Helixmith Announces Topline Results from Phase 2A Study of Engensis for Treatment of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)

LA JOLLA, Calif., Sept. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Helixmith announced topline results today from a Phase 2A study in individuals with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder of upper and lower motor neurons that causes progressive paralysis and eventual death due to respiratory failure. This Phase 2A was a double-blind placebo controlled multi-center study involving 5 sites (4 in the US and 1 in Korea) and 18 subjects randomized to a 2:1 ratio of Engensis to placebo. In this Phase 2A study, three treatments of Engensis, a plasmid DNA encoding human HGF, or placebo were injected in the upper and lower limbs on months 0, 2 and 4. One treatment consisted of two cycles of injections, on 2-week intervals, of 64 mg of Engensis or placebo in total. Therefore, a total of 192 mg of Engensis was given to each subject over a 4-month period. In addition, there was a follow-up period of 6 months after the first injection on Day 0.

The results of the study demonstrated that Engensis was safe and well tolerated at this dosing regimen. There was no difference in the frequency of TEAEs (83% for each group) between the Engensis and the placebo groups. One TEAE, bronchitis, was reported in the Engensis group but was determined to not be related to the study drug. Injection site reactions were reported by 50% of the Engensis group and by 66.7% of the placebo group.  Most of the injection site reactions were Grade 1 or 2 and resolved within a short time, and none of the participants in the study discontinued due to the number of injections. These data suggest that high dose, repeated treatments of Engensis, were safe and well tolerated, providing a great deal of flexibility in designing dosing schemes for future clinical studies.

Given the primary endpoint of this study was to test safety and tolerability, efficacy was measured only as an exploratory parameter.  ALSFRS-R scores, muscle functions using handheld dynamometry, and ALSAQ-40 were among the measurements collected.  Since the study size was small and 4 subjects dropped out early, we were unable to compare efficacy between the Engensis and placebo groups.

An important component of this study was the collection of biopsy samples from the participants' injections sites. Engensis is an intramuscularly delivered gene therapy. The bulk of the data collected to date, showing effects of HGF expressed from Engensis, has been from animal models. Data collected from clinical trials has been limited thus far. Thanks to our dedicated clinical trial participants, muscle biopsy samples were collected during the course of the trial and will be subjected to histological and molecular biological analyses using RNA-Seq.

Helixmith greatly appreciates the generous and eager participation of the ALS patients. Data from these results are expected to provide valuable information on the understanding of the mechanisms of actions of Engensis, and its effects on the expression of human genes, which will greatly help in the development of innovative medicines based on HGF/c-Met signaling.

Helixmith will continue the analysis of the Phase 2A data upon the receipt of the full report and plan to present results at a future conference and determine next steps for Engensis in ALS at that time.

Helixmith is a clinical-stage gene therapy company headquartered in Seoul, Korea, developing new and innovative biopharmaceuticals to address previously untreated diseases, and is listed on the KOSDAQ. The company has an extensive gene therapy pipeline, including a CAR-T program targeting several different types of solid tumors and an AAV vector program targeting neuromuscular diseases. Engensis (VM202), the most advanced pipeline candidate, is a plasmid DNA therapy being studied for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, diabetic foot ulcers, claudication, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, coronary artery disease, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

SOURCE Helixmith USA Inc.