical treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults and pediatric patients 2 years of age and older.¹ Organon received the FDA approval prior to its extended target action date (PDUFA) of March 12, 2025.

“With the FDA’s approval of VTAMA cream in atopic dermatitis for adults and children as young as 2 years old, there is now a therapy that offers the potential for powerful skin clearance with no label warnings or precautions, contraindications, and no restrictions on duration of use or percentage of body surface area affected,” said Kevin Ali, Organon’s Chief Executive Officer. “Introducing this new first-in-class therapy for AD patients reaffirms Organon’s commitment to addressing areas of high unmet need.”

In the ADORING pivotal studies, VTAMA cream, 1% demonstrated, in moderate to severe patients as young as 2 years old with AD, a statistically significant difference versus vehicle in the proportion of patients achieving a score of clear (0) or almost clear (1) and a minimum 2-grade improvement from baseline at Week 8 on the Validated Investigator Global Assessment for AD (vIGA-AD) 45.4% versus 13.9% of patients in ADORING 1 and 46.4% versus 18.0% in ADORING 2 (both P<0.0001). The difference between patients who received VTAMA cream and those that received vehicle in all secondary endpoints was statistically significant, including the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score improvement of at least 75% (EASI75) from baseline at Week 8 and achievement of a ≥4-point improvement in the patients reported Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (PP-NRS) from baseline at Week 8 in patients ≥12 years of age. The most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥1%) were upper respiratory tract infection (12%), red raised bumps around the hair pores (folliculitis) (9%), lower respiratory tract infection (5%), headache (4%), asthma (2%), vomiting (2%), ear infection (2%), pain in extremity (2%), and stomach-area (abdominal) pain (1%).

ADORING 3, a 48-week open-label, LTE study, enrolled eligible patients from ADORING 1, ADORING 2, a 4-week maximal usage pharmacokinetics trial, and direct enrollees who were VTAMA cream-naive patients 2-17 years of age with mild, moderate or severe AD (vIGA-AD scores of 2, 3, or 4, respectively), that did not meet pivotal studies inclusion criteria.

In ADORING 3, patients (N=728) were followed for up to 48 weeks, with safety and efficacy endpoints that included the achievement of complete disease clearance (vIGA-AD=0), and the achievement of clear or almost clear skin (vIGA-AD=0 or 1). Patients entering with any disease activity (vIGA-AD≥1) were treated with VTAMA cream, 1% until complete disease clearance was achieved (vIGA-AD=0) or study completion. For the 378 patients who entered with or achieved complete disease clearance (vIGA-AD=0) in ADORING 3 and discontinued treatment with VTAMA cream, the mean duration of the first treatment-free (remittive) interval was approximately 80 consecutive days. Patients whose AD returned to mild or above (vIGA-AD≥2) were re-treated with VTAMA cream until complete disease clearance was achieved again or study completion. The safety profile with long term use was generally consistent with the safety profile observed at Week 8.

“VTAMA cream approval in AD is important because it can be prescribed for children as young as 2 years old. VTAMA cream has the potential to bring much needed relief to a significant number of children suffering from this disease,” said Adelaide A. Hebert, MD, Professor and Chief of Pediatric Dermatology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and lead investigator for the ADORING program. “Moreover, because the prevalence of itch makes this condition extremely burdensome to patients and their families, the itch data from the ADORING program demonstrates reduction of one of the condition’s most prevalent symptoms with use of VTAMA cream.”

In May 2022, the FDA approved VTAMA^® (tapinarof) cream, 1% for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults, making it the first non-steroidal topical novel chemical entity launched for plaque psoriasis in the U.S. in more than 25 years. VTAMA cream is approved for mild, moderate, and severe plaque psoriasis with no label warnings or precautions, contraindications, restrictions on duration of use, or percentage of body surface area affected.

For more information about VTAMA (tapinarof) cream, 1%, visit www.VTAMA.com.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Indications: VTAMA^® (tapinarof) cream, 1% is an aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist indicated for:

• the topical treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults.
• the topical treatment of atopic dermatitis in adults and pediatric patients 2 years of age and older.

