uniQure Announces Positive Interim Data Update Demonstrating
Slowing of Disease Progression in Phase I/II Trials of AMT-130 for
Huntington’s Disease
~ Achieved statistically significant,
dose-dependent, and durable evidence of potential therapeutic
benefit; Patients receiving high-dose AMT-130 showed 80% slowing of
disease progression in the composite Unified Huntington’s Disease
Rating Scale (cUHDRS) at 24 months compared to a propensity
score-weighted external control ~
~ Achieved statistically significant lowering
of CSF neurofilament light protein (NfL) compared to baseline at 24
months in patients treated with AMT-130; Mean CSF NfL levels for
both doses were below baseline at 24 months ~
~ Granted first-ever Regenerative Medicine
Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation in Huntington’s disease;
uniQure expects to meet with the FDA in the second half of 2024 to
discuss potential for expedited clinical development ~
~ Investor conference call and webcast today
at 8:30 a.m. ET ~
LEXINGTON, Mass. and AMSTERDAM, July 09, 2024
(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- uniQure N.V. (NASDAQ: QURE), a leading gene
therapy company advancing transformative therapies for patients
with severe medical needs, today announced updated interim data
including up to 24 months of follow-up data from 29 treated
patients enrolled in the ongoing U.S. and European Phase I/II
clinical trials of AMT-130 for the treatment of Huntington’s
disease.
“We are very pleased with these new data
demonstrating a statistically significant, dose-dependent slowing
of the progression of Huntington’s disease and lowering of NfL in
the CSF at 24 months,” stated Walid Abi-Saab, M.D., chief medical
officer of uniQure. “We believe this is the first clinical trial of
any investigational medicine for Huntington’s disease to show
evidence of a potential long-term clinical benefit and reduction of
a key marker of neurodegeneration. Moreover, given the one-time
administration of AMT-130, we are in a unique position to continue
accumulating longer-term patient outcomes from the Phase I/II
studies to support the emerging therapeutic benefit. We look
forward to holding an initial, multi-disciplinary RMAT meeting with
the FDA later this year to discuss the potential for expedited
clinical development of AMT-130.”
“These updated results are exciting and provide
compelling evidence of potential therapeutic benefit,” stated
Victor Sung, M.D., professor of neurology at the University of
Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), director of the UAB Huntington’s
Disease Clinic, co-director of the UAB School of Medicine
Neuroscience Module, and trustee on the National Board of the
Huntington’s Disease Society of America. “The preservation of motor
and cognitive function observed through two years, combined with
reduced NfL levels below baseline, defy expectations about the
natural progression of Huntington’s disease. cUHDRS, in particular,
has been shown to be a robust and sensitive measure of disease
progression, and offers an opportunity for enhanced clinical trial
efficiency relative to individual measurements. These long-term
data provide encouraging support of durable disease-modification
and offer much needed hope for a community that is in desperate
need of therapeutic options.”
Exploratory Efficacy and Safety
Data1
uniQure is conducting two multi-center Phase
I/II clinical trials of AMT-130 in the U.S. (n=26) and Europe/UK
(n=13). A total of 29 patients received one of two doses of AMT-130
(n=12 low dose; n=17 high dose) and 10 control patients received
imitation surgery. Across both studies, 24-month follow-up data
from a total of 21 patients (n=12 low dose; n=9 high dose) were
available for analysis as of a March 31, 2024 cut-off date.
For the first time, uniQure conducted a
statistical analysis of clinical outcomes for the 21 treated
patients at 24 months compared to an expanded, propensity-weighted
external control (n=154) developed in collaboration with the Cure
Huntington’s Disease Initiative (CHDI) using data from the
TRACK-HD, TRACK-ON and PREDICT-HD natural history studies. The
external control includes patients that met the Phase I/II clinical
trial eligibility criteria, and whose data contributions were
statistically weighted using propensity scoring to closely match
the baseline characteristics of patients treated with AMT-130.
Disease-related outcomes for these well-balanced cohorts were then
compared after 24 months follow-up.
- A statistically significant,
dose-dependent, slowing in disease progression measured by cUHDRS
was observed through 24 months in patients receiving the high dose
of AMT-130.
- At 24 months, the mean change in
cUHDRS for patients receiving the high-dose of AMT-130 was -0.2
compared to -1.0 for patients in the propensity score-weighted
external control, representing an 80% slowing of disease
progression (p=0.007).
