Biomea Fusion, Inc. (“Biomea” or “Biomea Fusion” or “the Company”)
(Nasdaq: BMEA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
dedicated to discovering and developing oral covalent small
molecules to improve the lives of patients with diabetes, obesity,
and genetically defined cancers, today announced positive topline
results from the ongoing COVALENT-111 study, evaluating the
efficacy, safety and tolerability of icovamenib in patients with
type 2 diabetes (T2D).
COVALENT-111 is a double-blinded, randomized, 3:1
placebo-controlled trial that has enrolled adult patients diagnosed
with T2D within the last 7 years, who had HbA1c levels between 7.0%
and 10.5%, and a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 40 kg/m². At
baseline, all participants were receiving treatment with diet and
exercise and were uncontrolled with up to three antidiabetic
medications. Icovamenib was investigated in three different dosing
arms with a primary follow up after 26 weeks which we are reporting
on today: Arm A at 100mg QD (once daily) for 8 weeks, Arm B at
100mg QD for 12 weeks, and Arm C at 100 mg QD for 8 weeks and 100mg
BID (twice daily) for 4 weeks. The study enrolled a total of 225
patients that received at least one dose of icovamenib and were
considered evaluable for the modified intent-to-treat population
(mITT). Dosing was interrupted for many patients due to an interim
clinical hold imposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA). This topline efficacy analysis focuses on those patients who
had completed at least 80% of their dosing prior to the clinical
hold and who at baseline were treated with one or more
anti-hyperglycemic therapy, the Per Protocol Patient population
(n=168).
The study showed positive topline results at Week 26,
demonstrating statistically significant and clinically meaningful
reductions in HbA1c, the gold standard for assessing glycemic
control in T2D. In patients who completed dosing per protocol and
were suboptimally controlled at baseline on one or more prior
agent, icovamenib showed meaningful reductions in HbA1c with
statistical significance in all major categories. Here icovamenib
showed a mean reduction in HbA1c of 0.36% (p=0.022). The strongest
performing arm was Arm B (icovamenib dosed at 100mg QD for 12
weeks) with a mean HbA1c reduction of 0.5% (p=0.012). In the
analysis of the T2D phenotypes, icovamenib showed further improved
reduction in the insulin deficient patients. Within the mild
age-related diabetes (MARD) and severe insulin-deficient diabetes
(SIDD) patients the mean HbA1c reduction was 0.73% (p=0.009) and in
Arm B these patient subtypes reduced the mean HbA1c by 1.05%
(p=0.004). Patients who were considered most severe insulin
deficient, the SIDDs, demonstrated the best response with a mean
HbA1c reduction in Arm B of 1.47% (p=0.022). Importantly, MARD and
SIDD represent more than 50% of the US patient population. Of note,
in the patients that failed on a GLP-1 based therapy an HbA1c
reduction of 0.84% was demonstrated.
Throughout the 26-week period there were no serious adverse
events or discontinuations due to adverse events observed. No
drug-to-drug interactions were observed during the study. Overall,
icovamenib was well tolerated and demonstrated a favorable safety
profile in the COVALENT-111 study.
The company used clinical biomarker data to categorize
participants into prespecified subtypes (SIDD, MARD, SIRD, and MOD)
during screening:
- SIDD: Characterized by low insulin secretion,
high HbA1c, and reduced beta-cell function (low HOMA-B)
- MARD: Characterized by mild age-related
diabetes, typically older age at onset, with mild hyperglycemia and
fewer metabolic disturbances
- SIRD: Defined by significant insulin
resistance, high HOMA-IR, and potential complications like liver
disease
- MOD: Identified by mild obesity, less severe
insulin resistance, and relatively mild hyperglycemia
The study will further assess secondary endpoints (e.g., HbA1c
reduction, fasting glucose, HOMA-B and HOMA-IR) within each
pre-specified subtype to identify distinct patterns of response.
Analysis of the full Phase II COVALENT-111 data is ongoing and
Biomea Fusion plans to present detailed results at an upcoming
medical conference in 2025.
"I am very excited about these initial results we are presenting
today. We believe we now have a defined path to further develop
icovamenib in diabetes. We have identified the optimal dose, the
patient population to target, and most importantly, we now have
strong efficacy and safety data," says Thomas Butler, CEO and Chair
of Biomea Fusion. "These results validate our approach and
highlight that icovamenib has the potential to address an aspect of
diabetes that no other current therapy can. We are excited to
continue advancing this promising molecule and bring a new
treatment option to patients who need it most."
Based on these initial results and the upcoming 52-week readout
in the second half 2025, Biomea plans to engage with the FDA to
discuss the data. This meeting will provide an opportunity to align
with FDA on how to further advance icovamenib as a first-in-class
menin inhibitor therapy for T2D.
"The topline data from the COVALENT-111 Phase II study are
incredibly promising, showing that icovamenib delivers significant
and clinically meaningful reductions in HbA1c. We now understand
the duration of dosing and target patient population. This study
confirms the potential of menin inhibition as a novel mechanism for
treating type 2 diabetes. Achieving a HbA1c reduction of this
magnitude without chronic treatment is paradigm shifting in
diabetes therapy,” said Dr. Juan Pablo Frias, Chief Medical Officer
of Biomea Fusion.
