C5 x Complement system proteins

— First Ever Trial in Pregnant Women at Higher Risk of Alloimmunization and FNAIT — — Screening in the Phase 2 Clinical Trial On Track to Initiate in 4Q 2024 — NEW HAVEN, CT, USA I October 29, 2024 I Rallybio Corporation (Nasdaq: RLYB), a clinical-stage biotechnology company translating scientific advances into transformative therapies for patients with devastating rare diseases, today announced the approval of its clinical trial applications (CTAs) for a Phase 2 clinical trial of RLYB212 in pregnant women at higher risk for HPA-1a alloimmunization and fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT). With these approvals from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Rallybio will begin to activate Phase 2 clinical sites and expects to initiate screening of participants in the fourth quarter of 2024. “Securing these CTA approvals from European health authorities to advance RLYB212 into a Phase 2 trial is a significant achievement. These approvals are a testament to the dedication and innovation of our team and our partners as we advance this first ever program to prevent maternal alloimmunization and FNAIT,” said Stephen Uden, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Rallybio. “We are activating clinical sites and expect to initiate screening this quarter, which will mark another important step toward achieving our mission to prevent FNAIT and its potentially devastating consequences.” The single-arm Phase 2 dose confirmation trial ( 2024-512651-20 / NCT06435845 ) will be conducted in Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the UK, and is designed to assess the pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety of RLYB212, a monoclonal anti-HPA-1a antibody, in a total of eight pregnant women at higher risk for HPA-1a alloimmunization and FNAIT. Secondary objectives include assessments of pregnancy and neonatal/infant outcomes, and the occurrence of emergent HPA-1a alloimmunization. Subcutaneous administration of RLYB212 will be initiated by Gestational Week 16 and will continue every 4 weeks through parturition. “These approvals recognize Rallybio’s commitment to safely and effectively progress a novel prophylactic approach for preventing alloimmunization in pregnant women at higher FNAIT risk,” said Steven Ryder, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Rallybio. “We are proud to be leaders in bringing much needed innovation to this area of women’s health, which has gone unaddressed for far too long.” About FNAIT Fetal and Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) is a potentially life-threatening rare disease that can cause uncontrolled bleeding in fetuses and newborns. FNAIT can arise during pregnancy due to an immune incompatibility between an expectant mother and her fetus in a specific platelet antigen called human platelet antigen 1, or HPA-1. There are two predominant forms of HPA-1, known as HPA-1a and HPA-1b, which are expressed on the surface of platelets. Individuals who are homozygous for HPA-1b, meaning that they have two copies of the HPA-1b allele and no copies of the HPA-1a allele, are also known as HPA-1a negative. Upon exposure to the HPA-1a antigen, these individuals can develop antibodies to that antigen in a process known as alloimmunization. In HPA-1a-negative expectant mothers bearing a HPA-1a-positive fetus, alloimmunization can occur upon mixing of fetal blood with maternal blood. When alloimmunization occurs in an expectant mother, the anti-HPA-1a antibodies that develop in the mother can cross the placenta and destroy platelets in the fetus. The destruction of platelets in the fetus can result in severely low platelet counts, or thrombocytopenia, and potentially lead to devastating consequences including miscarriage, stillbirth, death of the newborn, or severe lifelong neurological disability in those babies who survive. There is currently no approved therapy for the prevention or prenatal treatment of FNAIT. About Rallybio Rallybio (NASDAQ: RLYB) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a mission to develop and commercialize life-transforming therapies for patients with severe and rare diseases. Rallybio has built a broad pipeline of promising product candidates aimed at addressing diseases with unmet medical need in areas of maternal fetal health, complement dysregulation, hematology, and metabolic disorders. The Company has two clinical stage programs: RLYB212, an anti-HPA-1a antibody for the prevention of fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) and RLYB116, an inhibitor of complement component 5 (C5), with the potential to treat several diseases of complement dysregulation, as well as additional programs in preclinical development. Rallybio is headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut. For more information, please visit www.rallybio.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter . SOURCE: Rallybio

