Thursday, January 21, 2016

Regulus Completes RG-101 Enrollment in Phase II Combination Study For HCV

Regulus Completes RG-101 Enrollment in Phase II Combination Study

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SOURCE Regulus Therapeutics Inc.

- Additional studies on track for enrollment in H12016 with multiple data read-outs expected throughout 2016 -

LA JOLLA, Calif., Jan. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Regulus Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: RGLS), a biopharmaceutical company leading the discovery and development of innovative medicines targeting microRNAs, today announced key 2016 programmatic goals to advance RG-101, Regulus' wholly-owned therapy for the treatment of HCV. RG-101 is a GalNAc-conjugated anti-miR targeting miR-122, a host factor for HCV infection. Regulus' Phase II program and development strategy for RG-101 includes evaluating RG-101 in combination studies with different approved direct-acting anti-HCV agents (DAAs), in combination with an investigational oral DAA that can be formulated into a Long Acting Parenteral formulation for injection (LAP) providing the potential for a single-visit therapy, and in certain underserved HCV patient populations.

"Regulus begins 2016 with a multi-faceted clinical development plan for RG-101 in both Europeand the United States which we believe, if successful, will position our lead microRNA therapeutic well against the backdrop of the rapidly evolving HCV landscape," said Paul Grint, M.D., President and CEO of Regulus. "Regulus aims to enhance the value of RG-101 by maturing its profile in combination with oral agents and in certain underserved patient populations and we look forward to reporting results from multiple studies throughout 2016."

Phase II DAA Combination Studies:
Enrollment Complete in Phase II Combination Study; Interim Results in mid-Feb. Regulus announced today that patient enrollment is now complete in an ongoing Phase II study evaluating the combination of RG-101 with multiple approved DAAs. Treatment-naïve patients chronically infected with genotypes 1 or 4 were randomized to one of three treatment arms (n=78). Patients receive a single subcutaneous injection of 2 mg/kg of RG-101, followed by 28 days of once/daily DAAs Harvoni®, Olysio®, or Daklinza®, followed by an additional subcutaneous injection of 2 mg/kg of RG-101 on Day 29. Regulus is planning to report interim results from this study in mid-February 2016 in time for submission for potential publication at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) annual meeting. Primary endpoint results for sustained viral response data 12 weeks following conclusion of treatment (SVR12) are anticipated to be disclosed late in Q2 2016.
GSK Combination Study on Track; Data by Year-End 2016. In March 2016, Regulus plans to initiate a multi-center, open-label Phase II study evaluating the combination of a single subcutaneous injection of 4 mg/kg of RG-101 and daily oral administrations of 20 mg of GSK2878175, an investigational non-nucleoside NS5B polymerase inhibitor, for up to 12 weeks in treatment-naïve patients chronically infected with HCV genotypes 1 and 3. Concurrently, GSK will work on developing a "LAP" formulation of GSK2878175 as a single intra-muscular injection, providing the potential for a single-visit therapeutic treatment for HCV that could improve patient compliance through reduced dosing intervals and potentially extend opportunities for HCV therapeutic intervention. This LAP formulation of GSK2878175 may be used in additional clinical trials together with RG-101 following completion of the planned Phase II study, although any additional studies are not covered by the current collaboration agreement. Regulus expects to report safety and efficacy data from the GSK Phase II study before the end of 2016.

IND-Opening Study for Underserved HCV Population(s):
Clearance Received from US FDA to Initiate First Study in US; Enrollment Ongoing, Data by YE 2016. Regulus announced today that enrollment has commenced in a multi-center, open label, non-randomized Phase I study to compare the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of 2 mg/kg of RG-101 in subjects with severe renal insufficiency or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) to healthy control subjects, and further explore RG-101 in hepatitis C infected subjects with severe renal insufficiency or ESRD. The Phase I study is designed to have three treatment arms (n=24): (i) healthy volunteers (n=8); (ii) patients with severe renal impairment or ESRD (n=8); and (iii) HCV patients with severe renal impairment or ESRD (n=8). Enrollment is expected to be complete in the first half of 2016 with efficacy data from the HCV/severe renal impairment or ESRD arm anticipated in the second half of 2016.

About microRNAs
The discovery of microRNAs in humans during the last decade is one of the most exciting scientific breakthroughs in recent history. microRNAs are small RNA molecules, typically 20 to 25 nucleotides in length, that do not encode proteins but instead regulate gene expression. More than 800 microRNAs have been identified in the human genome, and over two-thirds of all human genes are believed to be regulated by microRNAs. A single microRNA can regulate entire networks of genes. As such, these molecules are considered master regulators of the human genome. microRNA expression, or function, has been shown to be significantly altered or dysregulated in many disease states, including oncology, fibrosis, metabolic diseases, immune-inflammatory diseases and HCV. Targeting microRNAs with anti-miRs, chemically modified, single-stranded oligonucleotides, offers a unique approach to treating disease by modulating entire biological pathways and may become a new and major class of drugs with broad therapeutic application.

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