On January 3, 2019 Selecta Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SELB), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on unlocking the full potential of biologic therapies based on its immune tolerance platform technology, ImmTOR (SVP-Rapamycin), reported its updates on its platform priorities and streamlined structure under the leadership of its new President and CEO, Carsten Brunn, Ph.D (Press release, Selecta Biosciences, JAN 3, 2019, View Source [SID1234532443]).
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"We believe 2019 will be a transformative year for Selecta with key milestones anticipated for both our chronic refractory gout and gene therapy programs. We intend to focus on executing our strategic priorities, advancing our ImmTOR platform, and growing our strategic partnerships. With this renewed focus, we plan to deprioritize our oncology pipeline and undergo a restructuring to better align with our new priorities. The restructuring was a difficult decision and I want to personally thank all those who are affected for all their contributions to Selecta," said Dr. Brunn.
Selecta strongly committed to chronic refractory gout:
The company remains committed to the development of its lead product candidate, SEL-212, (ImmTOR+pegadricase) in chronic refractory gout. Based on interim data from the recently completed Phase 2 study, inclusive of the five outstanding patients who had not previously completed their course of therapy as of October 9th, 2018, 66% of evaluable patients (21/32), maintained serum uric acid (sUA) levels of <6mg/dL after five once-monthly treatments of SEL-212 at doses of 0.1 or 0.15 mg/kg of ImmTOR in combination with 0.2mg/kg of pegadricase. Furthermore, reduced total urate burden and lowered flare rates and severity were observed in the Phase 2 clinical trial, and SEL-212 continued to be generally well tolerated.
Following a December 2018U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) meeting, the company plans to initiate a head-to-head superiority trial of SEL-212, utilizing revised stopping rules, compared to the current FDA-approved uricase therapy, Krystexxa, in the first quarter of 2019. An interim six-month data readout is projected for the fourth quarter of 2019 with a full statistical superiority data analysis expected in the first quarter of 2020. The results of the planned head-to-head superiority trial are expected to inform the design of the planned Phase 3 clinical trial of SEL-212, which the company plans to initiate in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Selecta plans to explore the potential of re-dosing AAV gene therapy:
In September 2018, Selecta announced a collaboration with the European consortium, CureCN, for an ImmTOR+AAV gene therapy combination product candidate in Crigler-Najjar Syndrome. Selecta expects CureCN to initiate preclinical toxicology studies in the first half of 2019 and for the combination product candidate to enter the clinic in the second half of the year.
In addition to this renewed focus on AAV gene therapy applications, Selecta plans to deprioritize its SEL-403 Phase 1 oncology program. The trial, which was placed on clinical hold by the FDA, was being conducted by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Selecta’s new CEO, Dr. Brunn, announces a streamlined structure:
Effective December 1, 2018, Carsten Brunn, Ph.D., assumed the role of President and CEO of Selecta, following his previous position as President of Pharmaceuticals for the Americas and member of the Global Pharmaceutical Executive Committee at Bayer. He has also held senior executive positions at Eli Lilly, Novartis, Basilea, and Bausch and Lomb in Europe, Asia and the United States.
The company is restructuring to reduce the current workforce by 36% as of January 3, 2019. This reduction, coupled with a reprioritization of the company’s pipeline programs, is projected to reduce the yearly cash burn by 19% going forward.