AveXis Announces Alignment with FDA on Next Steps Toward a BLA Submission for AVXS-101 in SMA Type 1

CHICAGO, Jan. 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AveXis, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVXS), a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing treatments for patients suffering from rare and life-threatening neurological genetic diseases, today provided an update following the receipt of minutes from the end-of-Phase 1 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted on December 5, 2017, regarding the company’s primary gene therapy candidate, AVXS-101, for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type 1.

The goal of the end-of-Phase 1 meeting was to review the non-clinical, clinical and Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) data that has been generated by AveXis to date, and to align with the FDA on next steps leading to a Biologics License Application (BLA) submission. The FDA provided detailed information requests in each of the areas discussed, which the company plans to address by submitting the requested information to the investigational new drug (IND) application on an on-going basis. AveXis has been working on many of these areas of focus in anticipation of the requests at some point during the review process. AveXis also plans to provide available data from its on-going pivotal trial of AVXS-101 in SMA Type 1 (STR1VE) prior to the pre-BLA meeting.

“We are very pleased that the constructive and collaborative discussion during the end-of-Phase 1 meeting resulted in the identification of the specific next steps we must take on our path to a BLA submission for AVXS-101 in SMA Type 1,” said Sean Nolan, President and Chief Executive Officer of AveXis. “We greatly appreciate the level of clarity we received from the FDA and will provide our responses on an on-going basis through a series of submissions to the IND, with the expectation that we will request a pre-BLA meeting in the second quarter of 2018.”

The general purpose of the pre-BLA meeting is to outline what information is to be submitted in the BLA and how that information will be submitted. AveXis intends to make the requested data submissions to the IND in advance of the pre-BLA meeting, which may allow the meeting itself to focus on how the BLA and supportive information will be submitted.

Today’s Conference Call Information

AveXis will host a conference call and webcast at 4:30 pm EST today, January 4, 2018. Analysts and investors can participate in the conference call by dialing (844) 889-6863 for domestic callers and (661) 378-9762 for international callers, using the conference ID 8188476. The webcast can be accessed live on the Events and Presentations page in the Investors and Media section of the AveXis website, www.AveXis.com. The webcast will be archived on the company’s website for 90 days and will be available for telephonic replay for 14 days following the call by dialing (855) 859-2056 (Domestic) or (404) 537-3406 (International), conference ID 8188476. Full text:https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/01/04/1283628/0/en/AveXis-Announces-Alignment-with-FDA-on-Next-Steps-Toward-a-BLA-Submission-for-AVXS-101-in-SMA-Type-1.html

Gene Therapy Avexis has started 1 Trial in SMA Type 2!

AveXis, Inc., a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing treatments for patients suffering from rare and life-threatening neurological genetic diseases, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the company that, based on review of data submitted, the company may initiate its planned Phase 1 clinical trial of AVXS-101 for patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type 2 via the intrathecal (IT) route of administration, using material produced by the company’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) commercial manufacturing process at the AveXis manufacturing facility. The company plans to initiate this trial immediately.

“We are quite pleased to initiate our first trial of AVXS-101 in patients with SMA Type 2,” said Sean Nolan, President and Chief Executive Officer of AveXis. “Our goal has been to expand the study of gene therapy beyond Type 1 infants to address the urgent medical needs of children with SMA Type 2, and we look forward to understanding the potential clinical impact of AVXS-101 in these patients who, left untreated, will never walk on their own and most will never stand without assistance.”
U.S. Phase 1 Trial in SMA Type 2 (STRONG)

The open-label, dose-comparison, multi-center Phase 1 trial – known as STRONG – is designed to evaluate the safety, optimal dosing, and proof of concept for efficacy of AVXS-101 in two distinct age groups of patients with SMA Type 2, utilizing a one-time IT route of administration. The trial will enroll 27 infants and children with a genetic diagnosis consistent with SMA, including the bi-allelic deletion of SMN1 and three copies of SMN2 without the SMN2 genetic modifier, who are able to sit but have no historical or current ability to stand or walk.

Two dosage strengths will be evaluated and patients will be stratified into two age groups: patients less than 24 months, and patients at least 24 months but less than 60 months. There will be at least a four-week interval between the dosing of the first three patients for each dose being studied and, based on the available safety data, a decision will be made whether to proceed.

