SHORT HILLS, N. J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Humanigen, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGEN) (“Humanigen”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on preventing and treating an immune hyper-response called ‘cytokine storm,’ today announced a peer-reviewed publication in ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research outlining the potential clinical and health economic benefits of lenzilumab, if authorized or approved for use in the United Kingdom.
“As COVID-19 continues to place significant burden on the National Health Service (“NHS”), this paper demonstrates there is an opportunity to realize significant cost savings for healthcare systems of the UK while improving outcomes for patients. As a variant-agnostic treatment, lenzilumab may offer both a clinically effective and cost-effective option against current and emerging variants,” said Adrian Kilcoyne, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Humanigen, the lead author of the publication.
The publication demonstrated, in all cases, lenzilumab plus SOC improved all specified clinical outcomes compared with SOC alone. Additionally, patient selection, utilizing CRP<150 mg/L as a biomarker, optimized both clinical and economic outcomes. The observed cost savings are mainly driven by fewer bed days, days on invasive mechanical ventilation and ICU days.
The greatest per-patient cost savings were for patients aged <85 years, CRP <150 mg/L, and receiving remdesivir of £10,427 (net savings of £3,127 after expected lenzilumab acquisition costs); and for Black patients with CRP <150 mg/L of £17,277 (net savings of £9,977).
“During these unprecedented and challenging times, we are preparing to commercialize lenzilumab, if authorized or approved, as a single day treatment and a potential driver of clinical and economic value to patients and the healthcare system,” said Edward Jordan, Chief Commercial Officer, Humanigen.
This peer-reviewed publication highlights the significant costs of treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients and the economic benefits of potentially improving survival without ventilation, reducing ventilator use, hospital days and ICU days which may be associated with adding lenzilumab to standard of care.
Lenzilumab is an investigational product and is not approved or authorized in any country.
About Lenzilumab
Lenzilumab is a proprietary Humaneered® first-in-class monoclonal antibody that has been proven to neutralize GM-CSF, a cytokine of critical importance in the hyperinflammatory cascade, sometimes referred to as cytokine release syndrome, or cytokine storm, associated with COVID-19 and other indications. Lenzilumab binds to and neutralizes GM-CSF, potentially improving outcomes for patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Humanigen believes that GM-CSF neutralization with lenzilumab also has the potential to reduce the hyper-inflammatory cascade known as cytokine release syndrome common to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy and acute Graft versus Host Disease (aGvHD).
In CAR-T, lenzilumab successfully achieved the pre-specified primary endpoint at the recommended dose in a Phase 1b study with Yescarta® in which the overall response rate was 100% and no patient experienced severe cytokine release syndrome or severe neurotoxicity. Based on these results, Humanigen plans to test lenzilumab in a randomized, multicenter, potentially registrational, Phase 3 study (“SHIELD”) to evaluate its efficacy and safety when combined with Yescarta and Tecartus CAR-T therapies in non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Lenzilumab will also be tested to assess its ability to prevent and/or treat aGvHD in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
A study of lenzilumab is also underway for patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) exhibiting RAS pathway mutations. This study builds on evidence from a Phase 1 study, conducted by Humanigen, that showed RAS mutations are associated with hyper-proliferative features, which may be sensitive to GM-CSF neutralization.
About Humanigen
Humanigen, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGEN) (“Humanigen”), is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on preventing and treating an immune hyper-response called ‘cytokine storm’. Lenzilumab is a first-in class antibody that binds to and neutralizes granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Results from preclinical models indicate GM-CSF is an upstream regulator of many inflammatory cytokines and chemokines involved in the cytokine storm. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, investigation showed high levels of GM-CSF secreting T cells were associated with disease severity and intensive care unit admission. Humanigen’s Phase 3 LIVE-AIR study suggests early intervention with lenzilumab may prevent consequences of a full-blown cytokine storm in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Humanigen is developing lenzilumab as a treatment for cytokine storm associated with COVID-19 and CD19-targeted CAR-T cell therapies and is also exploring the effectiveness of lenzilumab in other inflammatory conditions such as acute Graft versus Host Disease in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, eosinophilic asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. For more information, visit www.humanigen.com and follow Humanigen on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current knowledge, assumptions, judgment, and expectations regarding future performance or events. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such statements are reasonable, they give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct, and you should be aware that actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements. Words such as "will," "expect," "intend," "plan," "potential," "possible," "goals," "accelerate," "continue," and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the potential clinical and health economic benefits of lenzilumab, if authorized or approved for use in the United Kingdom as a therapy for COVID-19, statements regarding the SHIELD and LIVE-AIR studies, and other statements regarding improving the safety and efficacy of CAR-T and our plans relating to lenzilumab and ifabotuzumab.
Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the risks inherent in our lack of profitability and need for additional capital to grow our business; our dependence on partners to further the development of our product candidates; the uncertainties inherent in the development, attainment of the requisite regulatory authorizations and approvals and launch of any new pharmaceutical product; the outcome of pending or future litigation; and the various risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" sections of our latest annual and quarterly reports and other filings with the SEC.
All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. You should not rely upon any forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, in each case, except as required by law.
References
- Kilcoyne, A. et al. (2022). Clinical and economic benefits of lenzilumab plus standard of care compared with standard of care alone for the treatment of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) from the perspective of National Health Service England. ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research. https://doi.org/10.2147/CEOR.S360741
- UK Health Security Agency. (2022). GOV.UK Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare
