Vancouver WASHINGTON - December 3, 2015 -- Fighting on two fronts at the same time, a new medical discovery is expected to receive FDA approval in 2017. Successfully used to diminish and suppress HIV viral loads in clinical trials, PRO 140 could also have application in GvHD as it was suggested in two separate in-vitro studies.
CytoDyn Inc. is the developer of PRO 140, its lead product candidate. A biotechnology company focused on the development of new therapies for combating HIV infection, CytoDyn announced that recent Company research has produced data to expand the potential clinical indications of PRO 140 for autoimmune diseases. Accordingly, CytoDyn recently filed a new IND (Investigational New Drug) application with the FDA and a full protocol for a Phase 2 clinical trial relating to the GvHD findings.
Furthermore, CytoDyn intends to file for Orphan Drug Designation when there is a GvHD indication in patients requiring bone marrow transplants in the near future.
CytoDyn currently is in a Phase 3 trial with PRO 140 for the treatment of HIV. If successful, the Company anticipates FDA approval in the first half of 2017.
“GvHD can result from cancer-fighting bone marrow transplants. This new PRO 140 indication, blocking the occurrence of GvHD following bone marrow transplants, expands PRO 140’s capabilities beyond standard HIV therapies. The Company also believes that the addition of the GvHD indication in PRO 140 could expand the market size profile. We plan to commercialize the product bringing it to the public in near future following the successful Phase 2 study,” comments Dr. Nader Pourhassan, President and CEO, CytoDyn Inc. developer of PRO-140.
About Graft versus Host Disease
Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD) is a complication that can occur after a stem cell or bone marrow transplant. With GvHD, the newly transplanted donor cells attack the transplant recipient’s body. GvHD may occur after a bone marrow or stem cell transplant in which an individual receives bone marrow tissue or cells from an unrelated donor. This type of transplant is called allogeneic. The new, transplanted cells regard the recipient’s body as foreign. When this happens, the newly transplanted cells attack the recipient’s body. GvHD does not occur when an individual receives his or her own cells during a transplant. Before a transplant, tissue and cells from possible donors are tested to determine how closely they match the person having the transplant. GvHD is less likely to occur, or symptoms will be milder, when the match is close. The chance of GvHD is around 30% to 40% when the donor and recipient are related, and around 60% to 80% when the donor and recipient are not related. There are two types of GvHD: acute and chronic. Symptoms in both acute and chronic GvHD range from mild to severe. Acute GvHD usually happens within the first six months after a transplant. Chronic GvHD usually starts more than three months after a transplant, and can last a lifetime. In the United States, in 2011, over 7,500 unrelated donor bone marrow transplants were performed and another 10,000 conducted outside the U.S. One-year survival is now approximately 60% with the most common causes of death being relapse or GvHD. The market in the U.S. is expected to reach $400 million in the next several years.
About CytoDyn
CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB:CYDY) is a biotechnology company focused on the clinical development and potential commercialization of humanized monoclonal antibodies for the treatment and prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. The Company has one of the leading monoclonal antibodies under development for HIV infection, PRO 140, which has finished Phase 2 clinical trials with demonstrated antiviral activity in man and is currently in Phase 3. PRO 140 blocks the HIV co-receptor CCR5 on T-cells which prevents viral entry. Clinical trial results thus far indicate that PRO 140 does not negatively affect the normal immune functions that are mediated by CCR5. Results from six Phase 1 and Phase 2 human clinical trials have shown that PRO 140 can significantly reduce viral burden in people infected with HIV. A recent Phase 2b clinical trial demonstrated that PRO 140 can prevent viral escape in patients during several weeks of interruption from conventional drug therapy. CytoDyn intends to continue to develop PRO 140 as a therapeutic anti-viral agent in persons infected with HIV. For more information on the Company, please visit www.cytodyn.com.
About PRO 140
PRO 140 belongs to a new class of HIV/AIDS therapeutics -- viral-entry inhibitors -- that are intended to protect healthy cells from viral infection. PRO 140 is a fully humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody directed against CCR5, a molecular portal that HIV uses to enter T-cells. PRO 140 blocks the predominant HIV (R5) subtype entry into T-cells by masking this required co-receptor, CCR5. Importantly, PRO 140 does not appear to interfere with the normal function of CCR5 in mediating immune responses. PRO 140 does not have agonist activity towards CCR5 but does have antagonist activity to CCL5 which is a central mediator in inflammatory diseases. PRO 140 has been the subject of seven clinical trials, each demonstrating efficacy by significantly reducing or controlling HIV viral load in human test subjects. PRO 140 has been designated a “fast track” product candidate by the FDA. The PRO 140 antibody appears to be a powerful antiviral agent leading to potentially fewer side effects and less frequent dosing requirements as compared to daily drug therapies currently in use.
