- The study confirms the potential of eryaspase as an attractive treatment option for ALL patients with hypersensitivity to PEG-asparaginase
LYON, France and CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA I December 07, 2020 I ERYTECH Pharma (Nasdaq & Euronext: ERYP), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies by encapsulating therapeutic drug substances inside red blood cells, today announces results from the NOPHO sponsored Phase 2 trial of eryaspase in ALL patients, which were presented by Dr. Line Stensig Lynggaard at the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting yesterday. In a webcast later today, Dr. Birgitte Klug Albertsen, Associate Professor at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, and Principal Investigator of the trial, will comment on the data and be available for Q&A.
The Phase 2 NOR-GRASPALL-2016 trial evaluated the safety and pharmacological profile of eryaspase in ALL patients who had previously experienced hypersensitivity reactions to pegylated asparaginase therapy. The trial was conducted by the Nordic Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (NOPHO) at 21 clinical sites in the Nordic and Baltic countries of Europe and enrolled 55 patients. Primary objectives of the trial were asparaginase enzyme activity and safety. Both endpoints were met.
Eryaspase demonstrated sustained asparaginase enzyme activity above the threshold of >100 U/L at trough levels, 14 days after first infusion in 54 of the 55 patients treated.
Eryaspase was generally well tolerated when added to chemotherapy and almost all patients were able to receive the intended courses of asparaginase (median of 5 doses per patient). Of the 55 patients, only 2 patients had severe allergic reaction and withdrew eryaspase treatment.
Dr Line Stensig Lynggaard, the study leader for NOPHO, commented: “Maintaining adequate asparaginase treatment following hypersensitivity to PEG-asparaginase remains an important goal when treating patients with ALL. A global shortage of supply Erwinia-derived asparaginase, which is the current alternative treatment option to PEG-asparaginase, highlights the need for new alternative treatment options. Our study has demonstrated that eryaspase, given as a convenient schedule every two weeks, provides a sustained asparaginase enzyme activity level, few hypersentivity reactions and is generally well tolerated in combination with chemotherapy. We conclude that eryaspase is an attractive treatment alternative for ALL patients with hypersensitivity to PEG-asparaginase.”
“We are proud to be working with the NOPHO group in conducting this study in ALL and very grateful to them for presenting the findings at ASH this year. The full study results provide the possibility of an alternative treatment for ALL patients with hypersensitivity to PEG-asparaginase” said Dr. Iman El-Hariry, ERYTECH’s Chief Medical Officer. “We look forward to discussing further the potential path forward for eryaspase in ALL with regulatory authorities, including the FDA”.
A related eryaspase poster will be presented by Dr. Frank Hoke (ERYTECH’s Head of Clinical Pharmacology) on Monday 7th December 2020 from 8am PST / 11am EST / 5pm CET.
Abstract #2799: Population Pharmacokinetics of Eryaspase in Patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
The analysis shows the extended circulation time of eryaspase, provides information on patient factors that influence the exposure of eryaspase, and evaluates patient population (pancreatic cancer vs ALL) and formulation (native vs recombinant asparaginase). Specifically, the simulations demonstrate that 100 U/kg dosed every two weeks would achieve the clinical AEA target levels of 100 U/L at trough in approximately 95% of patients.
The abstract (#2799) can be found at: https://ash.confex.com/ash/2020/webprogram/Paper134377.html
Webcast Details
ERYTECH will hold a webcast later today, Monday, December 7, at 4:00 pm CET / 10:00am ET.
Dr. Birgitte Klug Albertsen, Associate Professor at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, and Principal Investigator of the trial, Dr. Iman El-Hariry, Chief Medical Officier of ERYTECH Pharma, and Gil Beyen, Chief Executive Officer of ERYTECH Pharma, will comment on the data and be available for Q&A.
The webcast can be followed live online via the link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/yp9nynh6
Conference ID#: 2272914#
About Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that is the most common type of cancer in children in the US and Europe. More than 13,000 cases are diagnosed in the US and Europe each year with the majority of patients diagnosed before age 20. Asparaginase has been an integral component of ALL treatment for several years but is associated with treatment-limiting hypersensitivity in up to 30% of patients. Discontinuation of asparaginase therapy in ALL patients has been associated with inferior event free survival highlighting the need for additional asparaginase based treatment options.
About ERYTECH and eryaspase
ERYTECH is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative red blood cell-based therapeutics for severe forms of cancer and orphan diseases. Leveraging its proprietary ERYCAPS® platform, which uses a novel technology to encapsulate drug substances inside red blood cells, ERYTECH is developing a pipeline of product candidates for patients with high unmet medical needs. ERYTECH’s primary focus is on the development of product candidates that target the altered metabolism of cancer cells by depriving them of amino acids necessary for their growth and survival.
The Company’s lead product candidate, eryaspase, which consists of L-asparaginase encapsulated inside donor-derived red blood cells, targets the cancer cell’s altered asparagine and glutamine metabolism. Eryaspase is in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of second-line pancreatic cancer and in Phase 2 for the treatment of first-line triple-negative breast cancer. An investigator-sponsored Phase 2 study in acute lymphoblastic leukemia was recently completed in the Nordic countries of Europe. Eryaspase is not approved in any country.
ERYTECH produces its product candidates for treatment of patients in Europe at its GMP-approved manufacturing site in Lyon, France, and for patients in the United States at its GMP manufacturing site in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
ERYTECH is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market in the United States (ticker: ERYP) and on the Euronext regulated market in Paris (ISIN code: FR0011471135, ticker: ERYP). ERYTECH is part of the CAC Healthcare, CAC Pharma & Bio, CAC Mid & Small, CAC All Tradable, EnterNext PEA-PME 150 and Next Biotech indexes.
For more information, please visit www.erytech.com
SOURCE: ERYTECH
