Evoke Pharma Stock Price, News & Analysis
Company Description
Evoke Pharma, Inc. (historically NASDAQ: EVOK) was a specialty pharmaceutical company in the pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing industry. According to company disclosures and press releases, Evoke focused primarily on the development of drugs to treat gastrointestinal (GI) disorders and diseases, with a particular emphasis on diabetic gastroparesis. The company developed, commercialized and marketed GIMOTI, a nasal spray formulation of metoclopramide, indicated for the relief of symptoms associated with acute and recurrent diabetic gastroparesis in adults.
Diabetic gastroparesis is described in Evoke’s public communications as a GI disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents, leading to serious gastrointestinal symptoms and systemic complications. The company notes that this gastric delay can compromise absorption of orally administered medications. Before GIMOTI received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for commercial marketing, metoclopramide was only available in oral and injectable formulations and was the only drug approved in the United States to treat gastroparesis. Evoke’s work centered on offering a non-oral option for adult patients with acute and recurrent diabetic gastroparesis symptoms.
Business focus and product profile
Evoke repeatedly describes itself in its press releases as a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on GI disorders and diseases. Its commercial and development activities were built around GIMOTI, a metoclopramide nasal spray formulation. Public statements emphasize that GIMOTI is indicated for adult patients with acute and recurrent diabetic gastroparesis, and that it is designed as a non-oral treatment option. The company highlights that gastroparesis-related gastric delay can interfere with the predictable absorption of oral medications, which provides the rationale for a nasal spray formulation.
In multiple communications, Evoke explains that GIMOTI is the only FDA-approved nasal spray formulation of metoclopramide for this indication. The company also states that prior to FDA approval of GIMOTI, metoclopramide was only available in oral and injectable forms and remains the only drug approved in the United States to treat gastroparesis. This context underscores why Evoke concentrated its resources on developing and commercializing GIMOTI for diabetic gastroparesis patients.
Intellectual property and regulatory positioning
Evoke’s news releases and SEC filings describe an ongoing focus on intellectual property protection for GIMOTI. The company reported receiving a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a U.S. patent application covering the use of GIMOTI in patients with moderate to severe symptoms of gastroparesis. This allowed application was described as a continuation of U.S. Patent No. 11,517,545 and part of a broader intellectual property estate around intranasal metoclopramide.
Subsequently, Evoke announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 12,377,064, covering the use of intranasal metoclopramide in patients with moderate to severe symptoms of gastroparesis. The company stated that the patent term had been extended by the USPTO to November 2038 due to patent term adjustments, and that it planned to list this patent in the FDA’s Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, commonly known as the Orange Book. Evoke characterized this as extending GIMOTI’s expected market exclusivity and reinforcing its intellectual property position.
In its communications, Evoke also notes that GIMOTI is listed in the FDA’s Orange Book and that the company intends to pursue additional related claims via continuation applications. These disclosures indicate that protecting and extending GIMOTI’s exclusivity period was a central element of Evoke’s strategy around its GI-focused product.
Clinical and safety context for GIMOTI
Evoke’s public materials include detailed safety information for GIMOTI, reflecting the boxed warning and risk profile associated with metoclopramide. The company highlights a WARNING: TARDIVE DYSKINESIA, noting that metoclopramide can cause tardive dyskinesia (TD), a serious movement disorder that is often irreversible, and that the risk increases with duration of treatment and total cumulative dosage. Evoke advises discontinuing GIMOTI in patients who develop signs or symptoms of TD and avoiding treatment with metoclopramide for longer than 12 weeks because of the increased risk of TD with longer-term use.
According to the company’s safety communications, GIMOTI is not recommended for pediatric patients due to risks of TD, other extrapyramidal symptoms, and methemoglobinemia in neonates. It is also not recommended for patients with moderate or severe hepatic impairment, moderate or severe renal impairment, or those concurrently using strong CYP2D6 inhibitors, due to the risk of increased drug exposure and adverse reactions.
Evoke lists several contraindications for GIMOTI, including patients with a history of tardive dyskinesia or a dystonic reaction to metoclopramide; situations where stimulation of gastrointestinal motility might be dangerous (such as gastrointestinal hemorrhage, mechanical obstruction, or perforation); patients with pheochromocytoma or other catecholamine-releasing paragangliomas; patients with epilepsy; and patients with hypersensitivity to metoclopramide. The company notes that potential adverse reactions associated with metoclopramide include TD, other extrapyramidal effects, parkinsonism symptoms, motor restlessness, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, depression, suicidal ideation and suicide, hypertension, fluid retention, hyperprolactinemia, and effects on the ability to drive and operate machinery. The most common adverse reactions (≥5%) reported for GIMOTI are dysgeusia, headache, and fatigue.
Corporate status and acquisition by QOL Medical
Evoke’s corporate status changed as a result of a transaction with QOL Medical, LLC. According to an Agreement and Plan of Merger described in an 8-K filed on November 4, 2025, QOL Medical, through a wholly owned subsidiary, agreed to commence a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Evoke common stock for $11.00 per share in cash. The company’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the merger agreement and recommended that stockholders tender their shares.
A subsequent 8-K filed on December 17, 2025 reports that the tender offer expired on December 15, 2025 and that the conditions to the offer were satisfied. Parent and its merger subsidiary accepted the shares that had been validly tendered and completed the acquisition of Evoke on December 17, 2025 by merging the subsidiary with and into Evoke. At the effective time of the merger, Evoke became a wholly owned subsidiary of QOL Medical, and each share of Evoke common stock outstanding immediately prior to the effective time (with specified exceptions) was converted into the right to receive the cash offer price.
The same 8-K explains that, in connection with the consummation of the merger, Evoke notified The Nasdaq Capital Market of the transaction and requested that Nasdaq file a Form 25 to effect the delisting of Evoke’s common stock and the deregistration of such shares under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Trading in Evoke’s common stock was expected to be suspended prior to the open of trading on December 17, 2025, and the company stated its intention to file a Form 15 to terminate the registration of its common stock under Section 12(g) and suspend its reporting obligations under Sections 13 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
As a result, EVOK functions as a defunct public ticker in the sense that Evoke Pharma, Inc. no longer trades as an independent public company. The business associated with Evoke continues as part of QOL Medical, with Evoke operating as the surviving corporation and wholly owned subsidiary following the merger.
Historical trading and regulatory filings
Before its acquisition, Evoke’s common stock was registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol EVOK, as indicated in multiple 8-K filings. The company filed periodic reports and current reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including 8-K filings related to financial results, patent developments, and the merger transaction.
These filings document key aspects of Evoke’s history as a public company, including its focus on GIMOTI, its GI and diabetic gastroparesis orientation, its patent and Orange Book strategy, and the sequence of events leading to its acquisition and delisting. For investors and researchers, the EVOK ticker now primarily serves as a historical reference to this period, while ongoing operations are conducted under private ownership within QOL Medical.
Key themes for EVOK stock research
Anyone reviewing EVOK as a historical stock will encounter several recurring themes in Evoke’s disclosures:
- A focus on gastrointestinal disorders, particularly diabetic gastroparesis.
- Development, commercialization and marketing of GIMOTI (metoclopramide) nasal spray as a non-oral treatment option for adult patients.
- Efforts to extend patent life and exclusivity for GIMOTI through USPTO filings and Orange Book listings.
- Detailed discussion of safety considerations and contraindications associated with metoclopramide, including the risk of tardive dyskinesia.
- The merger with QOL Medical, the resulting change of control, and the delisting and deregistration of Evoke’s common stock.