Audentes Therapeutics provided an update following the receipt of minutes from its Regenerative Medicine and Advanced Therapy (RMAT)/Type B meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held in December 2018, regarding the company's lead gene therapy candidate, AT132, for the treatment of X-linked Myotubular Myopathy (XLMTM).
The goal of the meeting was to review nonclinical, clinical, and chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) data generated to date in the AT132 program, and to align with the FDA on program next-steps to enable submission of a Biologics License Application (BLA) for AT132.
"We're pleased that our first discussion with the FDA under RMAT was both collaborative and productive, and provided a potential path toward BLA submission for AT132," said Matthew R. Patterson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We appreciate the constructive feedback provided by the Agency and look forward to working with the FDA to advance AT132 to registration as quickly as possible."
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Following the meeting, Audentes is proceeding with its previously announced plan to enroll an additional 3-5 patients in Cohort 2 (3x1014 vector genomes per kilogram dose level) of ASPIRO, the Phase 1/2 study of AT132. Optimal dose selection is expected to occur in the second quarter of 2019, after the evaluation of the six-month biopsy results from the first three patients dosed in Cohort 2. Subsequent to the determination of the optimal dose, Audentes plans to provide an updated data package to FDA to facilitate final agreement on the path to BLA submission. Audentes also received preliminary feedback on its CMC characterization and validation plans and will submit the requested information to the Investigational New Drug (IND) application on a continuing basis.
In pursuit of global regulatory approvals for AT132, Audentes also initiated discussions with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in the fourth quarter of 2018 under the recently granted Priority Medicines (PRIME) designation. In the first quarter of 2019, Audentes anticipates receiving scientific advice from the EMA that will begin to define the path toward submission of a European Marketing Authorization Application.
AT132 is the Audentes product candidate being developed to treat XLMTM, a disease caused by mutations in the MTM1 gene, which encodes the protein myotubularin. Myotubularin plays an important role in the development, maintenance and function of skeletal muscle cells. AT132 is comprised of an AAV8 vector containing a functional copy of the MTM1 gene. Over the course of 2018, Audentes reported promising safety, efficacy and muscle biopsy data from ASPIRO, a multicenter, ascending dose Phase 1/2 clinical study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AT132 in approximately 12 XLMTM patients less than five years of age.
AT132 has been granted RMAT, Rare Pediatric Disease, Fast Track and Orphan Drug designations by the FDA, and PRIME and Orphan Drug designations by the EMA.