Alterity Therapeutics Phase 2 Data Monitoring Committee Recommends Continuing Clinical Trial as Planned
– ATH434-201 Trial on Track to Complete Enrollment in Q3 2023 –
– Top-Line Data Expected by the End of 2024 –
Alterity Therapeutics (ASX: ATH, NASDAQ: ATHE) (“Alterity” or “the Company”), a biotechnology company dedicated to developing disease modifying treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced that an independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) recommended the ATH434-201 Phase 2 study continue as planned. The ATH434-201 clinical trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation of ATH434 in patients with early-stage multiple system atrophy (MSA), a rare neurodegenerative disease with no approved treatments to slow or stop its progression.
The DMC conducted a prespecified review of unblinded clinical data from an initial cohort of study participants. The DMC expressed no concerns about safety and recommended that the study continue without modification. The plan for the DMC to review initial safety data was cleared with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“The recommendation to continue the Phase 2 trial as planned marks another significant advance in the development of ATH434 for this devastating condition,” said David Stamler, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Alterity. “Enrollment is continuing globally, and this milestone brings us one step closer to creating a novel treatment for individuals with MSA. We remain on track to complete enrollment in the third quarter of this year and look forward to top‑line data by the end of next year.”
The ATH434-201 Phase 2 clinical trial is evaluating the effect of ATH434 treatment on neuroimaging and protein biomarkers to demonstrate target engagement and clinical endpoints to demonstrate efficacy, in addition to assessments of safety and pharmacokinetics. The selected biomarkers, including brain iron and aggregating α‑synuclein, are important contributors to MSA pathology and are therefore appropriate targets to demonstrate drug activity. Wearable sensors will also be employed to evaluate motor activities that are important to patients with MSA. The study is expected to enroll approximately 60 adults to receive one of two dose levels of ATH434 or placebo. Participants will receive treatment for 12 months which will provide an opportunity to detect changes in efficacy endpoints to optimize design of a definitive Phase 3 study. Additional information on the Phase 2 trial can be found by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05109091.
About ATH434
Alterity’s lead candidate, ATH434, is an oral agent designed to inhibit the aggregation of pathological proteins implicated in neurodegeneration. ATH434 has been shown preclinically to reduce α-synuclein pathology and preserve nerve cells by restoring normal iron balance in the brain. As an iron chaperone, it has excellent potential to treat Parkinson’s disease as well as various Parkinsonian disorders such as Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). ATH434 successfully completed Phase 1 studies demonstrating the agent is well tolerated and achieved brain levels comparable to efficacious levels in animal models of MSA. ATH434 is currently being studied in two clinical trials: Study ATH434-201 is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with early-stage MSA and Study ATH434-202 is an open-label Phase 2 Biomarker trial in patients with more advanced MSA. ATH434 has been granted Orphan drug designation for the treatment of MSA by the U.S. FDA and the European Commission.
About Multiple System Atrophy
Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) is a rare, neurodegenerative disease characterized by failure of the autonomic nervous system and impaired movement. The symptoms reflect the progressive loss of function and death of different types of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It is a rapidly progressive disease and causes profound disability. MSA is a Parkinsonian disorder characterized by a variable combination of slowed movement and/or rigidity, autonomic instability that affects involuntary functions such as blood pressure maintenance and bladder control, and impaired balance and/or coordination that predisposes to falls. A pathological hallmark of MSA is the accumulation of the protein α-synuclein within glia, the support cells of the central nervous system, and neuron loss in multiple brain regions. MSA affects approximately 15,000 individuals in the U.S., and while some of the symptoms of MSA can be treated with medications, currently there are no drugs that are able to slow disease progression and there is no cure.1
1Multiple System Atrophy | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (nih.gov)
About Alterity Therapeutics Limited
Alterity Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotechnology company dedicated to creating an alternate future for people living with neurodegenerative diseases. The Company’s lead asset, ATH434, has the potential to treat various Parkinsonian disorders. Alterity also has a broad drug discovery platform generating patentable chemical compounds to intercede in disease processes. The Company is based in Melbourne, Australia, and San Francisco, California, USA. For further information please visit the Company’s web site at www.alteritytherapeutics.com.
Authorisation & Additional information
This announcement was authorised by David Stamler, CEO of Alterity Therapeutics Limited.