Ompenaclid

A New York City drug developer led by well-known executives and backed by some of the top names in biotech investing is shutting down, a blow to a company that was prepping for a pivotal trial in colorectal cancer. Inspirna is “winding down” after “10 years as a fantastic biotech company,” CEO Oz Azam wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday morning. The cell and gene therapy veteran joined Inspirna in 2023 after leading Empyrean Neuroscience and Tmunity Therapeutics. Inspirna’s team decided to close the company after a Phase 2 trial of its oral small molecule, called ompenaclid, “did not read out positively” in KRAS colorectal cancer, according to a source familiar with the decision, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity. Merck KGaA paid $45 million upfront last year for the ex-US rights to the SLC6A8 inhibitor and had the option to co-develop and co-promote it in the US. The companies were also working on follow-up SLC6A8 compounds. Merck KGaA will “not pursue further development of ompenaclid” and will not exercise its option in the US, a spokesperson for the drugmaker told Endpoints News via email. Azam did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Endpoints. Inspirna is at least the seventh biotech to shutter so far in 2025, following last week’s news about Lyndra Therapeutics . Inspirna was putting together a global pivotal study of ompenaclid for patients with certain forms of colorectal cancer, but the trial “requires additional funding and is dependent on further FDA feedback,” according to the company’s first-quarter presentation . Inspirna last disclosed a $50 million Series D in July 2022. Its backers included blue-chip investors like Vivo Capital, Sands Capital, Novo Holdings, and Sofinnova Partners. The financing was expected to keep the R&D engine humming until the second half of 2024, a spokesperson told Endpoints at the time of the Series D. Inspirna also had a small molecule called abequolixron in its pipeline. The LXR-beta selective agonist was being tested in Phase 1b/2 for certain forms of lung cancer. GSK discovered the asset and originally intended for it to treat cardiovascular disease before licensing it out to Inspirna. Inspirna was formed more than a decade ago as Rgenix from the Tavazoie Lab at The Rockefeller University. The biotech’s platform focused on microRNA, or miRNA, dysregulation, which is thought to contribute to the development of cancer and its progression. Dieter Weinand, a former CEO of Bayer’s pharma division, chaired Inspirna’s board.

ROCKVILLE, MD, USA I March 19, 2025 I REGENXBIO Inc. (Nasdaq: RGNX ) today reported new, positive interim data from two additional patients in the Phase I/II portion of the AFFINITY DUCHENNE ® trial of RGX-202, a differentiated investigational gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne). Results were presented at the 2025 Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Clinical & Scientific Conference. “RGX-202 is the only next generation gene therapy for Duchenne in a pivotal phase trial. The new data from the age 1-3 cohort builds on the favorable safety and efficacy profile seen in ages 4 and older and reinforces the potential of RGX-202 to serve a wide age range of patients,” said Steve Pakola, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of REGENXBIO. “The consistent, robust microdystrophin levels seen across the age range as well as the functional improvements previously reported support RGX-202’s potential to alter the course of this devastating disease. We look forward to sharing additional Phase I/II functional data in the first half of 2025. We also continue to rapidly advance the pivotal trial towards completing enrollment this year and BLA submission mid-2026.” “Patients with Duchenne continue to be in need of treatment options that could meaningfully impact the course of disease,” said Carolina Tesi-Rocha, M.D., Stanford Children’s Hospital. “The microdystrophin expression and biomarker data presented represent key indicators of potential therapeutic effect. Combined with the safety and functional data to date, I am highly encouraged by the profile of RGX-202.” AFFINITY DUCHENNE Phase I/II Interim Data Updates Biomarker Data New biomarker data from two patients who received the pivotal dose of RGX-202 were presented at MDA and continue to support consistent, robust expression and transduction of RGX-202 microdystrophin across all ages. In a patient aged 3 at dosing, microdystrophin expression was measured to be 122.3% compared