GlobeImmune Announces Initiation of Phase 2 Clinical Trial of GI-5005 in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C
| Source: GlobeImmune, Inc.
LOUISVILLE, CO--(Marketwire - December 19, 2007) - GlobeImmune, Inc. announced today the
initiation of the Company's Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate GI-5005
Tarmogen® for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C
infection. GI-5005 is being evaluated as a potential therapy in combination
with standard of care, pegylated interferon plus ribavirin.
The Phase 2 clinical trial is a randomized, open-label, multi-arm,
multi-center trial evaluating GI-5005 in combination with full duration
standard of care, versus standard of care alone in patients with chronic
genotype 1 hepatitis C infection who are either treatment-naïve or
non-responders to previous therapy. Endpoints will include improvement in
alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, early virologic response (EVR), end
of treatment response (ETR), sustained virologic response (SVR), serum
markers of liver fibrosis / necrosis and liver biopsy in a subset of
patients. This study is designed to enroll 120 patients randomized 1:1 in
the 2 arms at approximately 50 centers in the U.S., India and Europe. A
majority of the centers will be based in the U.S.
"With the initiation of this trial, we continue to make excellent progress
in advancing our GI-5005 development program," said David Apelian, M.D.,
GlobeImmune's Chief Medical Officer. "Our clinical data to date have shown
GI-5005 to have an excellent safety profile, to be capable of generating a
robust immunologic response and to have the potential to provide clinical
benefit to patients with chronic HCV. While the current standard of care
and the newer class of small molecule inhibitors primarily act by
inhibiting viral replication, we believe the immunogenicity generated by
GI-5005 will improve the rate of immune clearance of infected liver cells,
be complementary with treatments that inhibit viral replication and have
the potential to favorably impact clinical outcomes."
About GI-5005
GI-5005 is GlobeImmune's lead infectious disease product for the treatment
of chronic hepatitis C infection from the Company's proprietary Tarmogen
active immunotherapy platform. GI-5005 is whole, heat-killed recombinant
yeast genetically modified to express HCV-specific protein targets. The
mechanism of action for GI-5005 (i.e. immune elimination of infected
hepatic cells) may work synergistically in combination with the current or
emerging standard of care, which directly inhibits viral replication, to
more effectively eradicate hepatitis C virus from the liver. Additionally,
this mechanism of action may offer an option for interferon-intolerant or
interferon-contraindicated patients as a long term monotherapy.
About Hepatitis C Infection
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 170 million people
globally are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), with 3-4 million new
infections each year. Roughly 80-90% of these cases fail to resolve
acutely and evolve into a chronic state. The population of subjects with
chronic HCV infections is estimated at approximately 4 million cases in the
U.S. and 5-10 million in Europe. Of the 4 million subjects infected in the
U.S., only 20-40% are estimated to be currently diagnosed given the largely
asymptomatic nature of HCV infection. The current standard of care for
genotype 1 HCV patients, the most common subtype in the U.S., is 48 weeks
of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin. This treatment is often poorly
tolerated and only results in cure rates (sustained virologic response) of
approximately 50%.
About GlobeImmune, Inc.
GlobeImmune is a private Colorado-based company developing active
immunotherapies called Tarmogens for the treatment of cancer and infectious
diseases. The Company's lead product candidate, GI-5005, is a Tarmogen
being developed for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection that has
completed a Phase 1b clinical trial. GI-5005 is designed to complement
both the current and emerging standard of care for hepatitis C infection
through the direct elimination of chronically infected cells. The Company
has initiated a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study of GI-5005 in
combination with standard of care for chronic hepatitis C infection. The
Company's lead oncology program, GI-4000, is designed to be a treatment for
cancers of the lung and gastrointestinal tract. A randomized,
placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial in patients with resectable pancreas
cancer in combination with adjuvant gemcitabine is ongoing.
For additional information, please visit the company's website at
www.globeimmune.com
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks
and uncertainties, including statements relating to initiation and progress
of the Company's clinical trial programs and potential advantages of the
Company's technology and product candidates. Actual results could differ
materially from those projected and the Company cautions readers not to
place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this
release.