Genethon and Hansa Biopharma announce initiation of a Phase 2 trial of imlifidase as a pre-treatment to GNT-0003 in severe Crigler-Najjar syndrome

Hansa Biopharma AB France Sweden

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Notes to editors

About imlifidase

Imlifidase is a unique antibody-cleaving enzyme originating from Streptococcus pyogenes that specifically targets IgG and inhibits IgG-mediated immune response.5 It has a rapid onset of action, cleaving IgG-antibodies and inhibiting their activity within hours after administration. Imlifidase has conditional marketing approval in Europe and is marketed under the trade name IDEFIRIX® for the desensitization treatment of highly sensitized adult kidney transplant patients with a positive crossmatch against an available deceased donor.5 

About Crigler-Najjar syndrome

Crigler-Najjar syndrome is a rare genetic liver disease characterized by abnormally high levels of bilirubin in the blood (hyperbilirubinemia), which leads to irreversible neurological damage manifested as muscle weakness, lethargy, deafness, mental retardation, and eye movement paralysis. This accumulation of bilirubin is caused by a deficiency of the UGT1A1 enzyme, responsible for transforming bilirubin into a substance that can be eliminated by the body. It can result in significant neurological damage and death if not treated quickly. At present, patients must undergo phototherapy for up to 12 hours a day to keep their bilirubin levels below the toxicity threshold. Crigler-Najjar syndrome is an ultra-rare disease affecting less than one case per one million people per year.6

About imlifidase and gene therapy

Imlifidase is currently being evaluated as a pre-treatment to gene therapy in areas of high unmet need. Many gene therapies are based on the use of Adeno Associated Viruses (AAV) vectors.1-4,7 In some patients the immune system carries antibodies that counteract the gene therapy treatment preventing its success.1-4,8-10 Pre-treatment with imlifidase prior to AAV-based gene therapy treatment has the potential to inactivate antibodies and thereby enable gene therapy in patients with pre-existing antibodies to AAV-based gene therapies.9 Currently, it is estimated that anti-AAV antibodies on average prevent 1 in 3 people from benefiting from gene therapy treatments.1-4,8

About Hansa Biopharma

Hansa Biopharma is a pioneering commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company on a mission to develop and commercialize innovative, lifesaving and life-altering treatments for patients with rare immunological conditions. Hansa Biopharma has developed a first-in-class immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody-cleaving enzyme therapy, which has been shown to enable kidney transplantation in highly sensitized patients. Hansa Biopharma has a rich and expanding research and development program based on the Company's proprietary IgG-cleaving enzyme technology platform, to address serious unmet medical needs in transplantation, autoimmune diseases, gene therapy and cancer. Hansa Biopharma is based in Lund, Sweden, and has operations in Europe and the U.S. The company is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker HNSA. Find out more at www.hansabiopharma.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Genethon

A pioneer in the discovery and development of gene therapies for rare diseases, Généthon is a non-profit organization created by the AFM-Téléthon. The first gene therapy to treat spinal muscular atrophy, incorporating technologies developed at Genethon, is marketed worldwide. With over 200 scientists and professionals, Genethon pursues its goal of developing innovative therapies that change the lives of patients suffering from rare genetic diseases. Thirteen products from Genethon's R&D or collaborations are in clinical trials for diseases of the liver, blood, immune system, muscles and eyes. A further seven products could enter clinical trials in the next five years. To find out more www.genethon.com

©2024 Hansa Biopharma AB. Hansa Biopharma, the beacon logo, IDEFIRIX, and IDEFIRIX flower logo are trademarks of Hansa Biopharma AB, Lund, Sweden. All rights reserved.

References

Boutin S, et al. Prevalence of serum IgG and neutralizing factors against adeno-associated virus (AAV) types 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9 in the healthy population: implications for gene therapy using AAV vectors. Hum Gene Ther. 2010 Jun;21(6):704-12. doi: 10.1089/hum.2009.182. PMID: 20095819.Calcedo R, Wilson JM. Humoral Immune Response to AAV. Front Immunol. 2013 Oct 18;4:341. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2013.00341. PMID: 24151496; PMCID: PMC3799231.Veron P, Leborgne C, Monteilhet V, Boutin S, Martin S, Moullier P, Masurier C. Humoral and cellular capsid-specific immune responses to adeno-associated virus type 1 in randomized healthy donors. J Immunol. 2012 Jun 15;188(12):6418-24. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1200620. Epub 2012 May 16. PMID: 22593612.Kruzik A, et al. Prevalence of Anti-Adeno-Associated Virus Immune Responses in International Cohorts of Healthy Donors. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev. 2019 Jun 7;14:126-133. doi: 10.1016/j.omtm.2019.05.014. PMID: 31338384; PMCID: PMC6629972.European Medicines Agency. Idefirix® summary of product characteristics. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/idefirix-epar-product-information_en.pdf. https://www.genethon.com/our-pipeline/crigler-najjar-syndrome/. Last accessed: 29 November 2024Lundstrom K. Viral Vectors in Gene Therapy: Where Do We Stand in 2023? Viruses. 2023 Mar 7;15(3):698. doi: 10.3390/v15030698. PMID: 36992407; PMCID: PMC10059137.Falese L, et al. Strategy to detect pre-existing immunity to AAV gene therapy. Gene Ther. 2017 Dec;24(12):768-778. doi: 10.1038/gt.2017.95. Epub 2017 Nov 6. PMID: 29106404; PMCID: PMC5746592.Leborgne C, et al. IgG-cleaving endopeptidase enables in vivo gene therapy in the presence of anti-AAV neutralizing antibodies. Nat Med. 2020 Jul;26(7):1096-1101. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0911-7. Epub 2020 Jun 1. PMID: 32483358.Au H.K, et al. (2022) Gene Therapy Advances: A Meta-Analysis of AAV Usage in Clinical Settings. Front. Med. 8:809118. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.809118

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