PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:
ABIVAX (Euronext Paris: FR0012333284 – ABVX) (Paris:ABVX), an innovative biotechnology company targeting the immune system to eliminate viral disease, announced today that the Company presented new pre-clinical data on ABX464, ABIVAX’s first-in-class drug candidate for the treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS, during this week’s HIV Drug Therapy 2016 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. ABIVAX’s presentation is entitled, “Differential effects of ABX464 and its primary metabolite ABX464-NGlc on HIV replication in human PBMC’s and macrophages: implications for treatment strategies to eliminate the reservoirs”.
The data demonstrate that, while ABX464 is active against HIV replication in peripheral blood cells and also cultured macrophages, its primary metabolite, ABX464-N-glucuronide, is exclusively effective in preventing viral replication in cultured macrophages. Macrophages are part of the so called ‘reservoir’ where the virus hides during anti-retroviral treatment. Therefore, these cells are considered to be a critical source of viral rebound after stopping treatment. Given previous findings from ABIVAX’s 3 completed Phase I and II clinical trials where ABX464-N-Glucuronide was shown to be present in human blood at concentrations exceeding those of ABX464 by more than 300-fold, these new data indicate that the primary target for the metabolite might be these reservoir cells, particularly as these are exposed to much higher concentrations of the metabolite.
“These findings provide critical support for our ongoing ABX464 clinical development program, which is currently in a second Phase IIa clinical trial,” said Prof. Hartmut Ehrlich, M.D., CEO of ABIVAX. “This specific activity of the ABX464 metabolite against the viral reservoir may contribute to the long-lasting effect on viral load we have observed in pre-clinical models. We look forward to evaluating this possibility further in our clinical trials.
About ABIVAX (www.abivax.com)
ABIVAX is an innovative biotechnology company focused on targeting the immune system to eliminate viral disease. ABIVAX leverages three technology platforms for drug discovery: an anti-viral, an immune enhancement, and a polyclonal antibody platform. ABX464, its most advanced compound, is currently in Phase II clinical trials and is a first-in-class oral small anti-viral molecule which blocks HIV replication through a unique mechanism of action. In addition, ABIVAX is advancing multiple preclinical candidates against additional viral targets (i.e. Chikungunya, Ebola, Dengue) as well as an immune enhancer, and several of these compounds are planned to enter clinical development within the next 18 months. A recently updated corporate presentation, which includes a timeline for the company’s anticipated news flow, is available at www.abivax.com.
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