Skyhawk Therapeutics Announces Positive Topline Results from Parts A and B of its Phase 1 Clinical Trial of SKY-0515 as a Treatment for Huntington’s Disease, Reaching 72% Huntingtin mRNA Reduction
July 10 2024 - 8:30AM
Skyhawk Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company
developing novel small molecule therapies designed to modulate
critical RNA targets, today announced positive results from Parts A
and B of its Phase 1 clinical trial of SKY-0515, which is being
developed as a potential treatment for Huntington’s disease (HD).
SKY-0515 demonstrated an average HTT mRNA reduction of 72% at a
daily oral dose of 9mg and was generally well tolerated at all
doses tested.
SKY-0515 is Skyhawk’s investigational small
molecule RNA splicing modifier developed through the company's
novel RNA-splicing platform. SKY-0515 is designed to reduce both
HTT protein and PMS1 protein, an additional key driver of somatic
CAG repeat expansion and HD pathology.
“Huntingtin-lowering and somatic expansion have
been two of the hottest targets in HD research in the past decade.
Reducing both HTT and PMS1 could have greater therapeutic benefit
than lowering HTT alone,” said Ed Wild, Professor of Neurology at
University College London. “Huntington’s disease is a rare
hereditary neurodegenerative disease affecting over 40,000 patients
in the United States. There are no approved treatments that can
reverse or slow its course of progression. SKY-0515’s HTT reduction
has the highest dynamic range I’ve seen from any therapeutic
modality and gives me great hope for SKY-0515’s potential to one
day help those patients in need.”
“We believe that, with these impressive HTT mRNA
lowering results and the drug’s predicted suppression of the PMS1
protein, SKY-0515, if approved, could make a meaningful difference
in Huntington’s patients’ lives,” said Douglas V. Faller, M.D.,
Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Skyhawk Therapeutics. “The Safety
Review Committee has determined that SKY-0515 has been generally
well tolerated at all tested doses with a dose proportional
increase in systemic exposure and, given these favorable safety
results, approved this study to move into the patient arm.
Recruitment has begun, and topline data from this part of the trial
are expected to report in Q2 2025.”
“After initiating this Phase 1 clinical trial in
late 2023, we’re delighted with the speed at which we’ve conducted
this study and thrilled to report such compelling results for
SKY-0515,” said Clint Musil, Chief Executive Officer, Skyhawk
Therapeutics. “These topline data represent a crucial step forward
for SKY-0515 and demonstrate the immense potential of the Skyhawk
platform to target indications for which there are no approved
disease modifying therapies.”
HTT mRNA levels in the blood from pre-dose are
described in the charts below.
SAD: Maximum reduction in HTT mRNA level in blood from
pre-dose within 24 hours after single dose |
|
MAD: Average reduction in HTT mRNA level in blood from
pre-dose over 24 hours post dose on day 14 |
|
|
|
Note: Error bars represent standard error of the mean. |
About SKY-0515 Phase 1 Clinical
StudySKY-0515 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1
clinical trial. The Phase 1 clinical trial is a first-in-human
trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability,
pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics, specifically blood
biomarker modulation activity, of SKY-0515 in healthy volunteers
and individuals with early-stage Huntington’s disease (HD). The
trial is separated into three parts. Parts A and B evaluated
SKY-0515 in healthy volunteers.
Part A was a double-blind placebo-controlled single
ascending dose study in healthy adult volunteers. In Part A, five
cohorts of participants were dosed with escalating single doses of
SKY-0515 ranging from 1mg to 16mg or placebo. Additionally, the
influence of food on the pharmacokinetics of SKY-0515 was examined
in a dedicated cohort.
Part B was a double-blind placebo-controlled
multiple ascending dose study in healthy adult volunteers. In Part
B, three cohorts of participants were randomized to receive
multiple ascending doses of SKY-0515 ranging from 1mg to 9mg or
placebo administered daily from days 1 to 14 (inclusive). Dose
levels of SKY-0515, identified in Parts A and B, will be evaluated
in Part C.
Part C is a double-blind placebo-controlled
parallel design study of two dose levels of SKY-0515 and placebo of
individuals with early-stage HD (HD-ISS Stage 1, 2, or mild Stage
3) preceded by an observational period lasting a minimum of 28
days, which aims to evaluate pharmacodynamic parameters such as
mutant HTT protein and mRNA. Recruitment for Part C has begun, and
topline data are expected in Q2 2025.
About Skyhawk
TherapeuticsSkyhawk Therapeutics is a clinical-stage
biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of
novel small molecule therapies designed to modulate critical RNA
targets and revolutionize patient treatment for some of the world’s
most intractable diseases. Skyhawk’s discovery expertise is rooted
in its proprietary drug discovery platform, which assesses,
identifies, and tests RNA splicing targets and small molecules
across a broad range of therapeutic areas and disease states.
Skyhawk has built collaborations with multiple pharma partners that
leverage Skyhawk’s novel platform across disease areas including
neurodegenerative disease, autoimmune disease, and oncology. For
more information visit www.skyhawktx.com.
Investor ContactAnne Marie
FieldsPrecision AQ (formerly known as Stern Investor
Relations)annemarie.fields@precisionaq.com332-213-1956
Skyhawk ContactMaura
McCarthymaura@skyhawktx.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are
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