KBP Biosciences Completes Enrollment of BLOCK CKD Phase 2b Study

KBP Biosciences recently announced it has completed patient enrollment of BLOCK CKD (Blood Pressure in Chronic Kidney Disease), its Phase 2b study of its lead product candidate, KBP-5074, a highly-selective and potent non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA), in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) and uncontrolled hypertension. The company expects to report top line data from BLOCK CKD in the fourth quarter of 2020.

BLOCK CKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study to assess the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of KBP-5074 in patients with moderate-to-severe CKD and uncontrolled hypertension. The study enrolled around 160 patients with an estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) of 15-44 mL/min/1.73m² and systolic blood pressure (SBP) >140 mm Hg. Following a screening period of up to 4 weeks, participants received placebo for a 2-week run-in period. Upon completion of the placebo run-in, subjects were randomized to receive either placebo, 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg of KBP-5074 once daily for 12 weeks. At the conclusion of the dosing period, subjects will undergo a post-treatment observation period for 4 weeks. The primary endpoint of the study is change from baseline in SBP, with secondary endpoints evaluating diastolic blood pressure, ambulatory blood pressure change and change in urine albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR).

“Completion of enrollment marks an important milestone in the KBP-5074 development program,” said Thijs Spoor, Chief Executive Officer of KBP Biosciences. “We are highly encouraged by the data generated from previous studies of KBP-5074 and look forward to the data readout from BLOCK CKD later this year. This data will help inform the design of the planned Phase 3 clinical study of KBP-5074, for which we are targeting a 2021 initiation. I would like to thank our investigators, patients and their families for their support throughout the study. There is a critical unmet need for new therapies to treat these patients, and we believe that our drug has the potential to become a best-in-class treatment option.”

James McCabe, MD, Vice President, Medical Director of Clinical Development and Medical Affairs of KBP Biosciences added, “As a practicing nephrologist, I am excited about the potential of KBP-5074.  Currently approved therapies, including others in the MRA class, are characterized by severe and in some cases life-threatening side effects and contraindications, most notably the risk of hyperkalemia. KBP-5074 could provide a safe and efficacious treatment option to this large, underserved patient population.”

KBP Biosciences is a global, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of new chemical entities with known mechanisms of action targeting underserved patient populations. Headquartered in Princeton, NJ, KBP Biosciences has strong capabilities from Discovery and CMC through global clinical development and registration. The company principally devotes its resources to the therapeutic areas of major organ protection and anti-infectives.

The company’s lead program, KBP-5074, a non-steroidal MRA discovered and developed by KBP’s scientists, is currently in a global Phase 2b clinical trial for patients with uncontrolled hypertension in moderate and severe Chronic Kidney Disease patients. KBP is also developing KBP-7072, a Phase 2 ready third-generation aminomethylcycline for the treatment of multiple strains of drug resistant infections with high activity against certain key pathogens.

KBP has built a proprietary R&D platform aimed at the discovery and development of global first-in-class compounds. The platform includes a compound library which forms the basis of new compound discovery, a bacterium library to assess efficacy against multi-drug resistant bacteria, and an in vivo pharmacology platform for screening and testing new compounds. KBP Biosciences is actively seeking to identify additional promising therapeutic opportunities and further develop its product portfolio.