Clene Reports Positive Topline Results for CNM-Au8® in the Phase 2 VISIONARY-MS Trial in Multiple Sclerosis

• CNM-Au8 met primary and secondary endpoints of Low Contrast Letter Acuity (LCLA) and modified Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (mMSFC) compared to placebo over 48 weeks in the mITT population
  
  
• Consistent improvements favoring CNM-Au8 were seen across paraclinical biomarkers, providing physiological evidence for its potential neuroprotective and remyelinating effects
  
  
• CNM-Au8 treatment was well-tolerated, and there were no significant safety findings reported
  
  
• Results provide support to advance CNM-Au8 into Phase 3 clinical development
  
  
• Clene to host a call and webcast at 7:30 am EDT today
  

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clene Inc. (Nasdaq: CLNN) (along with its subsidiaries, “Clene”) and its wholly owned subsidiary Clene Nanomedicine Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on revolutionizing the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, today announced positive topline results from the Phase 2 VISIONARY-MS trial of CNM-Au8^®, an investigational gold nanocrystal suspension, in participants with stable relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

VISIONARY-MS was a Phase 2 proof-of-concept, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of CNM-Au8 (15 mg or 30 mg daily) as adjunctive therapy to currently available disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) versus placebo over 48 weeks in stable RRMS participants with chronic optic neuropathy.

As announced in February 2022, the trial was stopped prematurely due to COVID-19 pandemic operational challenges, limiting enrollment to 73 out of the 150 planned participants. Due to the limited enrollment, the threshold for significance was pre-specified at p=0.10 prior to database lock. The primary analysis was conducted in a modified intent to treat (mITT) population, which censored invalid data. The mITT population excluded data from a single site (n=9) with LCLA testing execution errors and the timed 25-foot walk data from one subject with a change in mobility assist device. The ITT results were directionally consistent with the mITT results, although the ITT results were not significant.

“These data are very encouraging to us in the MS research and treatment community as we work to address functional improvement in patients,” said Benjamin Greenberg, MD, MHS, FANA, FAAN, CRND Professor of Neurology and one of the trial’s clinical advisors. “The MS community has been successful at limiting relapses, but we need therapies to address progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA). This study was designed as a proof-of-concept evaluation to establish that treatment of neuronal and glial energetic failure can support remyelination and neuroprotection in people living with MS. I am pleased to see the potential effectiveness of CNM-Au8 demonstrated in this trial.”

Primary and secondary results from Baseline to Week 48 were:

• Primary outcome: LCLA letter change in the clinically affected eye (least squares [LS] mean difference, 3.13; 95% CI: -0.08 to 6.33, p = 0.056)
• Secondary outcomes:
  • mMSFC mean standardized change (LS mean difference, 0.28; 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.52, p = 0.0207)
  • mMSFC average rank score (LS mean difference, 13.38; 95% CI: 2.83 to 23.94, p = 0.0138)
  • Time to first repeated clinical improvement to Week 48 (45% vs. 29%, log-rank p=0.3991)
    

Consistent improvements favoring CNM-Au8 were observed across multiple paraclinical biomarkers, including multifocal visual evoked potentials (mfVEP) amplitude and latency, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and MRI endpoints, including magnetization transfer ratio and diffusion tensor imaging metrics. Placebo treated patients, in contrast, generally worsened as expected across these measures during the 48-week period. These data provide independently assessed quantitative physiological evidence that supports the potential neuroprotective and remyelinating effects of CNM-Au8. The full dataset will be reported at an upcoming scientific congress.

CNM-Au8 was well-tolerated, and there were no significant safety findings reported.

Robert Glanzman, MD, FAAN, Clene’s Chief Medical Officer, said, "In this study, CNM-Au8 demonstrated neurological improvements in people with stable relapsing MS as adjunctive therapy to immunomodulatory DMTs. I am very impressed by the consistency of structural and functional improvements demonstrated by CNM-Au8 throughout the neuraxis. With these data, Clene looks forward to initiating a Phase 3 clinical program in people with MS who are experiencing progression independent of relapse activity, the most urgent unmet medical need in MS today. We look forward to the next phase of clinical development.”

Rob Etherington, Clene’s Chief Executive Officer and President, added, “These results further demonstrate the potential of CNM-Au8 to drive neuronal cellular energy production in patients struggling with MS and other neurodegenerative diseases. We also await additional evidence of clinical efficacy from the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial, which is expected to report topline data later in this quarter. Clene will continue to work tirelessly to further CNM-Au8’s development to treat neurodegenerative diseases.”

Conference Call and Webcast Information
Clene will host a conference call and webcast at 7:30 am EDT to discuss the VISIONARY-MS topline results.

Toll free: 1 (888) 770-7152
Conference ID: 5318408
Press *1 to ask or withdraw a question, or *0 for operator assistance.

To access the live webcast, please register online at this link. Participants are requested to register at a minimum 15 minutes before the start of the call. A replay of the call will be available two hours after the call and archived on the same web page for six months. A live audio webcast of the call will be available on the Investors section of the Company’s website Presentation page . An archived webcast will be available on the Company’s website approximately two hours after the event.

About VISIONARY-MS
VISIONARY-MS was a Phase 2 multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of CNM-Au8 in participants with stable relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) with a history of chronic visual impairment who are allowed disease-modifying therapy (DMT). Enrolled subjects were randomized 1:1:1 to CNM-Au8 15 mg/day, 30 mg/day, or placebo. As announced in February 2022, the trial was stopped prematurely due to COVID-19 pandemic operational challenges, enrolling 73 out of the 150 planned participants. Due to limited enrollment, the threshold for significance was pre-specified at p=0.10 prior to database lock. The primary endpoint was the change in best corrected-low contrast letter acuity (BC-LCLA) from baseline to week 48 in the clinically affected eye. Key secondary efficacy outcomes assessed neurological function by the modified MS Functional Composite (mMSFC) including 25-Foot Timed Walk, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, 9-Hole Peg Test (dominant and non-dominant hands), and LCLA (affected and fellow eye) from baseline through Week 48. For more information, see ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: NCT03536559. The open label extension of VISIONARY-MS is ongoing.

About CNM-Au8^®
CNM-Au8 is an oral suspension of gold nanocrystals developed to restore neuronal health and function by increasing energy production and utilization. The catalytically active nanocrystals of CNM-Au8 drive critical cellular energy producing reactions that enable neuroprotection and remyelination by increasing neuronal and glial resilience to disease-relevant stressors. CNM-Au8^® is a federally registered trademark of Clene Nanomedicine, Inc.

About Clene
Clene is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on revolutionizing the treatment of neurodegenerative disease by targeting energetic failure, an underlying cause of many neurological diseases. The company is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, with R&D and manufacturing operations in Maryland. For more information, please visit www.clene.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements

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Source: Clene Inc.