The trial is projected to be conducted at 11 sites in the United States, including: Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Boston Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Johns Hopkins Pediatric Neurology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Stanford University Medical Center, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, University of Utah and Washington University School of Medicine.

“This Phase 1 trial in children with SMA Type 2 will allow us to evaluate safety, optimal dosing and proof-of-concept for efficacy of AVXS-101 compared to the well-characterized natural history using the one-time intrathecal route of administration,” said Dr. Sukumar Nagendran, Chief Medical Officer of AveXis. “Because AVXS-101 targets the root cause of SMA, we are optimistic that we will observe a similar preclinical to clinical translation in this Type 2 trial as was seen in the SMA Type 1 study using intravenous administration.” Full text:http://www.curesma.org/news/avxs-101-strong-trial.html

AveXis Announces Alignment with the FDA on Company's GMP Commercial Manufacturing Process for AVXS-101

AveXis today announced alignment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the company’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) commercial manufacturing process for AVXS-101 following the receipt of minutes from the Type B Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) meeting.

This alignment includes support for the proposed commercial manufacturing process, the proposed analytical methods and corresponding qualification and validation plans – inclusive of key release assays such as potency, purity and identity – and the proposed comparability protocol, which helps assess how similar the product derived from the GMP process is to the original product used in the Phase 1 trial of AVXS-101 in patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type 1.

Overall, the company believes there is alignment with the FDA on its panel of analytical methods and the proposed assay qualification/validation plans. Analytical methods are used to assess how reliably and consistently the key product characteristics can be determined in order to ensure patients receive safe and effective product.

In the meeting minutes, the FDA made a request that the company complete implementation of its potency assay qualification plan, presented in the meeting, prior to initiation of upcoming clinical studies.

The company has already initiated the work necessary to address this request and expects to have the data ready to submit to the FDA in the August timeframe. AveXis plans to initiate a pivotal study trial of AVXS-101 in SMA Type 1 in the U.S. and a Phase 1/2a trial of AVXS-101 in SMA Type 2 in the U.S. later in the third quarter of 2017, pending agreement from the FDA that these data are sufficient.

“The goal of the CMC meeting was to align with FDA on our commercial manufacturing process, analytical methods and comparability protocol, all three of which we believe were achieved in this collaborative and constructive discussion,” said Sean Nolan, President and Chief Executive Officer of AveXis. “The team has already made progress toward addressing the FDA’s request regarding potency assay qualification, and we anticipate only a modest impact to timelines. We are pleased with the outcomes of the meeting and the progress we have made at the AveXis facility, and, most importantly, believe we have a scalable GMP commercial process in place to fulfill future patient demand and a path forward to potentially utilize the Phase 1 data in our regulatory pathway.”

Additionally, FDA is aligned with the company’s proposed comparability protocol to assess the similarity of key characteristics of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) product, used in the Phase 1 SMA Type 1 study, with the product derived from the new GMP manufacturing process. Data from this comparability work is ongoing and will include the above-mentioned potency qualification data, which will be incorporated into the data package along with the full Phase 1 clinical data, that will be reviewed and discussed at the upcoming end-of-Phase 1 meeting, likely to be requested later in August. This meeting will help further inform the regulatory pathway options for AVXS-101. The company anticipates providing an update on the outcome of that meeting once the official minutes are available, which is anticipated to be in the fourth quarter of 2017.

The company has previously stated that having its own manufacturing facility is a key strategic capability necessary to be successful in gene therapy. The company today reported that the AveXis manufacturing facility is now fully operational for on-going GMP production.

Product for the planned SMA Type 1 pivotal trials and the Type 2 Phase 1/2a trial using intrathecal delivery has been produced at the AveXis-owned facility, and will be used to initiate the trials, pending FDA review of the potency assay qualification described above and FDA agreement that designated batches of the product are appropriate for a Phase 3 clinical study.

The AveXis facility will be the primary production site to meet projected commercial demand, and the company will use contract manufacturing organizations to supplement production.

