Belite Bio Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 2/3 Trial of Tinlarebant for the Treatment of Stargardt Disease

Belite Bio, Inc recently announced that the first patient has been dosed at the Tokyo Medical Center in the Phase 2/3 portion of its DRAGON II clinical trial evaluating Tinlarebant for the treatment of STGD1. Tinlarebant is a novel oral therapy designed to reduce the accumulation of vitamin A based toxins that cause retinal disease, and this Phase 2/3 study will evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of Tinlarebant in approximately 60 adolescent STGD1 subjects across the US, UK, and Japan.

“We are pleased to have successfully dosed the first subject in the Phase 2/3 portion of our DRAGON II trial. This milestone is a significant step forward in our mission to address the unmet needs of people living with Stargardt Disease,” said Dr. Tom Lin, Chairman and CEO of Belite Bio. “We recently completed a Phase 1b study of Tinlarebant in STGD1 patients at the Tokyo Medical Center and are happy to be continuing to partner with them for this next trial. With enrollment now also underway at sites in the US and UK, we are making meaningful progress toward our goal of delivering a life-changing oral therapy to those affected by this condition.”

“DRAGON II is the first global Stargardt disease trial in Japan. As such, it provides the unprecedented opportunity for Japanese patients and their families to gain access to a potential therapy for this historically untreatable disease,” added Professor Kaoru Fujinami, Principal Investigator at National Hospital Organization, Tokyo Medical Center. “The level of interest we have received in this trial speaks to the urgency of the unmet need for patients living with STGD1. Following Tinlarebant’s receipt of Sakigake designation from Japan’s Ministry of Health, we feel well positioned to rapidly advance this trial and are working diligently to get this much needed therapy to patients.”

The DRAGON II trial is a combination of Phase 1b open-label study in Japan to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of Tinlarebant, administered daily for 7 days in Japanese adolescent STGD1 subjects and a Phase 2/3, multicenter (US, UK, and Japan), double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized study designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of Tinlarebant, administered daily for 24 months in adolescent STGD1 subjects. Approximately 60 subjects, aged 12 to 20 years old, including approximately 10 Japanese subjects, are targeted for enrollment in the Phase 2/3 portion of the trial with a 1:1 randomization (Tinlarebant:placebo). The data from the Japanese subjects is intended to facilitate future NDA applications in Japan.

Tinlarebant is a novel oral therapy that is intended to reduce the accumulation of vitamin A-based toxins (known as bisretinoids) that cause retinal disease in STGD1 and also contribute to disease progression in GA, or advanced Dry AMD. Bisretinoids are by-products of the visual cycle, which is dependent on the supply of vitamin A (retinol) to the eye. Tinlarebant works by reducing and maintaining levels of serum retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4), the sole carrier protein for retinol transport from the liver to the eye. By modulating the amount of retinol entering the eye, Tinlarebant reduces the formation of bisretinoids. Tinlarebant has been granted Fast Track Designation and Rare Pediatric Disease designation in the US, Orphan Drug Designation in the US, Europe, and Japan, and Sakigake Designation in Japan for the treatment of STGD1.

STGD1 is the most common inherited retinal dystrophy (causing blurring or loss of central vision) in both adults and children. The disease is caused by mutations in a retina-specific gene (ABCA4), which results in progressive accumulation of bisretinoids leading to retinal cell death and progressive loss of central vision. The fluorescent properties of bisretinoids and the development of retinal imaging systems have helped ophthalmologists identify and monitor disease progression. Currently, there are no FDA approved treatments for STGD1.

Importantly, STGD1 and GA, or advanced Dry AMD, share a similar pathophysiology, which is characterized by the excessive accumulation of bisretinoids, retinal cell death, and progressive loss of vision. Vision loss occurs slowly, despite peripheral expansion of “dead retina,” until the disease reaches the center of the eye (the macula). Therefore, Belite Bio is evaluating safety and efficacy of Tinlarebant in GA patients in a 2-year Phase 3 study (PHOENIX).

Belite Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical drug development company focused on advancing novel therapeutics targeting degenerative retinal diseases that have significant unmet medical needs, such as Stargardt Disease type 1 (STGD1) and Geographic Atrophy (GA) in advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), in addition to specific metabolic diseases. Belite’s lead candidate, Tinlarebant, an oral therapy intended to reduce the accumulation of toxins in the eye, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 3 study (DRAGON) and a Phase 2/3 study (DRAGON II) in adolescent STGD1 subjects and a Phase 3 study (PHOENIX) in subjects with GA. For more information, visit www.belitebio.com.