On January 31, 2022 Inventiva (Euronext Paris and Nasdaq: IVA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of oral small molecule therapies for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) and other diseases with significant unmet medical needs, reported the receipt of a €4 million milestone payment from AbbVie (Press release, Inventiva Pharma, JAN 31, 2022, View Source [SID1234607520]). It follows the inclusion of the first patient with psoriasis in the ongoing Phase IIb clinical trial with cedirogant (ABBV-157)1, an oral RORg inverse agonist jointly discovered by Inventiva and AbbVie for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
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The Phase IIb clinical trial initiated by AbbVie with cedirogant is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the drug candidate in adult patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. The details of the clinical trial are available on clinicaltrials.gov2.
Frédéric Cren, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and cofounder of Inventiva, stated: "This new milestone payment and the initiation of a Phase IIb trial in adult patients with psoriasis are excellent news for Inventiva. It is an important step in the development of cedirogant, after the compound showed promising activity as an oral psoriasis agent in a Phase Ib clinical trial led by AbbVie. We are extremely proud to collaborate with AbbVie, a worldwide leader in autoimmune diseases, and we believe cedirogant has the potential to become a new reference treatment in psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases."
In 2012, Inventiva and AbbVie signed a multi-year drug discovery collaboration agreement to identify potent RORg inverse agonists for the treatment of several auto-immune diseases. Through this collaboration, Inventiva leveraged its discovery expertise and technology platforms to develop drug candidates targeting the nuclear receptor RORg, a validated drug target for the treatment of cutaneous inflammatory disorders such as psoriasis.
This collaboration with AbbVie enables Inventiva to receive payments upon the achievement of clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones, as well as tiered royalties on product sales, from mid single-digit to low double-digit.
About psoriasis
Psoriasis is a common skin disease affecting more than 3% of the US adult population3. In moderate and severe cases, psoriatic lesions can be uncomfortable, itchy and disfiguring. Although the precise pathophysiology of psoriasis is unknown, an abnormal cutaneous immunologic/inflammatory response, associated with epidermal hyper proliferation and abnormal differentiation, seems to be involved.
Current treatment of psoriasis is directed toward the alteration of epidermal differentiation, reducing the inflammatory response and slowing the growth of involved skin cells. The extent and severity of the disease typically determine the therapeutic approach. In mild psoriasis, the most commonly used therapy is topical with the addition of phototherapy in refractory cases. In moderate to severe psoriasis, phototherapy or anoral systemic therapy are used.