- At 24 months, the mean change in
cUDHRS for patients receiving the low-dose of AMT-130 was -0.7
compared to -1.0 for patients in the propensity score-weighted
external control, representing a 30% slowing of disease progression
(p=0.21).
- cUHDRS has been demonstrated to be
the most sensitive measurement of clinical progression in
Huntington’s disease patients2.
- Trends in measurements of motor and
cognitive function showed near-baseline stability throughout the 24
months of follow-up in patients receiving the high dose of
AMT-130.
- A statistically significant
reduction of NfL in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was observed in
patients treated with AMT-130.
-
Patients treated with AMT-130 had a mean reduction in CSF NfL of
11% compared to baseline (p=0.02) at 24 months.
- Mean CSF NfL
levels for both high and low doses were below baseline at 24
months.
- CSF NfL is a well-characterized
biomarker of neurodegeneration that has been shown to be strongly
associated with the clinical severity of Huntington’s disease. An
independent natural history study demonstrated a 26% increase in
CSF NfL at 24 months in patients with early manifest Huntington’s
disease (n=19).
- Based on data observed to date,
AMT-130 remains generally well-tolerated, with a manageable safety
profile at both doses. There were no new AMT-130-related serious
adverse events reported.
Next Steps
Based on the encouraging data from this interim
analysis, uniQure anticipates the following next steps:
- In the second half of 2024, uniQure
expects to hold a Type B, multi-disciplinary RMAT meeting with U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to present these updated data
and discuss potential expedited clinical development pathways and
accelerated approval.
- In the second half of 2024, uniQure
expects to complete enrollment of the third cohort of the U.S.
Phase I/II study exploring AMT-130 in combination with
immunosuppression. In the first half of 2025, uniQure anticipates
presenting safety data from this cohort.
- In mid-2025, uniQure expects to
present another interim analysis from the ongoing Phase I/II
studies of AMT-130. The data will include a 36-month comparison of
treated patients to the propensity score-weighted external
control.
Investor Conference Call and Webcast
Information
uniQure management will host an investor
conference call and webcast today, Tuesday, July 9
at 8:30 a.m. ET. The event will be webcast under the Events
& Presentations section of uniQure’s website at
https://www.uniqure.com/investors-media/events-presentations, and
following the event a replay will be archived for 90 days.
Interested parties participating by phone will need to register
using this online form. After registering for dial-in details, all
phone participants will receive an auto-generated e-mail containing
a link to the dial-in number along with a personal PIN number to
use to access the event by phone. If you are joining the conference
call, please dial in 15 minutes before the start time.
About the Phase I/II Clinical Program of
AMT-130
uniQure is conducting two multi-center,
dose-escalating, Phase I/II clinical trials to explore the safety,
tolerability, and exploratory efficacy signals of AMT-130 for the
treatment of Huntington’s disease. In the U.S. study, a total of 26
patients with early manifest Huntington’s disease were randomized
to treatment (n=6 low-dose; n=10 high dose) or an imitation (sham)
surgical procedure (n=10). Treated patients received a single
administration of AMT-130 through MRI-guided, convection-enhanced
stereotactic neurosurgical delivery directly into the striatum
(caudate and putamen). The study consists of a blinded 12-month
core study period followed by unblinded long-term follow-up of
treated patients for five years. An additional four control
patients crossed over to treatment.
The European open-label Phase Ib/II study of
AMT-130 enrolled 13 patients with early manifest Huntington’s
disease (n=6 low dose; n=7 high dose). Together with
the U.S. study, the European study is intended to
establish safety, proof of concept, and the optimal dose of AMT-130
to take forward into Phase III development or into a confirmatory
study should an accelerated registration pathway be
feasible.
A third cohort of up to 12 patients is currently
being enrolled between both U.S. and EU sites to explore both doses
of AMT-130 in combination with immunosuppression and using the
current, established stereotactic administration procedure.
Additional details are available on
www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT0543017, NCT04120493)
AMT-130 was granted the FDA’s Regenerative
Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation, the first for
Huntington’s disease.
About Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease is a rare, inherited
neurodegenerative disorder that leads to motor symptoms including
chorea, behavioral abnormalities and cognitive decline resulting in
progressive physical and mental deterioration. The disease is an
autosomal dominant condition with a disease-causing CAG repeat
expansion in the first exon of the huntingtin gene that leads to
the production and aggregation of abnormal protein in the brain.
