DGAP-News: AiCuris to Present Pre-clinical Data on AIC649 against Chronic Hepatitis B at the AASLD-The Liver Meeting
DGAP-News: AiCuris Anti-infective Cures GmbH / Key word(s): Conference/Study results
AiCuris to Present Pre-clinical Data on AIC649 against Chronic Hepatitis B at the AASLD-The Liver Meeting
17.10.2017 / 09:45
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
AiCuris to Present Pre-clinical Data on AIC649 against Chronic Hepatitis B
at the AASLD-The Liver Meeting
Data generated in an NIH-funded study being conducted at Georgetown University
Wuppertal, Germany, October 17, 2017- AiCuris Anti-infective Cures GmbH, a leading company in the discovery and development of drugs against infectious diseases, today announced that data from a preclinical study on the proprietary immune modulator AIC649 will be presented during the Late-Breaking Abstract Poster Session at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) - The Liver Meeting which will be held October 20-24, 2017 in Washington DC, USA.
The poster presentation LB-22 titled "AIC649 in Combination with Entecavir Leads to WHsAg Loss in the Woodchuck Animal Model of Chronic Hepatitis B" is scheduled for October 23rd starting at 8:00am EDT in Hall D at the Washington Convention Center.
The preclinical study in chronically WHV infected woodchucks was designed to further evaluate the potential of AIC649 to cure infections caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and to investigate the safety and efficacy of AIC649 when given as monotherapy or in combination with entecavir (ETV) as well as in different dosing routes and longer treatment periods. In addition to exploring the combination of AIC649 with ETV, one of the current standards of care for treating chronic HBV infections, the study is also expected to provide insights into the use of AIC649 as maintenance therapy following ETV treatment. These results should enable AiCuris to optimize the design of its next clinical trial.
The presented data were generated in a study utilizing the Animal Models of Infectious Disease Program, integral part of a suite of preclinical services supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and conducted at the Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
"We are pleased with the opportunity created by the AASLD - The Liver Meeting to present new data from this important study with AIC649, a promising candidate from our extensive anti-infective R&D portfolio with the potential to become a curative treatment for chronic HBV infection," said Dr. Holger Zimmermann, CEO of AiCuris. "We are very much looking forward to the scientific discussions which will provide guidance on the further development of this promising compound."
About hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The infection represents a major global health issue and is a significant occupational hazard, especially for healthcare workers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 257 million people worldwide are chronically infected with HBV (July 2017), and more than 880,000 people die each year due to complications from hepatitis B, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Market experts have estimated the HBV market will reach $3.5 billion in 2021 (RnR Market Research, 2015). There is a major medical need for new and innovative therapies to treat chronic infection with HBV as - despite numerous research activities - currently available therapies suppress the virus but cure the disease only in a small percentage of patients.
About AIC649
AIC649 is a proprietary inactivated parapox virus particle preparation. It induces a natural, self-limiting immune response, enhancing appropriate immune responses against unrelated viruses. As a novel biological immunomodulator, AIC649 has the potential to be a curative treatment for HBV. AiCuris is currently investigating AIC649 in a clinical phase 1 trial in chronic HBV patients. Results shall be announced in early 2018.
About AiCuris Anti-infective Cures GmbH
AiCuris was founded in 2006 as a spin-off from Bayer and focuses on the discovery and development of drugs against infectious diseases. The Company's majority investor is SANTO Holding. The Company is developing drugs for the treatment of viruses such as human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and adenoviruses. In the field of antibacterials, AiCuris seeks to develop innovative treatment options for life-threatening, (multidrug)-resistant hospital-treated pathogens. In 2012, AiCuris signed a license agreement with Merck & Co (MSD), one of the largest agreements of its kind in the European biotech industry. The agreement covers the development and commercialization of novel drug candidates against HCMV, including letermovir, which met the primary endpoint in a pivotal phase 3 clinical trial in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation.
Contacts:
Media Relations
AiCuris Anti-infective Cures GmbH
MC Services AG
Katja Woestenhemke
Anne Hennecke
Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 475/Geb. 302
Kaiser-Friedrich-Ring 5
42117 Wuppertal
40545 Düsseldorf
Phone +49 202 317 63 0
Phone +49 211 529 252 22
Fax +49 202 317 63 1601
Fax +49 211 529 252 29
Email business@aicuris.com
Email anne.hennecke@mc-services.eu
Web www.aicuris.com
Web www.mc-services.eu
17.10.2017 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de
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