Conference Call and Webcast DetailsWebcast of
Biomea’s investor update on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at 8:00 am
EST will be available to registered attendees under the Investors
and Media section of the company’s website at
https://investors.biomeafusion.com/news-events/events. A replay of
the presentation will be archived on Biomea’s site following the
event.
The clinical hold which was placed on icovamenib was due to data
FDA had observed during the Escalation Phase, when higher dosages
of icovamenib were tested. The clinical hold led to a disruption
for patients enrolled in the COVALENT-111 study. It had a more
profound impact on the ongoing Phase II COVALENT -112 study in type
1 diabetes, where over 90% of the targeted patient population were
not able to complete dosing due to the clinical hold. We are
therefore planning to continue the enrollment in COVALENT-112 so we
can provide a more complete update in this patient population in
2025.
About IcovamenibIcovamenib is an
investigational, orally bioavailable, potent, and selective
covalent inhibitor of menin. The molecule was built using Biomea
Fusion’s FUSION™ System and is designed to regenerate
insulin-producing beta cells with the aim to cure diabetes.
Icovamenib’s proposed mechanism of action in diabetes is to enable
the proliferation, preservation, and reactivation of a patient’s
own healthy, functional, insulin-producing beta cells. As the
potentially first disease-modifying therapy for T1D and T2D,
icovamenib could become an important addition and complement to the
diabetes treatment landscape once it has successfully completed its
ongoing clinical studies.
About Menin’s Role in DiabetesLoss of
functional beta cell mass is a core component of the natural
history in both types of diabetes — type 1 diabetes (mediated by
autoimmune dysfunction) and T2D (mediated by metabolic
dysfunction). Beta cells are found in the pancreas and are
responsible for the synthesis and secretion of insulin. Insulin is
a hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy and helps
control blood glucose levels. In patients with diabetes, beta cell
mass and function have been observed to be diminished, leading to
insufficient insulin secretion and hyperglycemia. Menin is thought
to act as a brake on beta cell turnover and growth, supporting the
notion that inhibition of menin could lead to the regeneration of
normal, healthy beta cells. Based on these and other scientific
findings, Biomea is exploring the potential for icovamenib-mediated
menin inhibition as a viable therapeutic approach to potentially
halt or reverse progression of T2D.
About Type 2 DiabetesDiabetes is considered a
chronic health condition that affects how the body turns food into
energy and results in excessive glucose in the bloodstream. Over
time, this can cause serious health problems and damage vital
organs. Most people with diabetes have a shorter life expectancy
than people without this disease. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention estimates about two in five adults in the United
States are now expected to develop diabetes during their lifetime.
More than 37 million people of all ages (about 11% of the US
population) have diabetes today. 96 million adults (more than one
in three) have pre-diabetes, blood glucose levels that are higher
than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.
Diabetes is also one of the largest economic burdens on the United
States health care system with one dollar out of every four dollars
in US health care costs spent on caring for people with diabetes.
Despite the current availability of many diabetes medications,
there remains a significant need in the treatment and care of
patients with diabetes.
About Biomea Fusion Biomea Fusion is a
clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery
and development of oral covalent small molecules to improve the
lives of patients with diabetes, obesity, and genetically defined
cancers. A covalent small molecule is a synthetic compound that
forms a permanent bond to its target protein and offers a number of
potential advantages over conventional non-covalent drugs,
including greater target selectivity, lower drug exposure, and the
ability to drive a deeper, more durable response.
We are utilizing our proprietary FUSION™ System to discover,
design and develop a pipeline of next-generation covalent-binding
small-molecule medicines designed to maximize clinical benefit for
patients. We aim to have an outsized impact on the treatment of
disease for the patients we serve. We aim to cure.
Visit us at biomeafusion.com and follow us
on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.
Forward-Looking Statements Statements we make
in this press release may include statements which are not
historical facts and are considered forward-looking statements
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These
statements may be identified by words such as “aims,”
“anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,”
“forecasts,” “goal,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “possible,”
“potential,” “seeks,” “will,” and variations of these words or
similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking
statements. Any such statements in this press release that are not
statements of historical fact, including statements regarding the
clinical and therapeutic potential of our product candidates and
development programs, their mechanism of action, and their
potential relative to approved products marketed by third parties;
the potential benefits to future trial design and program
development of subtyping diabetes patients; our research,
development and regulatory plans, the progress of our ongoing and
upcoming clinical trials and the timing of such events may be
deemed to be forward-looking statements. We intend these
forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor
provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A
of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act and are
making this statement for purposes of complying with those safe
harbor provisions. Any forward-looking statements in this press
release are based on our current expectations, estimates and
projections only as of the date of this release and are subject to
a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or
implied by such forward-looking statements, including the risk that
preliminary or interim results of preclinical studies or clinical
trials may not be predictive of future or final results in
connection with future clinical trials that our analysis of
preliminary or interim data in subsets of patients may not be
predictive of our product candidate in a broader patient
population, and the risk that we may encounter delays in
preclinical or clinical development, patient enrollment and in the
initiation, conduct and completion of our ongoing and planned
clinical trials and other research and development activities.
These risks concerning Biomea Fusion’s business and operations are
described in additional detail in its periodic filings with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its most
recent periodic report filed with the SEC and subsequent filings
thereafter. Biomea Fusion explicitly disclaims any obligation to
update any forward-looking statements except to the extent required
by law.
Contact: Ramses Erdtmann COO
& President of Biomea Fusionre@biomeafusion.com
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