Benzinga | Oct 20, 2021 08:32AM EDT

Evoke Pharma, EVERSANA Reports Findings From GIMOTI Market Research Study

Evoke Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:EVOK), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on treatments for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, and EVERSANA(tm), a leading provider of global commercial services to the life science industry, today announced positive findings from a recent market research study conducted for GIMOTI(r) (metoclopramide) nasal spray. The study aimed to gather additional market insights on the perception of GIMOTI in the Gastroenterology and other health care provider communities during September 2021 and follows prior market research studies conducted since product launch. Evoke will share the findings in discussions at the upcoming American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Conference, an important gastroenterology conference focused on clinical practice, being held October 22 - 27 in Las Vegas, NV.

Last month, Evoke's commercialization partner, EVERSANA, conducted the GIMOTI Awareness, Trial, and Usage (ATU) Study with healthcare practitioners (HCPs). The quantitative study objectives were to understand the current gastroparesis treatment landscape and to evaluate health care practitioners' perceptions of GIMOTI following recent brand marketing efforts. The ATU survey was divided into four sections: current approach to treating diabetic gastroparesis (DGP), prescribing behavior, treatment awareness, and additional perspectives around supportive resources.

The respondent mix included 65 gastroenterologists (GEs) currently being called on by the field sales force, 53 GEs and primary care physicians (PCPs) who are not currently targeted for in person messaging, but whom may be targeted through our online digital and social campaign, and an additional 10 nurse practitioners and physician assistants, whom were added to the most current wave of the survey in response to the significant collaborative and independent role they play in the diagnosis and medical treatment and follow-up with diabetic gastroparesis patients.

Key findings, including select data point comparisons from the ATU Study previously conducted are outlined below.

Key Findings:

* Continued increase in intent to prescribe GIMOTI: -- 92% of all respondents intend to prescribe GIMOTI in the future 90% of targeted GEs; compared to 79% in previous study 86% of non-targeted GEs; compared to 89% in previous study 100% of PCPs; compared to 50% in previous study 100% of NP/PAs; first time queried in this ATU study

* Targeted GEs now report "Nasal" (45%) as the preferred route of medication administration for gastroparesis patients over "Oral" (26%).

* Targeted GEs report greater GIMOTI usage across first, second and third lines of treatment from the December 2020 study, with the similar use as a third-line treatment option at around 22%.

* Similar to the previous study, GEs indicated a moderate-to-high level of concern about a diabetic gastroparesis patient's ability to absorb oral medications with more than half of respondents indicating that 21%-60% of their patients have trouble ingesting and/or digesting oral medications.

* The percentage of targeted GEs reporting high awareness of GIMOTI (scoring a 4 or 5 out of 5) has increased from 21% in December 2020 to 54% in September 2021.

A chart accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7ad1d96e-28fb-4769-a871-85f9650e8476

"These latest ATU study findings are supportive of both our call point strategy and the messaging to targeted physicians as they confirm increasing awareness and rationale for usage of GIMOTI. Our sales force continues to gain improved access to targeted physician offices to conduct face to face discussions and uncover the needs of diabetic gastroparesis patients who continue to suffer from this disease. These results provide meaningful insights for our commercial team's understanding of how and when our marketing efforts are being captured by targeted health care providers," commented David Gonyer, R.Ph., Evoke Pharma President and CEO. "We remain convinced that GIMOTI can help answer a critical unmet medical need and look forward to sharing our findings with other prominent GEs at the upcoming ACG Conference later this month."

"GIMOTI has made a huge difference in my patients with diabetic gastroparesis. Their nausea-vomiting is usually resolved pretty quickly, which is usually the most troubling and most damaging symptom in their lives. They're able to eat as the early-satiety goes down and it improves the bloating/abdominal pain, because it's working as a prokinetic, that also allows them to live a somewhat normal life," stated Viplove Senadhi, MD, Greater Montgomery Patient Centered Gastroenterology and Hepatology, in Montgomery, AL. "For me, this is a paradigm shift for my patients in my practice, showing the quick efficacy, the lasting ability, and the ability to acutely affect patients with nausea-vomiting with a new modality to treat them. It's actually changed my standard of care."

"These most recent studies we conducted measured an expanded awareness and adoption of GIMOTI as we continue to build GIMOTI's presence within the market. These data are a significant leading indicator that our promotional efforts are gaining traction and that our messages are resonating, especially with targeted gastroenterologists and advance practice providers who provide the majority of care for patients with diabetic gastroparesis," added Chris Quesenberry, Chief Commercial Officer. "The results of the market research follow the positive reception we received from physicians who express a desire for an alternative to existing oral therapies. They indicate that a nasal route of administration that can bypass the GI tract makes sense for this underserved patient population. We believe this positive perception is being fueled by patient use of GIMOTI and the feedback patients are sharing with their providers." I am particularly encouraged that we are strengthening high familiarity of GIMOTI with HCPs and also that the perception of efficacy is high, which is leading to stated increase in prescribing across all patient types, most notably switches from oral therapies and first-line use."