According to 2021 study in Neuroepidemiology, approximately 70,000
people have been diagnosed with Huntington’s disease in the U.S.
and Europe, with hundreds of thousands of others at risk of
inheriting the disease. Despite the clear etiology of Huntington’s
disease, there are currently no approved therapies to delay the
onset or to slow the disease’s progression.
About uniQure
uniQure is delivering on the promise of gene
therapy – single treatments with potentially curative results. The
approvals of uniQure’s gene therapy for hemophilia B – an historic
achievement based on more than a decade of research and clinical
development – represent a major milestone in the field of genomic
medicine and ushers in a new treatment approach for patients living
with hemophilia. uniQure is now advancing a pipeline of proprietary
gene therapies for the treatment of patients with Huntington's
disease, refractory temporal lobe epilepsy, ALS, Fabry disease, and
other severe diseases. www.uniQure.com
uniQure Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of
historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are often
indicated by terms such as "anticipate," "believe," "could,"
“establish,” "estimate," "expect," "goal," "intend," "look forward
to", "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," “seek,”
"should," "will," "would" and similar expressions and the negatives
of those terms. Forward-looking statements are based on
management's beliefs and assumptions and on information available
to management as of the date of this press release. Examples of
these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to,
statements concerning: the Company’s plans to meet with regulatory
authorities to discuss the potential for expedited clinical
development; the timing of the Company’s planned meeting and
discussions with regulatory authorities; the Company’s ability to
continue accumulating long-term patient data; the potential
clinical and functional effects of AMT-130; the Company’s plans to
continue clinical development of AMT-130; the potential for
accelerated regulatory pathways; the Company’s use of a natural
history cohort as a basis for comparison with respect to the
efficacy of AMT-130; the Company’s enrollment plans with respect to
the third cohort studying AMT-130 in combination with
immunosuppression and plans to present safety data from this
cohort; the utility of NfL in CSF as an effective biomarker and
indicator of clinical severity; and the Company’s plans to present
further interim analyses. The Company’s actual results could differ
materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking
statements for many reasons. These risks and uncertainties
include, among others: risks related to the Company’s Phase I/ll
clinical trials of AMT-130, including the risk that such trials
will be unable to demonstrate data sufficient to support further
clinical development and the risk that interim data from the trials
may not be predictive of later data readouts; risks related to the
Company’s ability to pursue business development efforts with
respect to AMT-130; risks related to the Company’s interactions
with regulatory authorities, which may affect the initiation,
timing and progress of clinical trials and pathways to regulatory
approval; risks related to the Company’s use of propensity-weighted
external controls in connection with its statistical analysis of
clinical outcomes to date, and whether regulatory authorities will
accept the Company’s approach as a basis for accelerated approval;
risks related to the Company’s use of nominal p values as a basis
for its statistical analyses; whether the measurements that the
Company is evaluating continue to be viewed as robust and sensitive
measurements of disease progression; whether RMAT designation or
any accelerated pathway, if granted, will lead to regulatory
approval; the Company’s ability to conduct and fund a Phase III or
confirmatory study for AMT-130; the Company’s ability to continue
to build and maintain the infrastructure and personnel needed to
achieve its goals; the Company’s effectiveness in managing current
and future clinical trials and regulatory processes; the Company’s
ability to demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of its gene therapy
candidates in clinical trials; the continued development and
acceptance of gene therapies; the Company’s ability to obtain,
maintain and protect its intellectual property; and the Company’s
ability to fund its operations and to raise additional capital as
needed and on acceptable terms. These risks and uncertainties are
more fully described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the
Company’s periodic filings with the U.S. Securities &
Exchange Commission (SEC), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K
filed with the SEC on February 28, 2024 and in other filings that
the Company makes with the SEC from time to time. Given these
risks, uncertainties and other factors, you should not place undue
reliance on these forward-looking statements and, except as
required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these
forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes
available in the future.
uniQure Contacts:
FOR INVESTORS: |
|
FOR MEDIA: |
|
|
|
Maria E.
Cantor |
Chiara
Russo |
Tom
Malone |
Direct: 339-970-7536 |
Direct: 617-306-9137 |
Direct: 339-970-7558 |
Mobile: 617-680-9452 |
Mobile: 617-306-9137 |
Mobile:339-223-8541 |
m.cantor@uniQure.com |
c.russo@uniQure.com |
t.malone@uniQure.com |
1 All p-values are nominal and
unadjusted. Statistical comparisons of patients treated with
AMT-130 to the propensity score-weighted external control were
conducted on a post-hoc basis.
2 Tabrizi SJ, et al. Neurology. 2019; 92(15).
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