to control. Patients under 4 years old have no access to gene therapy, and REGENXBIO is the only gene therapy sponsor recruiting patients in this age group in the U.S. In a patient aged 7 years old, RGX-202 microdystrophin expression was measured to be 31.5% compared to control. In all patients, RGX-202 was appropriately localized to the sarcolemma, demonstrating the differentiated construct with the CT-Domain is appropriately targeting the muscle. RGX-202 microdystrophin expression results in ambulatory patients aged 8+ are the highest reported microdystrophin levels across approved or investigational gene therapies. To support a Biologics License Application (BLA) using the accelerated approval pathway, the primary endpoint in the pivotal phase of AFFINITY DUCHENNE is the proportion of participants whose RGX-202 microdystrophin expression is ≥10% at Week 12. RGX-202 also continues to demonstrate the highest reported vector genome copies (4.9-55.4) measured by qPCR across approved or investigational gene therapies. Safety and Tolerability Data As of February 21, 2025, RGX-202 was well tolerated with no serious adverse events (SAEs) and no AEs of special interest (AESIs). Common drug-related AEs included nausea, vomiting and fatigue. All resolved and are typically anticipated with gene therapy administration. A thorough, proactive, short-course immune modulation regimen in combination with industry-leading product purity levels of more than 80% full capsids may contribute to the favorable safety profile seen in patients receiving RGX-202 to date. As reported in November 2024, the first five participants in the Phase I/II portion of the AFFINITY DUCHENNE trial all showed functional improvements that exceeded external natural history controls, demonstrating evidence of RGX-202 positively impacting disease trajectory. ( press release ). Patients demonstrated stable or improved function on the North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) and timed function tests. REGENXBIO plans to share additional interim functional data in the first half of 2025. About RGX-202 RGX-202 is a potential best-in-class investigational gene therapy designed for improved function and outcomes in Duchenne. RGX-202 is the only gene therapy approved or in late-stage development for Duchenne with a differentiated microdystrophin construct that encodes key regions of naturally occurring dystrophin, including the C-Terminal (CT) domain. In preclinical studies, the CT domain has been shown to protect the muscle from contraction-induced stress and improve its ability to repair itself. Additional design features may potentially improve gene expression, increase protein translation efficiency and reduce immunogenicity. RGX-202 is designed to support the delivery and targeted expression of microdystrophin throughout skeletal and heart muscle using the NAV ® AAV8 vector and a well-characterized muscle-specific promoter (Spc5-12). RGX-202 is manufactured using REGENXBIO’s proprietary, high-yielding NAVXpress™ suspension-based platform process. About Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Duchenne is a severe, progressive, degenerative muscle disease, affecting 1 in 3,500 to 5,000 boys born each year worldwide. Duchenne is caused by mutations in the Duchenne gene which encodes for dystrophin, a protein involved in muscle cell structure and signaling pathways. Without dystrophin, muscles throughout the body degenerate and become weak, eventually leading to loss of movement and independence, required support for breathing, cardiomyopathy and premature death. ABOUT REGENXBIO Inc. REGENXBIO is a biotechnology company on a mission to improve lives through the curative potential of gene therapy. Since its founding in 2009, REGENXBIO has pioneered the field of AAV gene therapy. REGENXBIO is advancing a late-stage pipeline of one-time treatments for rare and retinal diseases, including RGX-202 for the treatment of Duchenne; clemidsogene lanparvovec (RGX-121) for the treatment of MPS II and RGX-111 for the treatment of MPS I, both in partnership with Nippon Shinyaku; and surabgene lomparvovec (ABBV-RGX-314) for the treatment of wet AMD and diabetic retinopathy, in collaboration with AbbVie. Thousands of patients have been treated with REGENXBIO’s AAV platform, including those receiving Novartis’ ZOLGENSMA ® . REGENXBIO’s investigational gene therapies have the potential to change the way healthcare is delivered for millions of people. For more information, please visit www.REGENXBIO.com . SOURCE: REGENXBIO