-
Exclusive worldwide
rights licensed from Seal
Rock Therapeutics for injectable
formulation of ASK1 Inhibitor SRT-015
in acute liver disease
-
Preclinical and clinical evidence
support ASK1 inhibition as
a relevant therapeutic strategy
in multi-system
disorders such as
Acute-on-Chronic
Liver
Failure (ACLF)
-
First-in-Human
study planned in the second half
of 2024 to support a Proof-of-Concept study in ACLF patients as
early as 2025
- No material impact on previously guided cash
runway: company funding
remains secured until the fourth quarter
of 20241
-
GENFIT’s ACLF franchise
now comprises
3 assets (VS-01, NTZ, SRT-015)
based on differentiated mechanisms of action
leveraging
complementary pathways
Lille (France); Cambridge
(Massachusetts, United States); Zurich (Switzerland);
May
31, 2023
- GENFIT (Nasdaq and Euronext: GNFT), a late-stage
biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of
patients with rare and severe liver diseases characterized by high
unmet medical needs, today announced it has licensed the exclusive
worldwide rights of ASK1 Inhibitor SRT-015 (injectable formulation
in acute liver disease2) from Seal Rock Therapeutics, a Seattle,
Washington (USA) based clinical stage company developing
first-in-class and best-in-class kinase inhibitors.
ASK1 inhibition: a therapeutic strategy
with multi-system benefits
ASK1 inhibition has shown several potentially
beneficial effects that may be relevant in ACLF, such as blocking
LPS (lipopolysaccharide) associated hyperinflammatory response,
reducing the ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species)-related immune response,
reducing apoptosis, reducing release of the proinflammatory
cytokines, reducing fibrosis, and protecting macrophage
mitochondrial function.
Multi-organ benefits have been observed in
several animal models and clinical trials 3:
- In kidney diseases,
ASK1 modulation limits renal inflammation, apoptosis and
fibrosis
- In liver diseases,
ASK1 modulation prevents hepatocyte death, inflammation and
fibrosis
- In brain disorders,
ASK1 modulation limits neurodegeneration
- In inflammatory
diseases, ASK1 modulation limits damaging immune responses,
and
- In cardiopulmonary
disease, ASK1 modulation slows the onset of heart failure.
Pascal Prigent, CEO of GENFIT
commented: “We are excited to be announcing this licensing deal
which marks an additional milestone in the execution of our
development strategy in liver diseases with high unmet medical
needs. ACLF is a complex disorder that will likely require the
combination of different approaches and with this acquisition, we
continue to strengthen our leadership in this indication. We now
have a unique portfolio of three differentiated clinical stage
programs in ACLF. Considering its liver-centric activity, the
potential for multi-organ benefits and the breadth of evidence
supporting further development in ACLF, we strongly believe in the
potential of SRT-015.”
Under the agreement, Seal Rock Therapeutics is
eligible for payments up to €100 million, including regulatory,
clinical, and commercial milestone payments, plus tiered
royalties.
Other assets
in GENFIT’s ACLF franchise
In ACLF, whose market size has been estimated by
IQVIA to reach almost $4 billion in the US and in the five main
European countries by 2030, GENFIT is developing two other assets:
VS-01 and NTZ.
VS-01 is currently being evaluated in the
international UNVEIL-IT™ Phase 2, open-label, randomized,
controlled, multi-center, proof of concept study to assess its
efficacy, safety, and tolerability in addition to standard of care
(SOC), compared to SOC alone, in adult patients with ACLF grades 1
and 2 and ascites.
IND (Investigational New Drug) was in effect as
of April 17, 2023, and the first patient is expected to be screened
and enrolled in the Phase 2 trial in the coming days. It is planned
that approximately 60 adult patients with ACLF grades 1 and 2 will
be enrolled in this trial. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1
ratio to receive either daily intraperitoneal administration of
VS-01 over 4 days on top of SOC (active treatment group) or SOC
alone (control group).
The primary objective of the study is to measure
efficacy using the Chronic Liver Failure Consortium (CLIF-C) ACLF4
score at day 7.
Data expected to be available in the first half
of 2024 should support preparation of further testing of efficacy.
Given the high unmet need in this indication and the Orphan Drug
Designation obtained from the US Food and Drug Administration for
VS-01, it is expected that the program qualifies for some of the
expedited regulatory pathways provided by health authorities.
Preliminary data from two Phase 1 studies
recently conducted in subjects with renal impairment and subjects
with hepatic impairment supported a favorable safety and
tolerability profile. Taken together, safety and pharmacokinetic
results, as well as exploratory pharmacodynamic data, support
further clinical development of NTZ in patients with ACLF, and a
Phase 2a proof of concept study with NTZ in patients with ACLF
grades 1 and 2 is currently under discussion with the FDA.
ABOUT ACLF
Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure is a rare,
life-threatening, but potentially reversible condition of varied
etiology. ACLF is recognized clinically as a syndrome, globally
defined by multi-organ dysfunction and failure in patients with
chronic liver disease or liver cirrhosis and high short-term
mortality within a period of 28 to 90 days.
Patients with cirrhosis may initially be
compensated. With progression, many patients will go on to have
acute decompensation of cirrhosis characterized by the rapid
development of complications such as ascites, hepatic
encephalopathy (HE), gastrointestinal hemorrhage, or bacterial
infection, which are very common causes of hospitalization. On
admission, approximately 30% of these patients will develop liver
and/or other organ failure(s) (i.e, brain, kidneys, cardiovascular
and respiratory) and will be considered as having ACLF.5 6 7 8
9
ABOUT GENFIT
GENFIT is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company
dedicated to improving the lives of patients with liver diseases
characterized by high unmet medical needs. GENFIT is a pioneer in
liver disease research and development with a rich history and
strong scientific heritage spanning more than two decades. Thanks
to its expertise in bringing early-stage assets with high potential
to late development and pre-commercialization stages, today GENFIT
boasts a growing and diversified pipeline of innovative therapeutic
and diagnostic solutions.
