Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

EmendoBio’s technology will aid Anocca in delivering tailored therapies to patients more rapidly. Credit: Natali _ Mis / Shutterstock.com. Swedish biotech company Anocca has entered a non-exclusive licensing agreement with EmendoBio to use the latter’s OMNI-A4 nuclease, a gene editing technology [that cleaves chains of nucleotides in nucleic acids into smaller units]. This strategic move is set to expedite developing and manufacturing Anocca’s pipeline of T cell receptor-engineered T cell (TCR-T) therapies, targeting difficult-to-treat solid cancers. The latest development comes after Anocca received good manufacturing practice compliance certification and a manufacturing licence from regulators in Sweden for its cell therapy production facility. Anocca CEO and co-founder Reagan Jarvis stated: “Integrating EmendoBio’s nuclease into our manufacturing process supports Anocca’s aim of generating the highest-quality cell therapy products. “This next-generation gene editing system provides the precision and efficiency needed to scale out production of our growing libraries of TCR-T products in a high-precision manufacturing process. See Also: Eli Lilly-backed Zephyr AI secures $111m for precision medicine tech Almirall to license Eloxx’s ZKN-013 for rare skin conditions “We are excited to work with EmendoBio to develop gene-edited TCR-T cell therapies as we prepare for our first clinical programme targeting the KRAS driver mutation in a hard-to-treat solid cancer.” EmendoBio’s technology is expected to significantly enhance Anocca’s manufacturing expertise. It will also aid the company in delivering tailored therapies to patients more rapidly, focusing on the genetic causes of hard-to-treat cancer types. The licensed gene editing technology is part of EmendoBio’s nuclease suite designed for high activity and specificity within cell therapy applications. EmendoBio director Dr Ei Yamada stated: “This non-exclusive licensing agreement marks a significant milestone in the field of T cell therapy. “Together with Anocca, we are embracing the shared vision of harnessing the potential of gene editing and cellular therapies to make a profound impact on patient outcomes. Our combined expertise will unlock novel avenues for therapeutic development and push the boundaries of what’s possible in advanced medicine.” In May 2023, Anocca secured Skr400m ($38.9m) in an equity financing round to develop next-generation cell therapies for cancer on an industrial scale. AMF and Mellby Gård led the funding round. Cell & Gene Therapy coverage on Pharmaceutical Technology is supported by Cytiva. Editorial content is independently produced and follows the highest standards of journalistic integrity. Topic sponsors are not involved in the creation of editorial content. Free Whitepaper Cell and gene therapies: Pipe dream to pipeline The cell and gene industry is gaining momentum, with a new wave of therapies promising to transform the way doctors treat, and even cure, disease. In this report, Cytiva and GlobalData have collaborated to explore the rise of the cell and gene therapy industries, the current state of the market, present and future opportunities for advancement, and the challenges that lie ahead. By Cytiva Thematic By downloading this case study, you acknowledge that GlobalData may share your information with Cytiva Thematic and that your personal data will be used as described in their Privacy Policy

AstraZeneca’s rare disease portfolio generated $7.76bn in global sales in 2023, as per the company’s Q4 financials. Image Credit: EllaSt / Shutterstock. AstraZeneca has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Amolyt Pharma, which specialises in therapies for rare endocrine diseases, in a deal worth $1.05bn. As per the contract, AstraZeneca will pay $800m upfront along with potential regulatory milestone payments of $250m. The deal is expected to close in Q3 2024. Amolyt’s lead candidate, eneboparatide (AZP-3601), was a central part of the acquisition. Eneboparatide is a subcutaneous parathyroid hormone receptor 1 (PTHR1) agonist for the treatment of hypoparathyroidism. This condition is caused by a deficiency in the parathyroid hormone that results in decreased calcium and elevated phosphorus levels in the blood. Dysregulation of parathyroid hormone can lead to osteoporosis and chronic kidney disease. Amolyt launched a Phase III CALYPSO trial (NCT05778071) for eneboparatide in May 2023. Topline data from the trial is expected by the end of this year. Another candidate in Amolyt’s pipeline is AZP-3813. The therapy is a peptide growth hormone receptor antagonist, which is being developed as a potential add-on to somatostatin analogues for the treatment of acromegaly, a condition associated with abnormally high secretion of growth hormone. It can lead to a variety of complications including heart failure and impaired glucose tolerance. The company initiated a Phase I trial for AZP-3813 in June 2023. See Also: Almirall to license Eloxx’s ZKN-013 for rare skin conditions Risk adjusted net present value: What is the current valuation of AstraZeneca’s AZD-3427? AstraZeneca’s rare disease portfolio generated $7.76bn in global sales in 2023, as per the company’s Q4 financials. The UK pharma giant has been investing heavily in rare disease therapies starting with the $39bn acquisition of Alexion in 2021. Last year, the company paid $1bn to acquire an early-stage gene therapy portfolio for rare diseases from Pfizer. According to a GlobalData report, innovation in rare diseases is seen as a risky investment, with rare oncology indications dominating most of the rare disease pipeline. GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology . Despite this, AstraZeneca has seen some success amongst rare diseases that are not cancer-related. In September 2023, the Phase III trial for a rare vasculitis therapy, Fasenra (benralizumab), met its primary endpoint. The study found that Fasenra was non-inferior to the current standard of care, Pfizer’s Nucala (mepolizumab). Earlier this year, AstraZeneca reported positive outcomes from its Japan Phase III clinical trial of acoramidis, an investigational treatment for a rare cardiomyopathy, transthyretin-mediated amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM).