Plus, news about Astellas, Clover, ElevateBio, Monopar, Idorsia and Neurocrine Biosciences: Vera Therapeutics plans $300M offering: The California biotech is selling shares after presenting Phase 2b data for an experimental drug called atacicept over the weekend. The company shared 96-week data for patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy. — Kyle LaHucik Abeona Therapeutics resubmits rare skin disease therapy: Back in April, the FDA rejected Abeona’s cell therapy, called pz-cel, requesting more information about manufacturing. Abeona is developing pz-cel for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic skin disease. — Lei Lei Wu Astellas yanks Izervay’s submission in Europe: The company said it withdrew its marketing authorization application for Izervay, a C5 protein inhibitor for geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration. Astellas did not detail feedback from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, but said it is still “confident” in Izervay’s risk-benefit profile and will continue to engage with regulators in Europe and elsewhere. There are currently no treatments approved for GA secondary to AMD outside of the US, where Izervay was greenlit in August of last year. — Ayisha Sharma Clover releases early RSV vaccine data: The Shanghai-based biotech said its bivalent vaccine candidate, SCB-1019, produced “comparable” levels of RSV neutralizing antibodies to GSK’s Arexvy at 28 days in a Phase 1 test. Based on these data, Clover plans to advance the asset into studies focused on re-vaccination next year. — Ayisha Sharma ElevateBio lays off 4%: The genetic medicines company, which employs about 500 people, is ending its preclinical cellular engineering work, a spokesperson told Endpoints News on Monday. The Waltham, MA-based biotech laid off about 13% of its staff in October 2023. It’s one of the most well-funded private biopharma startups after having raised about $1.25 billion, including its $401 million Series D last year. Partnerships with companies like Novo Nordisk, Moderna, Kyverna and Affini-T are unaffected, the spokesperson confirmed. — Kyle LaHucik Monopar Therapeutics prices $19.2M offering: The Chicago-area biotech sold shares to Janus Henderson, RA Capital and others. A few days ago, Monopar licensed a Wilson disease drug candidate from AstraZeneca’s Alexion. — Kyle LaHucik Idorsia ends work with Neurocrine Biosciences: The companies were developing Idorsia’s T-type calcium channel blocker for patients with a rare form of pediatric epilepsy. The treatment failed a Phase 2 study in 2022, and further analysis led to the decision to stop work. — Jaimy Lee

AMD is a significant cause of central vision loss in the elderly, often affecting both eyes. Credit: GBJSTOCK/Shutterstock. Astellas Pharma has announced the withdrawal of its marketing authorisation application for avacincaptad pegol intravitreal solution (ACP) to treat geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The withdrawal follows discussions with the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP). AMD is a significant cause of central vision loss in the elderly, often affecting both eyes. ACP, an investigational synthetic aptamer, inhibits the complement C5 protein. The overactivity of the complement system and C5 protein contributes to the scarring and vision loss associated with GA secondary to AMD. See Also: Pharma companies must adapt to keep pace with AI developments, say experts AF stroke patients could benefit from earlier anticoagulant administration By acting on C5, ACP reduces the activity of the complement system, which is implicated in the degeneration of retinal cells, potentially slowing the progression of GA. Astellas ophthalmology development vice-president and head Marci English stated: “We would like to emphasise our confidence in ACP’s clinical profile as demonstrated in two randomised sham-controlled trials and its potential to benefit people living with geographic atrophy (GA). “While we are disappointed with the CHMP’s response, we have seen the impact this medicine has had for GA patients in the US and remain committed to serving unmet patient needs globally.” Astellas is examining the possible financial effects of this issue for the fiscal year ending 31 March 2025. Despite the withdrawal, Astellas maintains a positive stance on ACP. The company continues to have confidence in ACP’s clinical profile and its potential to slow the disease. There are no currently approved treatments for GA secondary to AMD outside the US, where ACP was approved under the name IZERVAY in August 2023. Astellas will work with regulatory authorities to explore all available options to make ACP accessible to patients with GA globally, including those in Europe. Astellas recently received US Food and Drug Administration approval for VYLOY (zolbetuximab-clzb), in conjunction with chemotherapy, for the treatment of advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer.