CARLSBAD, Calif. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: IONS) and Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) announced the decision to terminate development of BIIB105 (ION541) an investigational antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) based on topline results from the Phase 1/2 ALSpire study. BIIB105 was designed to reduce expression of ataxin-2 (ATXN2) protein and demonstrated statistically significant cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ATXN2 protein reductions in the study. However, over the 6-month placebo-controlled period, treatment with BIIB105 did not result in a reduction in levels of plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL), a marker of neurodegeneration and neuronal damage. Additionally, BIIB105 did not demonstrate an impact on clinical outcome measures of function, breathing and strength.
“While BIIB105 lowered ATXN2 protein, it did not reduce neurofilament, which gives us confidence that BIIB105 did not slow the disease process,” said Stephanie Fradette, Pharm.D., Head of the Neuromuscular Development Unit at Biogen. “We are deeply grateful for the contributions of the study participants and remain committed to developing treatments that can meaningfully change the disease trajectory for people living with ALS.”
“We are very appreciative of the people with ALS and investigators who participated in this study and were critical to advancing our scientific understanding of ALS,” said Frank Bennett, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief scientific officer of Ionis. “Ionis continues to be committed to the ALS community and is advancing our Phase 3 ulefnersen program for people with the genetic form of the disease known as FUS-ALS.”
Longer-term biomarker and efficacy data from the open-label-extension were similar to those seen during the 6-month placebo-controlled treatment period, with sustained reductions in ATXN2 but no impact on NfL or clinical outcome measures over 40+ weeks of follow up. No evidence of benefit was observed in any subgroup evaluated, including those participants with a Poly-CAG expansion in the ATXN2 gene.
The Phase 1/2 study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-escalating trial to evaluate BIIB105 administered intrathecally to adults (n=99) with ALS. Participants were randomized to receive BIIB105 or placebo (3:1 or 2:1 ratio) for 3 to 6 months. Participants who completed the placebo-controlled period were eligible to enroll in the open-label extension.
During the 6-month placebo-controlled portion of the study, the most common adverse events (AEs) in BIIB105 treated participants were procedural pain, headache and fall. AEs leading to study discontinuation were higher in the BIIB105 group (8.3%) compared with the placebo group (3.6%).
Analyses of data from the study are ongoing to further understanding of the underlying disease process and effects of BIIB105. The companies will present the BIIB105 Phase 1/2 data at the upcoming European Network to Cure ALS (ENCALS) meeting in Stockholm, Sweden in June.
About Ionis’ Neurology Franchise
Ionis’ neurology franchise addresses all major brain regions and central nervous system cell types and currently has three Phase 3 studies ongoing with 11 therapies in clinical development, several of which Ionis plans to commercialize directly. Ionis is discovering and developing potential treatments for many neurological diseases for which there are few or no disease modifying treatments, including common diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s as well as rare diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alexander disease. Ionis has discovered and developed three commercially available neurological disease medicines, including SPINRAZA® (nusinersen), the first approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, WAINUATM (eplontersen), a medicine to treat hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloid polyneuropathy (ATTRv-PN), and QALSODY® (tofersen) for SOD1-ALS.
About Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
For three decades, Ionis has invented medicines that bring better futures to people with serious diseases. Ionis currently has five marketed medicines and a leading pipeline in neurology, cardiology, and other areas of high patient need. As the pioneer in RNA-targeted medicines, Ionis continues to drive innovation in RNA therapies in addition to advancing new approaches in gene editing. A deep understanding of disease biology and industry-leading technology propels our work, coupled with a passion and urgency to deliver life-changing advances for patients.
Biogen’s Continuous Commitment to ALS
For over a decade, Biogen has been committed to advancing ALS research to provide a deeper understanding of all forms of the disease. The company has continued to invest in and pioneer research despite making the difficult decision to discontinue a late-stage ALS asset in 2013. Biogen has applied important learnings to its portfolio of assets for genetic and other forms of ALS, with the goal of increasing the probability of bringing a potential therapy to patients in need. These applied learnings include evaluating genetically validated targets in defined patient populations, pursuing the most appropriate modality for each target and employing sensitive clinical endpoints. In addition to QALSODY, the first treatment to target a genetic cause of ALS, which was discovered by Ionis, the company has a robust discovery pipeline including efforts to address TDP43 pathology for the broad ALS population. TDP43 pathology is seen in 97% of ALS cases and is considered a hallmark of the disease.
About Biogen
Founded in 1978, Biogen is a leading biotechnology company that pioneers innovative science to deliver new medicines to transform patients’ lives and to create value for shareholders and our communities. We apply deep understanding of human biology and leverage different modalities to advance first-in-class treatments or therapies that deliver superior outcomes. Our approach is to take bold risks, balanced with return on investment to deliver long-term growth.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Ionis
Hayley Soffer
+1 760 603 4679
Biogen
Jack Cox
+ 1 781 464 3260
INVESTOR CONTACTS
Ionis
Wade Walke, Ph.D.
+1 760 603 2331
Biogen
Chuck Triano
+1 781 464 2442