Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted RNAi therapeutics.
Targeting Innovation
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals develops novel drugs to treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using the broadest portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, Arrowhead therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep and durable knockdown of target genes. Arrowhead’s most advanced drug candidate in clinical development is ARC-520, which is designed to treat chronic hepatitis B infection by inhibiting the production of all HBV gene products. The goal is to reverse the immune suppression that prevents the body from controlling the virus and clearing the disease. Arrowhead’s second clinical candidate is ARC-AAT, a treatment for a rare liver disease associated with a genetic disorder that causes alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
Lead Products
ARC-520 is an RNAi-based therapeutic designed to treat chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. It is the first clinical-stage drug candidate from Arrowhead’s Dynamic Polyconjugate® delivery platform. It is designed to treat chronic HBV infection by reducing the expression and release of new viral particles and key viral proteins with the goal of achieving a functional cure for HBV.
ARC-AAT is a novel unlocked nucleobase analog (UNA)-containing RNAi-based therapeutic for the treatment of liver disease associated with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD), a rare genetic disease that can severely damage the liver and lungs of affected individuals. The goal of treatment with ARC-AAT is to reduce the production of the mutant Z-AAT protein to prevent and potentially reverse accumulation-related liver injury and fibrosis.
The companys pre-clinical stage drug candidates include ARC-521, an RNAi-based therapeutic for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus; ARC-F12, an RNAi-based therapeutic to treat hereditary angioedema and thromboembolic diseases; ARC-HIF2, an RNAi-based therapeutic to treat renal cell carcinoma; and ARC-LPA, an RNAi-based therapeutic for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. It also holds patents related to Adipotide for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders. The company has research collaboration and license agreement with Shire AG to develop and commercialize targeted peptide-drug conjugates.
Platform Delivery Technology
The Dynamic Polyconjugate (DPC®) platform is an RNAi delivery system that has been demonstrated to preferentially deliver to hepatocytes, induce efficient endosomal escape, promote high levels of gene knockdown in multiple animal models, and appears to be well tolerated using a variety of RNAi trigger molecules. It is a modular system that can be optimized on a target-by-target basis and may be targeted in the future to address multiple organ systems and cell types.
Pipeline Development Strategy
Arrowhead’s internal drug pipeline is intended to drive value directly through the clinical development of novel therapeutics and to provide proof of concept for our platform technologies. In addition to our two lead product candidates, ARC-520 and ARC-AAT, we intend to nominate additional clinical candidates that utilize the DPC delivery system. Our core areas of focus for expanding our internal pipeline of RNAi therapeutics are: (1) develop intravenous (IV) administered liver-targeted candidates; (2) develop subcutaneously administered liver-targeted candidates; and (3) explore extra-hepatic targets, including oncology.
Post by digdeeper1976 on Sept 14, 2016 10:48:04 GMT -5
Revised timeline based on the September 7th announcement that they had dosed the first HBV patient with 521.
0.6 mg/kg was dosed around June 16 2016 1 mg/kg was dosed around July 15 2016 2 mg/kg was dosed around August 13 2016 Keeping with the 29 day time line between doses 4 mg/kg will be given around September 10 5 mg/kg will be given around October 9 6 mg/kg will be given around November 7 2016
CHB patients receiving 3 doses of ARC-521 Injection 2 mg/kg first dos Around September 12 2016 2 mg/kg second dose around October 10 2 mg/kg third dose around November 7 2016 4 mg/kg first dose Around October 10 4 mg/kg second dose around November 7 4 mg/kg third dose around December 5 6 mg/kg first dose Around December 6 6 MG/kg second dose around January 3 6 mg/kg third dose around January 31
85 days will put the end of the study around April 26th 2017.
This is dosing all participants at the absolute first available time.
The study Protocol calls for a 60 day screening period prior to enrollment. Based on that they will need to have the cohorts ready to go before they are able to move to the next dose level.
The study has a primary completion date of June 2017. This does not leave much room for delays.