BARCELONA, Spain & WATERTOWN, Mass.--( BUSINESS WIRE )-- Almirall, S.A. (BME:ALM) and Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC: ELOX) announced today that the companies have entered into an exclusive license agreement for the asset ZKN-013 . Under the agreement, Almirall obtains global rights to develop and commercialize ZKN-013, including for the use in orphan dermatological diseases. ZKN-013 is a potentially promising oral, nonsense mutation readthrough drug, which enables the host cells to produce functional proteins which counteract the root cause of these rare dermatological and potentially other diseases. The drug candidate is expected to shortly enter into Phase I development in healthy volunteers. As part of this agreement, Eloxx will receive an upfront of $3 million, and additional payments throughout the potential development phases, including regulatory and sales milestones of up to $470 million, as well as tiered royalties based on any potential future global sales. " We are very excited about this agreement with Almirall to develop and distribute ZKN-013, our lead TURBO-ZM™ based molecule, as we believe it has the potential to have a significant impact on the treatment of these painful and debilitating diseases ,” said Sumit Aggarwal, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eloxx . “ In addition to advancing development of ZKN-013, this agreement will allow Eloxx to remain focused on fully maximizing the potential of ELX-02 in rare kidney diseases and continue funded discovery efforts on our TURBO-ZM™ platform .” “ This license agreement is aligned with Almirall’s R&D strategy to develop novel treatments to help people with dermatological conditions, including rare diseases ” said Karl Ziegelbauer, Executive Vice President R&D and Chief Scientific Officer of Almirall . “ We look forward to progressing the development of ZKN-013 to find a potentially impactful solution for patients suffering from rare and devastating diseases caused by nonsense mutations .” RDEB /JEB are rare skin diseases characterized by defects in the Collagen7 gene which is essential for the correct formation of the skin structure and barrier function. ZKN-013 has demonstrated robust functional preclinical activity in RDEB/JEB patient cells and in APCmin (multiple intestinal neoplasia) mice. The studies demonstrated that ZKN-013 induces the production of functional, full-length COL7 in RDEB patient cells. ZKN-013 is also being developed for the treatment of FAP patients with nonsense mutations characterized by proliferation of colon polyps and progression to colon cancer. FAP is a rare GI disease with patients progressing to colon cancer caused by mutations in the APC gene. ZKN-013 is Eloxx’s lead TURBO-ZM based molecule. Eloxx's TURBO-ZM platform uses chemistry technology to develop novel Ribosome Modulating Agents to target the human ribosome to develop new potential therapeutics. Ribosomes form the translation machinery that generates functional proteins from genetic sequences; modulating the ribosome subunits provides a therapeutic approach to address a number of different diseases. About Eloxx Pharmaceuticals Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is engaged in the science of ribosome modulation, leveraging its innovative TURBO-ZM™ chemistry technology platform in an effort to develop novel Ribosome Modulating Agents (RMAs) and its library of Eukaryotic Ribosome Selective Glycosides (ERSGs). Eloxx’s lead investigational product candidate, ELX-02, is a small molecule drug candidate designed to restore production of full-length functional proteins. ELX-02 is in Phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of Alport syndrome in patients with nonsense mutations. For more information, please visit www.eloxxpharma.com . About Almirall Almirall is a global pharmaceutical company dedicated to medical dermatology. We closely collaborate with leading scientists, healthcare professionals, and patients to deliver our purpose: to transform the patients' world by helping them realize their hopes and dreams for a healthy life . We are at the forefront of science to deliver ground-breaking, differentiated medical dermatology innovations that address patients´ needs. Almirall, founded in 1944 and headquartered in Barcelona, is publicly traded on the Spanish Stock Exchange (ticker: ALM). Almirall (total revenue in 2023: €898.8 MM, 1900 employees globally) has a direct presence in 21 countries and affiliates in over 70 others. For more information, please visit almirall.com Eloxx Forward-looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including without limitation, statements regarding the potential future payments and future benefits under the license agreement, achievement of key milestones under the license agreement and the expected timeline for clinical development and efficacy of ZKN-013 are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the words “aim,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “explore,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “seeks,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current plans, estimates, assumptions and projections based on information currently available to us. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various important factors, including, but not limited to: our ability, or our licensees’ ability, to progress any product candidates in preclinical or clinical trials; the uncertainty of clinical trial results and the fact that positive results from preclinical studies are not always indicative of positive clinical results; the scope, rate and progress of our, and our licensees’ preclinical studies and clinical trials and other research and development activities; the competition for patient enrollment from drug candidates in development;; our ability to obtain the capital necessary to fund our operations; the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights; our ability to obtain financing in the future through product licensing, public or private equity or debt financing or otherwise; our ability to meet the continued listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market; general business conditions, regulatory environment, competition and market for our products; and business ability and judgment of personnel, and the availability of qualified personnel and other important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC, accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the “Financials & Filings” page of our website at https://investors.eloxxpharma.com/financials-filings . All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and, except as required by applicable law, we have no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise. Almirall Legal warning This document includes only summary information and is not intended to be exhaustive. The facts, figures and opinions contained in this document, in addition to the historical ones, are "forward-looking statements". These statements are based on the information currently available and the best estimates and assumptions that the Company considers reasonable. These statements involve risks and uncertainties beyond the control of the Company. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from those declared by such forward-looking statements. The Company expressly waives any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, goals or estimates contained in this document to reflect any changes in the assumptions, events or circumstances on which such forward-looking statements are based, unless required by the applicable law.