Bayer AG and Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a gene therapy company wholly owned and independently operated as a subsidiary of Bayer AG, have announced the initiation of GenePHIT (Gene PHosphatase Inhibition Therapy), a Phase II trial of AB-1002 (also known as NAN-101) for the treatment of congestive heart failure (CHF). GenePHIT is an adaptive, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicenter trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a single intracoronary infusion of AB-1002 in adults with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy classified as New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III Heart Failure who have been medically stable for at least 4 weeks.(1) The advancement of AB-1002 into Phase II marks a significant milestone for the development of this novel investigational gene therapy for patients with CHF who have high unmet medical need.
GenePHIT will include between 90 and 150 adults with left ventricle ejection fraction between 15 and 35%, who continue to suffer from heart failure symptoms despite guideline recommended therapy. The primary efficacy endpoint at 52 weeks is a modified win ratio of several clinically meaningful assessments.(1)
“AskBio is excited to initiate GenePHIT under the leadership of Roger Hajjar, MD, Scientific Chair CHF, and Lothar Roessig, MD, Integrated Product Team Lead CHF,” said Jude Samulski, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, AskBio. “We believe this trial will help determine the potential of AB-1002 as a treatment for one of the world’s most devastating diseases, and we look forward to learning more about this important investigational cardiac gene therapy. Our hope is that one day AB-1002 will potentially help patients suffering from congestive heart failure.”
The GenePHIT trial, which includes 52-week safety and primary efficacy and four-year long-term follow-up periods, is currently recruiting. AskBio plans to conduct the trial in the U.S. and multiple countries in Europe.(1) For more information, please visit clinicaltrials.gov (NCT#05598333) or visit askbio.com.
AB-1002 is an investigational gene therapy that has not been approved by any regulatory authority, and its efficacy and safety have not been established or fully evaluated. AB-1002 is manufactured by Viralgen Vector Core, a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of AskBio.
About Congestive Heart Failure
Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump blood efficiently enough to meet the body’s needs, including providing sufficient oxygen to the organs.(2) Congestive heart failure results in the slowing of the blood flow out of the heart, which causes the blood returning to the heart through the veins to back up.(3) This causes congestion in the body’s tissues. Symptoms include swelling in the legs and ankles. Sometimes, fluid collects in the lungs and interferes with breathing. Approximately 26 million people worldwide are living with congestive heart failure.(4)
About AskBio
Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, is a fully integrated gene therapy company dedicated to developing life-saving medicines and changing lives. The company maintains a portfolio of clinical programs across a range of neuromuscular, central nervous system, cardiovascular, and metabolic disease indications with a clinical-stage pipeline that includes therapeutics for congestive heart failure, Huntington’s disease, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, multiple system atrophy, Parkinson’s disease, and Pompe disease. AskBio’s gene therapy platform includes Pro10™, an industry-leading proprietary cell line manufacturing process, and an extensive capsid and promoter library. With global headquarters in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and European headquarters in Edinburgh, Scotland, the company has generated hundreds of proprietary capsids and promoters, several of which have entered pre-clinical and clinical testing. An early innovator in the gene therapy field, with over 900 employees in five countries, the company holds more than 800 patents and patent applications in areas such as AAV production and chimeric capsids.
About Viralgen Vector Core
Viralgen is a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) founded in 2017 and exists as an independently operated subsidiary of AskBio, which is wholly owned and independently operated as a subsidiary of Bayer AG. As a manufacturer of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) certified AAV, Viralgen offers the Pro10™ based suspension manufacturing platform, a technology licensed from AskBio and developed by Chief Technical Officer Josh Grieger, PhD, and Co-Founder R. Jude Samulski, PhD, at University of North Carolina. The Pro10™ platform has been found to increase scalability, performance, and yield of AAV therapies.(5) Located in Spain, in the Gipuzkoa Science and Technology Park, Viralgen produces AAV gene therapy treatments for pharmaceutical and biotech companies with the aim of accelerating the delivery of new treatments that may improve patients’ lives.
The company’s clinical facilities have four cGMP manufacturing suites, with 250-liter and 500-liter bioreactors. In 2020, Viralgen expanded within the Scientific Park by constructing a new building with three modules for large-scale commercial manufacturing. Each module of the state-of-the-art space includes three cGMP suites with a manufacturing capacity of >2,000 liters. The first module, which includes a suite dedicated to fully automated fill and finish operations, has received cGMP certification by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) as part of the EMA network.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive, by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability, and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2022, the Group employed around 101,000 people and had sales of 50.7 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 6.2 billion euros.
1. Phosphatase Inhibition by Intracoronary Gene Therapy in Subjects With Non-Ischemic NYHA Class III Heart Failure (GenePHIT). Available at: https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05598333. Accessed January 2024.
2. CDC. Heart failure. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published 2022. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart_failure.htm. Accessed January 2024.
3. American Heart Association: Types of Heart Failure. Available at: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-failure/what-is-heart-failure/types-of-heart-failure. January 2024.
4. Savarese G, Lund LH. Global Public Health Burden of Heart Failure. Card Fail Rev. 2017;3(1):7-11. doi:10.15420/cfr.2016:25:2.
5. Grieger JC, Soltys SM, Samulski RJ. Production of Recombinant Adeno-associated Virus Vectors Using Suspension HEK293 Cells and Continuous Harvest of Vector From the Culture Media for GMP FIX and FLT1 Clinical Vector. Mol Ther. 2016;24(2):287-297.
