Announcement • May 02
RedHill Biopharma Ltd. Demonstrates Comparable MAP Killing Efficacy of RHB-204 to RHB-104 for Crohn's Disease
RedHill Biopharma Ltd. announced new in vitro testing results demonstrating RHB-204's comparability to RHB-104 in Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) killing efficacy. Oral RHB-204 is a next-generation optimized formulation of RedHill's RHB-104, designed for enhanced tolerability, safety profile and patient adherence, that employs a groundbreaking MAP-targeted therapeutic approach to the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD). The comparability results were achieved in both spot and phage assays of several different MAP strains. Importantly, the MAP killing efficacy was achieved with lower doses of two of the active ingredients compared to RHB-104, indicative of the potential for reduced toxicity and side effects. In its positive Phase 3 study, RHB-104 met the primary and key secondary endpoints with statistical significance, showing RHB-104 plus standard of care (SoC) to be 64% more effective than SoC alone, in treating CD compared to the placebo (standard of care only) group (p = 0.0048). RHB-204 is a proprietary, fixed-dose oral capsule containing a combination of clarithromycin, rifabutin and clofazimine, at specific doses designed to safely and effectively treat Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis-positive (MAP-positive)-related Crohn's disease. Patent protected until at least 2041, and with an expected pediatric orphan designation (subject to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to transfer from RHB-104), RHB-204 is a next-generation formulation of RHB-104 with an optimized formulation for the treatment of CD. It contains the same three antimicrobial agents with potent intracellular, anti-mycobacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and with an optimized dosing profile, RHB-204 provides the potential for enhanced tolerability, safety and compliance with a 40% pill burden reduction. RHB-204 is supported by a strong foundation of clinical data from the positive safety and efficacy results achieved in the Phase 3 study of RHB-104 in CD, with its potential further demonstrated using mucosal healing imaging, considered to be the gold standard for efficacy evaluation in CD. The development of RHB-204 is supported by a strong foundation of published clinical efficacy and safety data from the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 331-patient Phase 3 study of RHB-104 in active CD, which successfully met its primary and secondary endpoints, showing RHB-104 plus standard of care (SoC) to be 64% more effective than SoC alone, achieving clinical CD remission at week 26 (the primary endpoint) in 36.7% of the RHB-104-treated group compared to 22.4% in the placebo (standard of care only) group. The Phase 3 study also demonstrated the safety and efficacy of concomitant use of RHB-104 with anti-TNFs, immunomodulators and steroids, suggesting that RHB-204 could be a transformative safe and effective, stand-alone or combination, oral therapy. A planned Phase 2 study of RHB-204 in CD is expected to be the first clinical study in a specifically defined MAP-positive CD patient population. This study, along with RedHill's collaborations with two leading European academic centers for the provision of cutting-edge MAP detection diagnostics, which support the study's novel design and the potential future commercial application of RHB-204, represents a groundbreaking approach that could potentially make RHB-204, if approved, an exciting new therapy treating both the suspected cause of the disease and its symptoms. RHB-204 is patent protected through 2041, granted FDA Fast Track and Orphan Drug Designation, QIDP Designation under the GAIN Act (extending US market exclusivity to a potential total of 12 years) and EU Orphan Designation (eligibility for 10 years EU market exclusivity) for NTM disease caused by MAC.