Full text: http://www.curesma.org/news/avexis-fda-alignment.html

AveXis’ AVXS-101 Shows Promise in Treating Infants with SMA Type 1

The Phase 1 study (NCT02122952) investigated the effects of AVXS-101 treatment by intravenous injection in 15 infants with SMA type 1 who were six months old or younger. Two doses were compared, the lower dose for Cohort 1 with three patients, and the higher dose for Cohort 2 with 12 patients.

The treatment’s short-term safety was evaluated over a two-year period, but a follow-up safety analysis will be carried out when the last patient reaches 2 years of age post-treatment. Patients will then be monitored annually as per standard of care for up to 15 years.

The endpoints measured were the time from birth to an “event” (death or at least 16 hours of daily ventilation support for 14 consecutive days in the absence of acute reversible illness or perioperatively) and the ability to sit independently, confirmed by video. Researchers also assessed patients with a standard motor milestone development survey and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Infant Test of Neuromuscular Disorders (CHOP INTEND).

An interim data analysis, released lasted year, revealed a favorable safety profile with no new treatment-related safety or tolerability concerns identified. Motor skill improvements were also observed, especially in children treated with the higher dose.

As of Jan. 20, 2017, AVXS-101 maintains its safety profile and was well-tolerated by the patients. Indeed, 12 out of 12 patients (100%) who received the highest one-time therapeutic dose of AVXS-101 (Cohort 2) reached 13.6 months of age without events reported. Of note, the expected event-free survival rate for this disease is 25%.

Results also showed that 11 patients (92%) in this cohort achieved head control, nine patients (75%) were able to roll a minimum of 180 degrees from back to both left and right, and 11 patients (92%) could sit without help.

After the treatment, AveXis used three different measures to evaluate unassisted sitting with increasing amounts of time. Results showed that nine of 12 patients (75%) sat unassisted for five seconds, seven (58%) sat for at least 10 seconds, and five patients (42%) sat for 30 seconds or more. Also, two patients could walk independently, besides having achieved other milestones, including standing with support, standing alone, and walking with support.

In addition, as of Jan. 20, 2017, nine of nine patients (three in the low-dose cohort and six in Cohort 2) — reached 20 months without reported events. Here, the expected event-free rate is 8%.

“The completion of our Phase 1 clinical study of AVXS-101, the first ever gene therapy studied for the treatment of SMA type 1, is an exciting and eagerly awaited milestone, and we are quite pleased with these data,” Sean Nolan, AveXis’ president and CEO, said in a news release.

“The past few months have been productive for AveXis, and we look forward to continuing the momentum with several upcoming corporate catalysts … as well as ongoing collaborative discussions with regulatory authorities in the United States and Europe to explore the most expeditious pathways for marketing approval of AVXS-101,” Noland added.

Text from: https://smanewstoday.com/2017/04/06/avexis-avxs-101-shows-promise-treatment-infants-sma-type-1/

Again news from Avexis

CHICAGO, Feb. 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AveXis, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVXS), a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing treatments for patients suffering from rare and life-threatening neurological genetic diseases, today announced that the planned pivotal study of AVXS-101 in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type 1 in the European Union (EU) will reflect a single-arm design, using natural history of the disease as a comparator, and will enroll approximately 30 patients. This update is based on the receipt of the Scientific Advice response from the Scientific Advice Working Party within the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

In addition to evaluating safety the planned pivotal trial is expected to evaluate achievement of motor milestones, specifically patients’ ability to sit unassisted, as well as an efficacy measure defined by the time from birth to an “event,” defined as death or requiring at least 16 hours per day of ventilation support for breathing for greater than two weeks in the absence of an acute reversible illness, or perioperatively.

“The scientific advice process has been quite productive, with the EMA providing constructive guidance on a pivotal study design most appropriate for EU product registration,” said James L’Italien, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Chief Regulatory and Quality Officer of AveXis. “We will utilize the enhanced communication pathways afforded to us via the PRIority MEdicines program and work in collaboration with the EMA to generate the high-quality data needed to support the most rapid submission that meets the requirements for marketing authorization in the EU.”

The CHMP additionally recommended AveXis discuss the potential for Conditional Marketing Authorization in a future meeting with EMA.

More specific clinical trial details will be made available at the time the study is initiated, which is expected in the second half of 2017.

The company expects to initiate a separate pivotal clinical trial of AVXS-101 in SMA Type 1 in the United States in the first half of 2017.

