Two up for Galectin

Galectin Therapeutics receives U.S. patent for combination treatment for liver fibrosis; supports IND in metastatic melanoma

Lloyd Dunlap
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NORCROSS, Ga.—Galectin Therapeutics, a leading developer of therapeutics that target galectin proteins to treat fibrosis and cancer, has announced that it has received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for patent application number 13/550,962 titled "Galactose-Pronged Polysaccharides in a Formulation for Anti-fibrotic Therapies." The patent covers both composition claims for and uses of the company's carbohydrate-based galectin inhibitor compound GR-MD-02 for use in patients with liver fibrosis in combination with other potential therapeutic agents.
 
"This patent provides additional coverage in the U.S. for the use of GR-MD-02 in combination with other potential anti-fibrotic agents in the treatment of liver fibrosis," said Peter G. Traber, M.D., president, CEO and CMO of Galectin Therapeutics. "In the future, liver fibrosis could be treated with a combination of agents, and this patent provides important intellectual property for this possibility. We are hopeful that our development program for GR-MD-02 will lead to the first therapy for the large unmet medical need of liver fibrosis."
 
Galectin Therapeutics is currently conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability and exploratory biomarkers for efficacy for single and multiple doses of GR-MD-02 over four weekly doses of GR-MD-02 treatment in patients with fatty liver disease with advanced fibrosis. In March 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted GR-MD-02 Fast Track designation for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with hepatic fibrosis, commonly known as fatty liver disease with advanced fibrosis.
 
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has become a common disease of the liver with the rise in obesity rates, estimated to affect nine to 15 million people, including children, in the U.S. Fatty liver disease is characterized by the presence of fat in the liver along with inflammation and damage in people who drink little or no alcohol. Over time, patients with fatty liver disease can develop fibrosis, or scarring of the liver, and it is estimated that as many as three million individuals will develop cirrhosis, a severe liver disease where liver transplantation is the only current treatment available. Approximately 6,300 liver transplants are done on an annual basis in the U.S. There are no drug therapies approved for the treatment of liver fibrosis. FDA and AASLD (American Association for the Study of Liver Disease) recently held a 2-day workshop with leading scientific experts in NASH and key FDA officials to discuss acceptable regulatory endpoints for approval of drugs to treat NASH.
 
 
Galectin also recently announced that Providence Portland Medical Center has filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the FDA to study GR-MD-02 in combination with Yervoy® (ipilimumab) in a Phase 1B study of patients with metastatic melanoma.
 
The application was prompted by findings from a preclinical study led by tumor immunology expert William L. Redmond, Ph.D., of the Providence Portland Medical Center's Earle A. Chiles Research Institute (EACRI). The preclinical study found that GR-MD-02 increased tumor shrinkage and enhanced survival in immune competent mice with prostate and breast cancers when combined with one of the immune checkpoint inhibitors, anti-CTLA-4 or anti-PD-1. These findings suggest a role for GR-MD-02 in cancer immunotherapy.
 
"The IND filing to study GR-MD-02 in conjunctive use with Yervoy in patients with metastatic melanoma is an important milestone for both Providence Portland Medical Center and Galectin Therapeutics," said Galectin’s President Dr. Traber. "Preclinical data have shown that GR-MD-02 holds immense potential for increasing the effectiveness of other therapies and may be an important approach in enhancing cancer immunotherapy."
 
If the application is approved by the FDA, the Phase 1B study will be conducted by the EACRI under principal investigator Brendan D. Curti, M.D. EACRI and Providence Cancer Center researchers have been leaders in immunotherapy research and translational clinical trials in melanoma and other cancers.
 
"The Phase 1B study will determine if GR-MD-02 enhances the probability of melanoma response with ipilimumab by inducing proliferation, activation and memory function of CD8+ T cells," said Dr. Curti, a medical oncologist and director of the Providence Biotherapy Program at EACRI. "The combination of GR-MD-02 and ipilimumab has a strong scientific rationale based on Dr. Redmond's laboratory work. This study represents a novel approach for patients with metastatic melanoma."
 
The study will employ a 3+3 Phase 1 design with dose escalation of GR-MD-02 in conjunction with the standard therapeutic dose of ipilimumab in patients with advanced melanoma for whom ipilimumab would be considered standard of care. In addition to monitoring for toxicity and clinical response, blood samples will be obtained to assess immunologic measures relevant to galectin biology and ipilimumab T-cell check-point inhibition. Galectin Therapeutics will provide its proprietary compound GR-MD-02 to EACRI researchers, as well as supply researchers with supporting analysis of the pharmacokinetics of GR-MD-02 and the right to reference the company's open IND on GR-MD-02.
 
 
http://www.fda.gov
 
http://oregon.providence.org/
http://www.eacri.com/‎
 
http://www.aasld.org/

Lloyd Dunlap

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