Its R&D pipeline covers six therapeutic
areas via seven programs which explore the potential of
differentiated mechanisms of action, across a variety of
development stages (pre-clinical, Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3). These
diseases are acute on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), hepatic
encephalopathy (HE), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), urea cycle disorders
(UCD), organic acidemias (OA) and primary biliary cholangitis
(PBC). Beyond therapeutics, GENFIT’s pipeline also includes a
diagnostic franchise focused on NASH and ACLF.
GENFIT has facilities in Lille and Paris
(France), Zurich (Switzerland) and Cambridge, MA (USA). GENFIT is a
publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market
and on compartment B of Euronext’s regulated market in Paris
(Nasdaq and Euronext: GNFT). In 2021, IPSEN became one of GENFIT’s
largest shareholders and holds 8% of the company’s share capital.
www.genfit.com
ABOUT SEAL ROCK
THERAPEUTICS
Seal Rock Therapeutics is a privately held,
clinical stage company based in Seattle focused on developing
first-in-class and best-in-class treatments for severe diseases
with limited or no available therapies. Seal Rock is led by an
experienced management team with a track record of successful drug
discovery, development, and commercialization. The company’s
clinical-stage lead product candidate, SRT-015, is a highly
optimized, first-in-class ASK1 inhibitor. Seal Rock is also
developing preclinical-stage brain-penetrant ASK1/LRRK2 dual kinase
inhibitors for the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions such
as Parkinson’s disease and ALS.
GENFIT FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains certain
forward-looking statements with respect to GENFIT, including those
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995, in relation to the potential, efficacy, safety,
tolerability, regulatory milestones and development and data
timelines for SRT-015, VS-01 and NTZ, and the overall market size
and prevalence of ACLF. The use of certain words, including
“consider”, “contemplate”, “think”, “aim”, “expect”, “understand”,
“should”, “aspire”, “estimate”, “targeted”, “anticipated”,
“believe”, “wish”, “may”, “could”, “allow”, “seek”, “encourage” or
“have confidence” or (as the case may be) the negative forms of
such terms or any other variant of such terms or other terms
similar to them in meaning is intended to identify forward-looking
statements. Although the Company believes its projections are based
on reasonable expectations and assumptions of the Company’s
management, these forward-looking statements are subject to
numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could
cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in,
or implied or projected by, the forward-looking statements. These
risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the
uncertainties inherent in research and development, including in
relation to safety, biomarkers, cost of, progression of, and
results from, its ongoing and planned clinical trials, review and
approvals by regulatory authorities in the United States, Europe
and worldwide, of our drug and diagnostic candidates, exchange rate
fluctuations, potential synergies related to the acquisition of
Versantis, our capacity to integrate its assets, develop its
programs and our continued ability to raise capital to fund our
development, as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed or
identified in the Company’s public filings with the AMF, including
those listed in Chapter 2 “Main Risks and Uncertainties” of the
Company’s 2022 Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF
on April 18, 2023, which is available on the Company’s website
(www.genfit.com) and on the website of the AMF (www.amf-france.org)
and public filings and reports filed with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”) including the Company’s 2022 Annual
Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on April 18, 2023. In
addition, even if the Company’s results, performance, financial
condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in
which it operates are consistent with such forward-looking
statements, they may not be predictive of results or developments
in future periods. These forward-looking statements speak only as
of the date of publication of this document. Other than as required
by applicable law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to
update or revise any forward-looking information or statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
CONTACT
GENFIT | InvestorsTel : + 33 3
20 16 40 00 | investors@genfit.com
PRESS RELATIONS | Media
Stephanie BOYER – Press relations | Tel : +
33 3 20 16 40 00 | stephanie.boyer@genfit.com
GENFIT | 885 Avenue Eugène Avinée, 59120 Loos -
FRANCE | +333 2016 4000 | www.genfit.com |
1 Based on current assumptions, excluding
exceptional events and in particular, potential milestone payments,
which GENFIT would receive, should the ELATIVE® study be
successful2 GENFIT acquired the rights of SRT-015 for use in liver
disease in which injectable therapy is intended to be administered
for a period of 21 consecutive days or less, including the
management of ACLF during such a period3 ASK1 inhibition: a
therapeutic strategy with multi-system benefits: Journal of
Molecular Medicine (2020)4 The EASL-CLIF Consortium is a network of
more than a hundred of European University Hospitals which carry
out clinical investigations of the EASL-CLIF Chair aimed at
performing large observational, pathophysiological and therapeutic
studies to increase our understanding of Chronic Liver Failure and
to improve the management of patients with cirrhosis.
5 Arroyo V et al., J Hepatol, 2015, 62(1 Suppl), S131-S143
6 Malik R et al., J Hepatol, 2009, 51(3), 426-97
Olson JC et al., Hepatology, 2011, 54(5), 1864-728 Jalan R et al.,
J Hepatol, 2012, 57(6), 1336-489 Wlodzimirow KA et al., Liver
International, 2013, 33(1), 40-42
- GENFIT Further Strengthens its ACLF Franchise with a Third
Clinical-Stage Asset
Genfit (EU:GNFT)
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