Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Announces Submission of Marketing Authorization Application to the European Medicines Agency for Setmelanotide in POMC and LEPR Deficiency Obesities
-- Company also announces positive data from eight supplemental patients, including four pediatric patients, enrolled in pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials; all achieved primary endpoint of 10 percent weight loss --
-- Setmelanotide was well-tolerated in long-term extension study with continued clinical benefit and durable weight loss observed at up to three years on therapy --
In conjunction with this submission, Rhythm announced additional positive data from eight supplemental patients, including four pediatric patients, enrolled in its two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials for POMC and LEPR deficiency obesities, as well as updated data from its long-term extension study of setmelanotide in patients with POMC or LEPR deficiency obesity. Rhythm included these data in its MAA submission package to the EMA.
“We are pleased to have submitted our MAA for setmelanotide for the treatment of POMC and LEPR deficiency obesities, another step toward our goal of delivering setmelanotide to patients with these ultra-rare disorders,” said
In
Data on Supplemental Patients with POMC and LEPR Deficiency Obesities
Rhythm enrolled a total of eight patients, including four pediatric patients between the ages 6 and 12 years old, in supplemental cohorts in its Phase 3 trials evaluating setmelanotide for the treatment of POMC deficiency obesity and LEPR deficiency obesity, with four supplemental patients enrolled in each trial. All eight supplemental patients achieved the primary endpoint of 10 percent or greater weight loss at 52 weeks on setmelanotide therapy, as calculated under the same statistical analysis plan used in the pivotal trials. All of the supplemental patients were enrolled by European investigators, as were most of the patients in the pivotal cohorts.
The mean reduction in baseline body weight for the supplemental POMC deficiency obesity patients was -26.3 percent, and the mean reduction in body weight for the supplemental LEPR deficiency obesity patients was -13.2 percent. The estimated mean percentage reduction in most hunger score for evaluable patients in the supplemental cohorts was -57.3 percent. Hunger scores collected from children younger than 12 were calculated differently and therefore not counted in this analysis.
Combining data from the eight supplemental patients with data from the pivotal cohorts, 12 out of 14 patients with POMC deficiency obesity and 9 out of 15 patients with LEPR deficiency obesity achieved the primary endpoints of greater than 10 percent weight loss over approximately one year. Additionally, the data for all key secondary endpoints from the supplemental cohorts were consistent with the data from the pivotal cohorts.
Long-term Extension Data for POMC and LEPR Deficiency Obesities
A total of 15 patients who participated in the pivotal studies are being treated in the extension study, including nine living with POMC deficiency obesity and six living with LEPR deficiency obesity, all of whom previously completed one of Rhythm’s two pivotal Phase 3 trials evaluating setmelanotide for the treatment of severe obesity and insatiable hunger. Two additional patients who were enrolled in the LEPR deficiency obesity pivotal study are expected to enroll in the extension study, pending local regulatory approval, and one patient with POMC deficiency obesity enrolled in the pivotal study did not continue in the extension study.
As of
Safety
Consistent with prior clinical experience, setmelanotide has been was generally well-tolerated in the supplemental patient cohorts and in the long-term extension study. As of
Rhythm is continuing to analyze the efficacy and safety data from both the supplemental cohorts and the ongoing long-term extension study, and it plans to share more of these data at an upcoming medical meeting.
About Setmelanotide
Setmelanotide is an investigational, melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) agonist. The MC4R is part of the key biological pathway that independently regulates energy expenditure and appetite. Variants in genes may impair the function of the MC4R pathway, potentially leading to insatiable hunger and early-onset, severe obesity. Rhythm is currently developing setmelanotide as a targeted therapy to potentially restore the function of an impaired MC4R pathway and, in so doing, potentially reduce hunger and weight in patients with rare genetic disorders of obesity. Currently, no pharmacologic therapies exist to treat these conditions. The FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to setmelanotide for the treatment of obesity associated with genetic defects upstream of the MC4R in the central melanocortin pathway, which includes pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) deficiency obesity and leptin receptor (LEPR) deficiency obesity. The EMA has also granted PRIority MEdicines (PRIME) designation for setmelanotide for the treatment of obesity and the control of hunger associated with deficiency disorders of the MC4R pathway. Both the FDA and EMA have granted orphan drug status to setmelanotide for POMC and LEPR deficiency obesities. The FDA has accepted Rhythm’s NDA for setmelanotide for the treatment of POMC and LEPR deficiency obesities for filing, granted Priority Review of the NDA and assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date of
About
Rhythm is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of rare genetic disorders of obesity. In August 2019, the company announced positive topline results from pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials of setmelanotide, its MC4R agonist, in people living with POMC deficiency obesity or LEPR deficiency obesity. In
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements regarding the potential, safety, efficacy, and regulatory and clinical progress of setmelanotide, anticipated trial enrollment and timing of data readouts, and our expectations surrounding the PDUFA goal date. Statements using words such as “expect”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “may”, “will” and similar terms are also forward-looking statements. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of our management transition, our ability to enroll patients in clinical trials, the design and outcome of clinical trials, the impact of competition, the ability to achieve or obtain necessary regulatory approvals, risks associated with data analysis and reporting, our liquidity and expenses, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and operations, including our preclinical studies, clinical trials and commercialization prospects, and general economic conditions, and other important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended
Corporate Contact:
Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
857-264-4280
dconnolly@rhythmtx.com
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Stern Investor Relations, Inc.
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Source: Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc.