Program on Track for MAA and BLA Regulatory Submissions in 2021
Recent Lancet Hematology Publication Describes Encouraging Safety and Efficacy Data from Interim Analysis of OTL-103 Fresh Formulation Registrational Trial
BOSTON and LONDON, April 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orchard Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ORTX), a leading commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with serious and life-threatening rare diseases through innovative gene therapies, today announced that the first patient with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) has been dosed in a open label study designed to evaluate engraftment of the cryopreserved formulation of OTL-103, its ex vivo autologous hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy.
"We are excited to have reached this milestone with the infusion of cryopreserved gene-modified stem cells in a patient with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, a life-threatening immune disorder for which there is no available therapy outside of allogeneic stem cell transplantation, which carries a significant risk of morbidity and mortality," said Mark Rothera, president and chief executive officer of Orchard. "We believe transitioning this program to a cryopreserved formulation is an essential step for the eventual commercialization of OTL-103, enabling patients to access treatment, if approved, on a global scale. As one of our lead programs, we are focused on advancing OTL-103 to regulatory filings in the U.S. and Europe in 2021."
While the registrational trial for OTL-103 for WAS used a fresh cell formulation, Orchard plans to commercialize this and other HSC gene therapies, if approved, using a cryopreserved formulation. In total, nearly 40 patients have been treated with a cryopreserved product across the company’s portfolio. The WAS cryopreserved formulation trial will enroll up to six patients, with the number of patients with successful engraftment measured at six months as the primary endpoint. This patient data will be used to supplement the company’s in vitro CMC comparability work between the fresh and cryopreserved formulation. Please refer to www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03837483) for additional clinical trial information.
Fresh Formulation Interim Results Recently Published in Lancet Hematology
An interim analysis (data cutoff April 2016) of the ongoing fresh formulation registrational trial of OTL-103 published this month in Lancet Hematology shows that gene therapy is an effective and safe treatment option for patients with severe WAS. The publication describes a significant reduction in the frequency of severe infections in patients treated with OTL-103 with follow-up ranging from 0.5 – 5.6 years. Moderate and severe bleeding episodes were also greatly reduced, with patients experiencing no severe bleeding events following gene therapy. The company intends to release the full registration trial data set, including the primary endpoint data with all patients at three years post-treatment with gene therapy later this year.
"Patients with WAS suffer from severe bleeding episodes, such as intracranial bleeds or severe gut bleeds, which can be fatal. Without treatment, the median survival for WAS patients is 14 years of age," said Alessandro Aiuti, professor of Pediatrics at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, and vice director of the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget) at Milan's San Raffaele Hospital. "To date, the only treatment available has been a bone marrow transplantation, which is not an option for everyone and carries its own risks. The interim results of the clinical study suggest that gene therapy may be an alternative."
"We are encouraged by recently published data demonstrating that the fresh formulation of OTL-103 can reduce the frequency and severity of both infections and severe bleeding episodes in WAS patients," said Andrea Spezzi, MBBS, FFPM, chief medical officer at Orchard. "The initiation of the cryo study is an important step to ensuring patients around the world with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome can have access to this potential treatment as soon as possible."
About WAS and OTL-103
WAS is a life-threatening inherited immune disorder characterized by autoimmunity and abnormal platelet function and manifests with recurrent, severe infections and...
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