RedHill Biopharma today announced the issue of a new Chinese patent covering opaganib as a therapy for inhibition of single-stranded RNA virus replication (notably Ebola).
Opaganib, a proprietary investigational host-directed and potentially broad-acting drug, is a first-in-class, orally administered sphingosine kinase-2 (SPHK2) selective inhibitor with anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antiviral activity, targeting multiple potential diseases, including gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome (GI-ARS), COVID-19, other viruses as part of pandemic preparedness, and cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer).
U.S. Army studies suggest that opaganib may be the first host-directed molecule to show activity in vivo in Ebola virus disease, delivering a statistically significant increase in survival.
“This new patent adds to the existing intellectual property portfolio protecting opaganib across multiple indications and represents the first China patent in the Ebola patent family,” said Guy Goldberg, RedHill’s Chief Business Officer. “Targeting multiple indications, including selection by two U.S. government countermeasures programs for Acute Radiation Syndrome and Sulfur Mustard exposure, oral opaganib has a demonstrated safety and efficacy profile and is well-suited to viral pandemic scenarios, being viral mutation-resistant, and easy to administer and distribute.”
There are currently only two FDA-approved therapies to treat EVD caused by the Ebola virus, species Zaire ebolavirus, in adults and children; Inmazeb™ (atoltivimab/maftivimab/odesivimab, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc), a combination of three monoclonal antibodies and Ebanga™ (ansuvimab-zykl, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, LP), a single monoclonal antibody. Both are intravenously infused direct acting monoclonal antibody antivirals that bind to glycoproteins on the Ebola virus’s surface to prevent the virus from entering a person’s cells. There is an urgent need for host-directed small molecule therapies that may be effective against multiple strains of ebolavirus, less likely to be impacted by viral mutation, and that are easy to store, distribute and administer, especially in areas where healthcare services and infrastructures may be sub-optimal.
About Opaganib
Opaganib has demonstrated antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2, and several other viruses, such as Influenza A and Ebola. Opaganib delivered a statistically significant increase in survival time when given at 150 mg/kg twice a day (BID) in a United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in vivo Ebola virus study, making it the first host-directed molecule to show activity in Ebola virus disease. Opaganib also recently demonstrated a distinct synergistic effect when combined individually with remdesivir (Veklury®, Gilead Sciences Inc.), significantly improving potency while maintaining cell viability, in a U.S. Army-funded and conducted in vitro Ebola virus study.
Being host-targeted, and based on data accumulated to date, opaganib is expected to maintain effect against emerging viral variants. In prespecified analyses of Phase 2/3 clinical data in hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19, oral opaganib demonstrated improved viral RNA clearance, faster time to recovery and significant mortality reduction in key patient subpopulations versus placebo on top of standard of care. Opaganib has demonstrated its safety and tolerability profile in more than 470 people in multiple clinical studies and expanded access use. Data from the opaganib global Phase 2/3 study was published in medRxiv.
Opaganib has received Orphan Drug designation from the FDA for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma and has undergone studies in advanced cholangiocarcinoma (Phase 2a) and prostate cancer. Opaganib also has a Phase 1 chemoradiotherapy study protocol ready for FDA-IND submission.
Opaganib has also shown positive preclinical results in renal fibrosis, and has the potential to target multiple oncology, radioprotection, viral, inflammatory, and gastrointestinal indications.
Highlighted clinical late-stage development programs from RedHill Biopharma include:
- opaganib (ABC294640), a first–in–class oral broad-acting, host-directed SPHK2 selective inhibitor with potential for pandemic preparedness, targeting multiple indications with a U.S. government collaboration for development for Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS), a Phase 2/3 program for hospitalized COVID-19, and a Phase 2 program in oncology.
- RHB-107 (upamostat), an oral broad-acting, host-directed, serine protease inhibitor with potential for pandemic preparedness is in late-stage development as a treatment for non-hospitalized symptomatic COVID-19, with non-dilutive external funding covering the entirety of the RHB-107 arm of the 300-patient Phase 2 adaptive platform trial, and is also targeting multiple other cancer and inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases.
- RHB-204, a Phase 3-stage program for pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) disease.
Source: Adapted from RedHill Biopharma Ltd.