CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALNY), a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it will present new interim Phase 1 clinical data and additional pre-clinical study results on ALN-AT3 – an investigational RNAi therapeutic targeting antithrombin (AT) for the treatment of hemophilia and rare bleeding disorders (RBD) – at the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) 2015 Congress being held June 20 – 25, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
“We look forward to sharing these important new clinical and pre-clinical data for ALN-AT3. Indeed, we believe these new results will serve to highlight the potential for ALN-AT3 as a disease-modifying therapy for people with hemophilia and rare bleeding disorders,” said John Maraganore, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Alnylam. “In particular, our presentation of initial Phase 1 clinical data for ALN-AT3 is aimed at providing safety and preliminary clinical activity results from about a dozen subjects with severe hemophilia. We look forward to the continued advancement of this innovative, investigational medicine in the years to come.”
Presentations by Alnylam scientists at the meeting include:
- An oral presentation titled “Antithrombin Reduction Improves Coagulation in Rare Bleeding Disorder Plasma,” during the Rare Platelet Disorders session being held Tuesday, June 23, 2015 from 8:15 to 8:30 a.m. ET.
- An oral presentation titled “A Subcutaneously Administered Investigational RNAi Therapeutic (ALN-AT3) Targeting Antithrombin for Treatment of Hemophilia: Interim Phase 1 Study Results in Patients with Hemophilia A or B,” during the Hemophilia – Novel Treatments session being held Tuesday, June 23, 2015 from 2:30 to 2:45 p.m. ET.
- A poster presentation titled “Thrombin Generation in Human Hemophilia Plasma at Reduced Antithrombin Levels and Concomitant Factor or Bypass Agent Addition,” during the Coagulation Factor VIII - Factor IX – II session on Tuesday, June 23, 2015 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET.
- A poster presentation titled “Safety Evaluation of Chronic Antithrombin Silencing in Non-Human Primate and Expanded Therapeutic Index in a Hemophilia A Mouse Model,” during the Animal Models - III session on Wednesday, June 24, 2015 from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. ET.
Alnylam is also sponsoring a technical symposium titled “The Importance of Rebalancing the Coagulation System: A Potential New Approach for the Management of Hemophilia,” on Monday, June 22, 2015 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. ET at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC).
Finally, Alnylam will also host an investor event to discuss new interim Phase 1 clinical data with ALN-AT3 on Tuesday, June 23, 2015 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. ET at the Radisson Hotel Admiral Toronto-Harbourfront in Toronto.
About Hemophilia and Rare Bleeding Disorders
Hemophilias are hereditary disorders caused by genetic deficiencies of various blood clotting factors, resulting in recurrent bleeds into joints, muscles, and other major internal organs. Hemophilia A is defined by loss-of-function mutations in Factor VIII, and there are greater than 40,000 registered persons in the U.S. and E.U with Hemophilia A. Hemophilia B, defined by loss-of-function mutations in Factor IX, affects greater than 9,500 registered persons in the U.S. and E.U. Other Rare Bleeding Disorders (RBD) are defined by congenital deficiencies of other blood coagulation factors, including Factors II, V, VII, X, and XI, and there are about 1,000 persons worldwide with a severe bleeding phenotype. Standard treatment for persons living with hemophilia involves replacement of the missing clotting factor either as prophylaxis or on-demand therapy. However, as many as one third of people with severe hemophilia A will develop an antibody to their replacement factor - a very serious complication; persons in this ‘inhibitor’ subset become refractory to standard replacement therapy. There exists a small subset of persons living with hemophilia who have co-inherited a prothrombotic mutation, such as Factor V Leiden, antithrombin deficiency, protein C deficiency, and prothrombin G20210A. People who have co-inherited these prothrombotic mutations are characterized as having a later onset of disease, lower risk of bleeding, and reduced requirements for Factor VIII or Factor IX treatment as part of their disease management. There exists a significant need for novel therapeutics to treat people living with hemophilia.