Text from:http://investors.avexis.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=254285&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2243247

FDA give feedback on SMA gene therapy trial

US gene therapy company, Avexis, recently announced that it has met with FDA officials and received constructive feedback about its AVXS-101 development programme for SMA type 1. The company plans to initiate a single-arm phase 1 study in the first half of 2017. There will not be a placebo group in this study so the resulting data will be compared against natural history data.

The FDA requested to be briefed on the results once the study is completed: “We strongly recommend that at the completion of the study, you request an end-of-Phase 1 meeting to evaluate the adequacy of data to support future product development, including a discussion of whether the data from the Phase 1 study might provide the substantial evidence necessary to support a marketing application.”

For more information, read Avexis http://investors.avexis.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=254285&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2218102

http://www.musculardystrophyuk.org/news/breaking-research-news/

AveXis Receives U.S. FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for AVXS-101 Gene Replacement Therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1

WOW, INCREDIBLE NEWS!!!

AveXis, Inc., a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing treatments for patients suffering from rare and life-threatening neurological genetic diseases, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for AVXS-101, the company’s lead development candidate for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type 1 in pediatric patients.

The Breakthrough Therapy Designation is based on preliminary clinical results from the ongoing trial of AVXS-101, conducted in collaboration with The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University.

“We are encouraged to have received Breakthrough Therapy Designation for AVXS-101, and look forward to collaborating with the FDA to determine next steps in the development pathway for AVXS-101,” said Sean P. Nolan, president and chief executive officer, AveXis. “By this action the FDA recognizes the high unmet need for effective treatment options for patients suffering from SMA.”

The FDA has requested the company submit a Type B meeting request for a multidisciplinary, comprehensive discussion of the development program for AVXS-101. The company plans to submit the meeting request later this month.
About Breakthrough Designation

“Breakthrough therapy” is a designation that allows the FDA to expedite drug development. In order to be granted breakthrough designation, a drug must be used to treat a serious or life-threatening disease, and the early evidence from clinical trials of that drug must show evidence that it may provide substantial improvement. Prior studies have shown that breakthrough designation can shorten the development timeline of a drug by as much as two years. AVXS-101 is the first SMA drug program to be granted breakthrough designation.

Along with other designations, such as fast-track, breakthrough therapy is available for conditions including SMA, where there is a significant unmet need for effective therapies. To learn more about the different types of expedited review that are available, refer to that section of our clinical trials booklet, or download the full booklet to learn more about the entire clinical trial process.
Cure SMA Funds Multiple Gene Therapy Approaches

Beginning in 2010, Cure SMA made a series of grants to Nationwide Children’s Hospital to study gene therapy, also called gene transfer. SMA is caused by a mutation in the survival motor neuron 1 gene (SMN1). Because of this mutation, the individual does not produce enough survival motor neuron (SMN) protein.

Gene transfer may increase SMN levels by using a virus, called a vector, to deliver the SMN1 gene to affected cells. Currently, two approaches are being studied. The first is an injection into a vein, known as systemic delivery, which is the process being tested in the AVXS-101 trials.

A second method being investigated delivers the drug directly into the cerebrospinal spinal fluid (CSF), a process known as CSF-delivered gene therapy. CSF-delivered gene therapy has shown promise for reducing the amount of drug required for larger and older patients. This could eventually make the treatment accessible to a wider population.

In total, Cure SMA has granted $845,000 for gene therapy, including support for both the systemic program and the CSF program, to Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Ohio State.

Good news about AveXis

Good news!

AveXis Reports Data from Ongoing Phase 1 Trial of AVXS-101 in Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1

-- Jerry Mendell, MD, Presented Data as of April 1, 2016 at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy 19th Annual Meeting --

-- Company to Host Webcast Today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time --

CHICAGO, May 06, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AveXis, Inc. (AVXS), a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing novel treatments for patients suffering from rare and life-threatening neurological genetic diseases, today presented an interim analysis of data as of April 1, 2016 from the ongoing Phase 1 trial of AVXS-101 for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type 1. Jerry Mendell, MD, director of the Center for Gene Therapy at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, presented the data at the 19th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy in Washington, D.C.

Full text:http://finance.yahoo.com/news/avexis-reports-data-ongoing-phase-191000149.html