NEWTON, Mass., April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acer Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ACER), a pharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of therapies for serious rare and life-threatening diseases with critical unmet medical needs, today announced the publication of long-term data from a cohort of COL3A1-positive vEDS patients in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). The publication, entitled “Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Long-Term Observational Study,” was authored by Michael Frank, MD, Xavier Jeunemaitre, MD, PhD, and Pierre Boutouyrie, MD, PhD, et al.
An audio summary by Editor-in-Chief of JACC, Dr. Valentin Fuster, may be accessed (for free) via the following link:
http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/7/a/d/7adfc876add223e8/JACC7315_fustersummary_06.mp3?c_id=39923912&cs_id=39923912&expiration=1555355369&hwt=978a334a3160927aae2b8c4dd9c25209
The publication may be accessed (for purchase) here: http://www.onlinejacc.org/content/73/15/1948
The editorial may be accessed (for purchase) here: http://www.onlinejacc.org/content/73/15/1958
This published study describes outcomes in 144 COL3A1-positive vEDS patients clinically monitored and treated at the French National Referral Center for Rare Vascular Diseases (Paris, France) between the years 2000 and 2017. Patients were followed for a median of 5.3 years, and up to 20 years. At the initial work up, 50% of patients were not treated regularly and only 33.3% were taking celiprolol; by the end of the study period, the majority (90.3%) were treated with celiprolol alone or in combination with other medications. Once the maximum tolerated dose of celiprolol was reached, 90 (62.5%) patients remained at this dose throughout their follow-up. Only 5 (3.5%) patients required dose reduction due to fatigue, and no serious drug-related adverse event was recorded.
Patients had a lower mortality rate than that expected from the natural history of the disease as described in previous U.S. reports (1). Survival curve analysis showed that those not treated with celiprolol had a significantly worse outcome than celiprolol-treated patients: survival was 80.7% (95% CI 67.8%–93.6%) in those treated with celiprolol versus 48.5% (95% CI 19.7%–77.4%) in those not treated (p<0.001) after 11.1 years of follow-up. Survival was significantly higher in patients treated with a median dose of celiprolol of 400mg/day (n=83) vs. patients treated with a lower median dose of 217mg/d [100-300mg/day] (n=27), suggesting a dose effect and that 400mg/day should be considered the optimal dose. The authors also observed a relative decrease in hospitalization rates for acute arterial events during the time period in which the majority of patients were on celiprolol, suggesting a positive effect of celiprolol on the incidence and/or severity of new arterial events. The authors concluded that in this large, long-term cohort study, vEDS patients had a higher survival rate than expected relative to the known natural history of the disease and a lower annual occurrence of arterial complications, and that celiprolol use was potentially associated with these significant improvements in clinical outcomes.
“The higher overall survival in patients treated with celiprolol in this long-term study in COL3A1-positive vEDS patients appears to correlate with the significant event-free survival advantage that was reported in the Ong, et al. study of celiprolol treatment in vEDS patients (2),” said Michael Frank, MD, clinical investigator from the Paris group and first author of the publication.
“We are pleased to see this publication from the vEDS clinical investigator group in Paris which provides patients and physicians with a greater understanding of this chronic disease, including data suggesting a positive impact of celiprolol, which has a unique pharmacological profile,” said William Andrews, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer of Acer.
About Acer Therapeutics
Acer, headquartered in Newton, MA, is a pharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of therapies for serious rare and life-threatening diseases with critical unmet medical needs. Acer’s pipeline includes three clinical-stage candidates: EDSIVO™ (celiprolol) for the treatment of vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) in patients with a confirmed type III collagen (COL3A1) mutation; ACER-001 (a fully taste-masked, immediate release formulation of sodium phenylbutyrate) for the treatment of various inborn errors of metabolism, including urea cycle disorders (UCD) and Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD); and osanetant for the treatment of various neuroendocrine disorders. Acer’s product candidates are believed to present a comparatively de-risked profile, having one or more of a favorable safety profile, clinical proof-of-concept data, mechanistic differentiation and an accelerated path for development, which may include utilizing expedited programs (e.g. Priority Review) established by the FDA and/or using the regulatory pathway established under section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) that allows an applicant to rely at least in part on third-party data for approval, which may expedite the preparation, submission and approval of a marketing application.
Disclosure notice: EDSIVO™ is an investigational drug candidate that has not been approved by the FDA for any indication.
For more information, visit www.acertx.com.
References
(1) Pepin, et al. Survival is affected by mutation type and molecular mechanism in vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS type IV). Genet Med. 2014 Dec;16(12):881-8.
(2) Ong, et al. Effect of celiprolol on prevention of cardiovascular events in vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: a prospective randomised, open, blinded-endpoints trial. Lancet. 2010; 376: 1476–84.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that involve substantial risks and uncertainties for purposes of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected expenses, regulatory approvals, cash position, liquidity, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to expectations regarding our capitalization and resources; the potential for EDSIVO™ (celiprolol), ACER-001 and osanetant to safely and effectively treat diseases and to be approved for marketing; the commercial or market opportunity in any target indication; the adequacy of our capital to support our future operations and our ability to successfully initiate and complete clinical trials and regulatory submissions; the ability to protect our intellectual property rights; the nature, strategy and our focus; future economic conditions or performance; and the development, expected timeline and commercial potential of any of our product candidates. We may not actually achieve the plans, carry out the intentions or meet the expectations or projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with the ability to project future cash utilization and reserves needed for contingent future liabilities and business operations, the availability of sufficient resources to meet our business objectives and operational requirements, the fact that the results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future clinical trial results, the protection and market exclusivity provided by our intellectual property, risks related to the drug development and the regulatory approval process and the impact of competitive products and technological changes. We disclaim any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made. You should review additional disclosures we make in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Annual Report on Form 10-K. You may access these documents for no charge at http://www.sec.gov.
Investor Contacts:
Hans Vitzthum
LifeSci Advisors
Ph: 617-535-7743
hans@lifesciadvisors.com
Jim DeNike
Acer Therapeutics
Ph: 844-902-6100
jdenike@acertx.com