About Antithrombin (AT)
Antithrombin (AT, also known as “antithrombin III” and “SERPINC1”) is a liver expressed plasma protein and member of the “serpin” family of proteins that acts as an important endogenous anticoagulant by inactivating Factor Xa and thrombin. AT plays a key role in normal hemostasis, which has evolved to balance the need to control blood loss through clotting with the need to prevent pathologic thrombosis through anticoagulation. In hemophilia, the loss of certain procoagulant factors (Factor VIII and Factor IX, in the case of hemophilia A and B, respectively) results in an imbalance of the hemostatic system toward a bleeding phenotype. In contrast, in thrombophilia (e.g., Factor V Leiden, protein C deficiency, antithrombin deficiency, amongst others), certain mutations result in an imbalance in the hemostatic system toward a thrombotic phenotype. Since co-inheritance of prothrombotic mutations may ameliorate the clinical phenotype in hemophilia, inhibition of AT defines a novel strategy for improving hemostasis.
About RNAi
RNAi (RNA interference) is a revolution in biology, representing a breakthrough in understanding how genes are turned on and off in cells, and a completely new approach to drug discovery and development. Its discovery has been heralded as “a major scientific breakthrough that happens once every decade or so,” and represents one of the most promising and rapidly advancing frontiers in biology and drug discovery today which was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. RNAi is a natural process of gene silencing that occurs in organisms ranging from plants to mammals. By harnessing the natural biological process of RNAi occurring in our cells, the creation of a major new class of medicines, known as RNAi therapeutics, is on the horizon. Small interfering RNA (siRNA), the molecules that mediate RNAi and comprise Alnylam's RNAi therapeutic platform, target the cause of diseases by potently silencing specific mRNAs, thereby preventing disease-causing proteins from being made. RNAi therapeutics have the potential to treat disease and help patients in a fundamentally new way.
About Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Alnylam is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics based on RNA interference, or RNAi. The company is leading the translation of RNAi as a new class of innovative medicines. Alnylam’s pipeline of investigational RNAi therapeutics is focused in 3 Strategic Therapeutic Areas (STArs): Genetic Medicines, with a broad pipeline of RNAi therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases; Cardio-Metabolic Disease, with a pipeline of RNAi therapeutics toward genetically validated, liver-expressed disease targets for unmet needs in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases; and Hepatic Infectious Disease, with a pipeline of RNAi therapeutics that address the major global health challenges of hepatic infectious diseases. In early 2015, Alnylam launched its “Alnylam 2020” guidance for the advancement and commercialization of RNAi therapeutics as a whole new class of innovative medicines. Specifically, by the end of 2020, Alnylam expects to achieve a company profile with 3 marketed products, 10 RNAi therapeutic clinical programs – including 4 in late stages of development – across its 3 STArs. The company’s demonstrated commitment to RNAi therapeutics has enabled it to form major alliances with leading companies including Merck, Medtronic, Novartis, Biogen, Roche, Takeda, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Cubist, GlaxoSmithKline, Ascletis, Monsanto, The Medicines Company, and Genzyme, a Sanofi company. In addition, Alnylam holds an equity position in Regulus Therapeutics Inc., a company focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of microRNA therapeutics. Alnylam scientists and collaborators have published their research on RNAi therapeutics in over 200 peer-reviewed papers, including many in the world’s top scientific journals such as Nature, Nature Medicine, Nature Biotechnology, Cell, New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet. Founded in 2002, Alnylam maintains headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information about Alnylam’s pipeline of investigational RNAi therapeutics, please visit www.alnylam.com.
Alnylam Forward Looking Statements
Various statements in this release concerning Alnylam’s future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, Alnylam’s expectations regarding its “Alnylam 2020” guidance, Alnylam’s views with respect to the potential for RNAi therapeutics, including ALN-AT3, and its plans regarding commercialization of RNAi therapeutics, constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, Alnylam’s ability to manage operating expenses, Alnylam’s ability to discover and develop novel drug candidates and delivery approaches, successfully demonstrate the efficacy and safety of its drug candidates, the pre-clinical and clinical results for its product candidates, which may not be replicated or continue to occur in other subjects or in additional studies or otherwise support further development of product candidates, actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of clinical trials, obtaining, maintaining and protecting intellectual property, Alnylam’s ability to enforce its patents against infringers and defend its patent portfolio against challenges from third parties, obtaining regulatory approval for products, competition from others using technology similar to Alnylam’s and others developing products for similar uses, Alnylam’s ability to obtain additional funding to support its business activities and establish and maintain strategic business alliances and new business initiatives, Alnylam’s dependence on third parties for development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of products, the outcome of litigation, and unexpected expenditures, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the “Risk Factors” filed with Alnylam’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and in other filings that Alnylam makes with the SEC. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent Alnylam’s views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. Alnylam explicitly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
