Strategic milestone achieved in TDM assay development
Thermo Fisher Scientific to develop and then commercialize its assay for measuring the concentration of plazomicin
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Achaogen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibacterials addressing multi-drug resistant (MDR) gram-negative infections, today announced that they have achieved a strategic milestone in their ongoing efforts to develop an assay enabling therapeutic drug management (TDM) of plazomicin. Achaogen is developing plazomicin for the potential treatment of serious bacterial infections due to MDR Enterobacteriaceae, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).
In Achaogen’s Phase 3 CARE trial in patients with serious infections due to CRE, an investigational assay enabling plazomicin TDM was used to help ensure that targeted exposures of plazomicin were achieved in the critically ill patients enrolled in the trial. If plazomicin is approved, Achaogen and Thermo Fisher plan to develop and have a commercial assay for plazomicin available at product launch. Achaogen plans to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) for plazomicin to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the second half of 2017. Achaogen also plans to submit a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2018.
“Thermo Fisher is a world leader in developing and providing high-quality commercial assays to achieve precise and accurate quantitative results crucial for monitoring drug levels. We are pleased with the progress made in our collaboration with Thermo Fisher and with achieving this important milestone of demonstrating assay feasibility, a key step toward enabling therapeutic drug management of plazomicin for those patients most likely to benefit from TDM,” said Blake Wise, Achaogen’s Chief Operating Officer. “In certain high-risk patient populations, such as the critically ill, we believe TDM has the potential to provide significant utility in optimizing plazomicin dosing.”
The two companies have been collaborating on assay development since 2015. Under terms of their collaboration agreement, Thermo Fisher leads the development, regulatory approval, and commercialization of an assay for measuring plazomicin drug levels. Achaogen brings plazomicin expertise to the collaboration, including the discovery of plazomicin-specific antibodies utilizing their state-of-the-art antibody discovery platform.
“The agreement reflects our mutual commitment to providing a broadly-available plazomicin assay at launch so that healthcare providers can measure plazomicin drug levels in critically ill patients with bacterial infections,” said John Kody, Vice President/General Manager Clinical Diagnostics - Niche Products at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “During the feasibility period, our two teams have developed an assay that compares very well to traditional analytical chemistry techniques. Thermo Fisher’s QMS™ TDM assays are conveniently ready-to-use, with excellent precision and accuracy, and are optimized for performance on a wide range of analyzers.”
In December 2016, Achaogen announced positive results from its plazomicin Phase 3 clinical trials in complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) and infections due to CRE. In the Phase 3 EPIC registration trial in patients with cUTI and acute pyelonephritis (AP), plazomicin met the objective of non-inferiority compared to meropenem for FDA-specified primary efficacy endpoints, and achieved superiority for the EMA-specified primary efficacy endpoints. In addition, in the Phase 3 CARE trial in patients with serious infections due to CRE, a lower rate of mortality or serious disease-related complications was observed for plazomicin-treated patients compared with those on colistin therapy. In the Phase 3 CARE trial, TDM with an investigational assay helped to confirm that the targeted-exposure of plazomicin was achieved in these critically ill patients.
About Therapeutic Drug Management and Plazomicin
Therapeutic Drug Management is the practice of measuring the concentration of medication in blood and adjusting the dose of that drug based on the results. Healthcare providers routinely use TDM for certain drugs to help improve patient care by individually adjusting the dose as appropriate. Critically ill patients with bacterial infections often have abnormal and fluctuating renal function as well as an altered volume of drug distribution in the body. This can lead to these patients being either under or over-dosed with what are potentially life-saving therapies. Initial data from Achaogen’s plazomicin CARE study in critically ill patients with CRE infections confirmed drug concentration variability within and among patients and importantly, showed that TDM helped to ensure that the targeted-exposure of plazomicin was achieved in these patients.
About Achaogen
Achaogen is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company passionately committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel antibacterials to treat MDR gram-negative infections. Achaogen is developing plazomicin, Achaogen’s lead product candidate, for the treatment of serious bacterial infections due to MDR Enterobacteriaceae, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Achaogen’s plazomicin program is funded in part with Federal funds from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Office of the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSO100201000046C. Plazomicin is the first clinical candidate from Achaogen’s gram-negative antibiotic discovery engine. Achaogen has other programs in early and late preclinical stages focused on other MDR gram-negative infections, including LpxC inhibitors for the treatment of serious bacterial infections including MDR gram-negative bacteria. Achaogen's LpxC inhibitor program has been funded in part with Federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN272201500009C. LpxC inhibitors are the second class of molecules from Achaogen's gram-negative antibiotic discovery engine. For more information, please visit www.achaogen.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained herein are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, Achaogen’s expectations regarding potential regulatory approval of plazomicin, Achaogen’s commercial objectives and Achaogen’s pipeline of product candidates. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause Achaogen's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainties inherent in the preclinical and clinical development process; the risk of failure to successfully validate, develop and obtain regulatory clearance or approval for the in vitro diagnostic (IVD) assay for plazomicin; the risks and uncertainties of the regulatory approval process; the risks and uncertainties of commercialization and gaining market acceptance; the risk when bacteria will evolve resistance to plazomicin; Achaogen's reliance on third-party contract manufacturing organizations to manufacture and supply its product candidates and certain raw materials used in the production thereof; risk of third party claims alleging infringement of patents and proprietary rights or seeking to invalidate Achaogen's patents or proprietary rights; and the risk that Achaogen's proprietary rights may be insufficient to protect its technologies and product candidates. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward- looking statements, as well as risks relating to Achaogen's business in general, see Achaogen's current and future reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2016, and its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015. Achaogen does not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.