Priothera Receives FDA Clearance of IND to start Phase 2b/3 Study With Mocravimod in AML Patients Undergoing Allogeneic HSCT

Priothera Ltd recently announced the US FDA has provided clearance to proceed with the company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application to begin its pivotal Phase 2b/3 study of mocravimod (named MO-TRANS).

Priothera will initiate the MO-TRANS global Phase 2b/3 study in Europe, US, and Japan, assessing the efficacy and safety of mocravimod as an adjunctive and maintenance therapy in adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patients undergoing allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). The MO-TRANS study is expected to start in the second half of 2022 and preliminary data from this study are expected by the end of 2024.

Allogenic stem cell transplantation is the only potentially curative approach for AML patients, however current treatment options are still associated with a high number of side effects, and high mortality rates.

Florent Gros, Co-Founder and CEO of Priothera, said “The FDA IND clearance to initiate the MO-TRANS study assessing mocravimod in AML patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT is another major milestone for Priothera. We are on track to initiate this pivotal Phase 2b/3 clinical trial and are looking forward to working alongside a large team of enthusiastic investigators across the US, Europe, and Asia, who share our goal of bringing mocravimod to patients as an adjunctive and maintenance treatment for AML and potentially other hematologic malignancies.”

Mocravimod (also known as KRP203), is a synthetic, sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor (S1PR) modulator. This novel investigational drug has been assessed in Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials for safety and tolerability, as well as for efficacy in several autoimmune indications. Promising data from a Phase 1b/2a clinical study in patients with hematological malignancies led Priothera to further develop mocravimod for the treatment of blood cancers.

Mocravimod will be investigated as an adjunctive and maintenance treatment in a Phase 2b/3 study as a potential treatment for patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Allogenic HSCT is the only potentially curative approach for AML patients, but current treatments have unacceptably high mortality and morbidity rates.

Priothera leverages S1PR modulator’s unique mode of action to maintain anti-leukemia activity – graft-versus leukemia (GVL) while reducing tissue damage resulting from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a consequence of allogenic HSCT. This novel treatment approach – mocravimod being the only S1PR modulator treating blood cancers – tackles a high unmet medical need and intends to add quality life to patients.

Priothera is leading the way in developing orally applied sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators for the treatment of hematological malignancies. S1P receptor modulators are known to largely reduce egress of T cells from lymphatic tissues. Not being an immunosuppressant, mocravimod maintains the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) benefits in patients receiving HSCT while inhibiting graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD).

Priothera was founded in 2020 by an experienced team of drug development experts and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and with a subsidiary in Saint-Louis, France. The company is backed by international founding investors Fountain Healthcare Partners (Dublin, Ireland), funds managed by Tekla Capital Management, LLC (Boston, Massachusetts), HealthCap (Stockholm, Sweden) and EarlyBird Venture Capital (Berlin, Germany). For more information, visit www.priothera.com.