Adverse Events: In plaque psoriasis, the most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥1%) were: red raised bumps around the hair pores (folliculitis); pain or swelling in the nose and throat (nasopharyngitis); skin rash or irritation, including itching and redness, peeling, burning, or stinging (contact dermatitis); headache; itching (pruritus); and flu (influenza).

Adverse Events: In atopic dermatitis, the most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥1%) were: upper respiratory tract infection; red raised bumps around the hair pores (folliculitis); lower respiratory tract infection; headache; asthma; vomiting; ear infection; pain in extremity; and stomach-area (abdominal) pain.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

See full Prescribing Information and Patient Information.

About Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD), commonly referred to as eczema, is one of the most prevalent inflammatory skin diseases, affecting over 26 million people in the U.S. alone and up to 10% of adults worldwide. AD occurs most frequently in children, affecting up to 20% worldwide. The disease results in itchy, red, swollen, and cracked skin, often on the folds of the arms, back of the knees, hands, face, and neck. Itching is an especially bothersome symptom for those with AD, and tends to worsen at night, disturbing sleep and causing fatigue, which in children can lead to inattention at school. People with AD may also experience social and emotional distress due to the visibility and discomfort of the disease.

About Organon

Organon is an independent global healthcare company with a mission to help improve the health of women throughout their lives. Organon’s diverse portfolio offers more than 60 medicines and products in women’s health, biosimilars, and a large franchise of established medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. In addition to Organon’s current products, the company invests in innovative solutions and research to drive future growth opportunities in women’s health and biosimilars. Organon is also pursuing opportunities to collaborate with biopharmaceutical partners and innovators who look to commercialize their products by leveraging Organon’s scale and agile presence in fast growing international markets.

Organon has geographic scope with significant reach, world-class commercial capabilities, and approximately 10,000 employees with headquarters located in Jersey City, New Jersey.

For more information, visit http://www.organon.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook.

vIGA-AD is the trademark of Eli Lilly and Co.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical information, this press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements about management’s expectations about the potential safety, effectiveness, tolerability, uses, and market for VTAMA cream. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “pursuing,” “opportunities,” “future,” “potential,” “potentially,” “expected,” “expects,” “will” or words of similar meaning. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Organon’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or additional risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, an inability to execute on our business development strategy or realize the benefits of the FDA approval described above; weakening of economic conditions that could adversely affect the level of demand for VTAMA; pricing pressures globally, including rules and practices of managed care groups, judicial decisions and governmental laws and regulations related to Medicare, Medicaid and health care reform, pharmaceutical reimbursement and pricing in general; an inability to fully execute on Organon’s product development and commercialization plans; an inability to adapt to the industry-wide trend toward highly discounted channels; expanded brand and class competition in the markets in which Organon operates; and governmental initiatives that adversely impact Organon’s marketing activities. Organon undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Organon’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including Organon’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent SEC filings, available at the SEC’s Internet site www.sec.gov. References and links to websites have been provided for convenience, and the information contained on any such website is not a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this press release. Organon is not responsible for the contents of third-party websites.

¹ VTAMA label.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241216414255/en/

Media Contacts:

Felicia Bisaro

(646) 703-1807

Karissa Peer

(614) 314-8094

Investor Contacts:

Jennifer Halchak

(201) 275-2711

Source: Organon & Co.

FAQ

What are the success rates of VTAMA cream in treating atopic dermatitis?

In the ADORING studies, up to 46% of patients achieved treatment success at Week 8 compared to 18% on vehicle treatment.

How long can patients remain treatment-free after using VTAMA (OGN)?

Patients remained treatment-free for an average of approximately 80 consecutive days during the long-term extension study.

What are the main side effects of VTAMA cream for atopic dermatitis?

The most common side effects include upper respiratory tract infection (12%), folliculitis (9%), lower respiratory tract infection (5%), and headache (4%).

What age groups are approved for VTAMA cream treatment?

VTAMA cream is approved for adults and children 2 years of age and older for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

How quickly does VTAMA show improvement in itch relief?

Patients and caregivers reported itch improvement as early as 24 hours after the first application of VTAMA cream.