Top-line results expected during the second half of 2014

LEXINGTON, MA, USA I December 2, 2013 I Synageva BioPharma Corp. (Synageva) (GEVA), a biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic products for rare diseases, today announced that it met the enrollment target of 50 patients in ARISE (Acid Lipase Replacement Investigating Safety and Efficacy), a global Phase 3 trial with sebelipase alfa in children and adults with lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL Deficiency). To accommodate individuals still in the screening process, total enrollment will exceed the planned number of 50 patients, with the final patient expected to be randomized by the end of this year. As a result of today’s enrollment update, the company expects to report top-line results from the ARISE trial during the second half of 2014.

 

Phase 3 ARISE trial with sebelipase alfa in LAL Deficiency

The ARISE trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of sebelipase alfa in children and adults with LAL Deficiency and is designed to assess the effects of sebelipase alfa on a broad range of abnormalities associated with the disease. Patients enrolled in the trial are randomized to infusions of sebelipase alfa (1 mg/kg, every other week) or placebo for the 20-week, double-blind treatment period and then allowed to enter into a long-term, open-label extension period. The efficacy and safety results from the double-blind treatment period are expected to support global submissions for product registration.

Sebelipase alfa for LAL Deficiency

LAL Deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease (LSD) caused by a marked decrease in LAL enzyme activity. LAL Deficiency presenting in children and adults, historically called Cholesteryl Ester Storage Disease (CESD), is an underappreciated cause of cirrhosis and accelerated atherosclerosis. These complications are due to the buildup of fatty material in the liver, blood vessel walls and other tissues as a result of the decreased LAL enzyme activity. Infants presenting with LAL Deficiency, historically called Wolman disease, show very rapid progression with death, usually in the first six months of life. Affected infants develop severe malabsorption, growth failure and liver complications.

Sebelipase alfa (SBC-102) is a recombinant form of the human LAL enzyme being developed by Synageva as an enzyme replacement therapy for LAL Deficiency. Synageva is evaluating sebelipase alfa in global Phase 3 clinical trials in infants, children and adults with LAL Deficiency. Sebelipase alfa has been granted orphan designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Additionally, sebelipase alfa received fast track designation by the FDA, and Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA for LAL Deficiency presenting in infants.

SBC-103 for MPS IIIB

The mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) consist of a group of rare LSDs caused by a deficiency of enzymes needed to break down complex sugars called glycosaminoglycans. The MPS III syndromes (also known as Sanfilippo syndromes) share complications with other MPS diseases but represent a clinically distinct subset with marked central nervous system degeneration. Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB (MPS IIIB, also known as Sanfilippo B syndrome) is caused by a marked decrease in alpha-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAGLU) enzyme activity which leads to the buildup of abnormal amounts of heparan sulfates (HS) in the brain and other organs. The accumulation of abnormal HS, particularly in the central nervous system, leads to severe cognitive decline, behavioral problems, speech loss, increasing loss of mobility, and premature death.

SBC-103 is a recombinant form of the human NAGLU enzyme being developed by Synageva as an enzyme replacement therapy for MPS IIIB. Using various dosing approaches, SBC-103 reduced HS substrate storage in the brain, liver and kidney in an MPS IIIB animal model. SBC-103 has been granted orphan designation by the FDA and the EMA.

Synageva’s additional pipeline programs and manufacturing platform

Synageva’s additional pipeline programs include other proteins targeting rare diseases at various stages of preclinical development. These diseases are characterized by significant morbidity and mortality and these programs are selected based on scientific rationale, high unmet medical need, potential to impact disease course and strategic alignment with the company’s corporate focus. In addition to these novel pipeline programs, Synageva is leveraging its manufacturing platform to develop improved biologic therapies for diseases with high unmet medical need.

Synageva’s proprietary manufacturing platform utilizes technology to produce drug product with consistent characteristics that enable robustness and flexibility during scale-up. In addition, the platform can provide favorable structural properties for bio-distribution and cell targeting in comparison to glycoproteins produced from other sources.

Synageva routinely posts information that may be important to investors in the “Investor Relations” section of the company’s web site at www.synageva.com. Synageva encourages investors and potential investors to consult this web site regularly for important information about the company.

SOURCE: Synageva BioPharma