CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Scholar Rock (NASDAQ: SRRK), a Phase 3, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of serious diseases in which protein growth factors play a fundamental role, today announced an e-poster presentation by Thomas Crawford, M.D., on the design of the company’s ongoing SAPPHIRE Phase 3 clinical trial in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) at the 17th International Congress on Neuromuscular Diseases (ICNMD 2022) in Brussels, Belgium (July 5 – 9, 2022). The abstract will be published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases.
“Enrollment in the ongoing pivotal Phase 3 SAPPHIRE trial, designed to further evaluate the potential of apitegromab in people with non-ambulatory Types 2 and 3 SMA, is progressing, and we are encouraged by the enthusiasm and support of the patient and provider communities,” said Nagesh Mahanthappa, Ph.D., Founding Chief Executive Officer & President of Scholar Rock. “We look forward to this upcoming opportunity at ICNMD to share details about the SAPPHIRE trial with medical colleagues from around the world who are focused on neuromuscular disorders.”
Details of the presentation are as follows:
Title: SAPPHIRE: Efficacy and Safety of Apitegromab in later-onset SMA; Phase 3 Trial in Progress (Abstract Number 105)
Presenter: Thomas Crawford, M.D., Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics; Johns Hopkins University
Session Details: Lunch & e-Poster Session II; Topic Group 04 - SMA: Treatment
Date: Thursday, July 7, 2022
Time: 1:00-2:00 p.m. CEST
Location: The live event will occur at the ICNMD 2022 Exhibit Hall, Square - Brussels’ Convention Centre.
Scholar Rock will have a Live Booth, #107 and for those attending virtually, the virtual booth will be accessible via the ICNMD Learning Toolbox.
For conference information visit ICNMD.org.
About the Phase 3 SAPPHIRE Trial
SAPPHIRE is an ongoing phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of apitegromab in non-ambulatory patients with Types 2 or 3 SMA who are receiving SMN therapy (either nusinersen or risdiplam). Approximately 156 patients aged 2-12 years old are anticipated to be enrolled in the main efficacy population. These patients will be randomized 1:1:1 to receive either apitegromab 10 mg/kg, apitegromab 20 mg/kg, or placebo by intravenous (IV) infusion every 4 weeks; for 12 months. An exploratory population of approximately 48 patients aged 13-21 years old will also separately be evaluated. These patients will be randomized 2:1 to receive either apitegromab 20 mg/kg or placebo. In this subpopulation of older individuals with SMA, the safety and tolerability of apitegromab will be characterized, and efficacy will also be evaluated in an exploratory, nonpowered manner. SAPPHIRE is expected to enroll 55 sites in the U.S. and Europe. For more information about SAPPHIRE, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.
About Apitegromab
Apitegromab is a selective inhibitor of the activation of myostatin and is an investigational product candidate for the treatment of patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Myostatin, a member of the TGFβ superfamily of growth factors, is expressed primarily by skeletal muscle cells, and the absence of its gene is associated with an increase in muscle mass and strength in multiple animal species, including humans. Scholar Rock believes that inhibiting myostatin activation with apitegromab may result in a clinically meaningful improvement in motor function in patients with SMA. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track, Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations, and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted Priority Medicines (PRIME) and Orphan Medicinal Product designations, to apitegromab for the treatment of SMA. The efficacy and safety of apitegromab have not been established and apitegromab has not been approved for any use by the FDA or any other regulatory agency.
About SMA
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare, and often fatal, genetic disorder that typically manifests in young children. An estimated 30,000 to 35,000 patients are afflicted with SMA in the United States and Europe. It is characterized by the loss of motor neurons, atrophy of the voluntary muscles of the limbs and trunk and progressive muscle weakness. The underlying pathology of SMA is caused by insufficient production of the SMN (survival of motor neuron) protein, essential for the survival of motor neurons, and is encoded by two genes, SMN1 and SMN2. While there has been progress in the development of therapeutics that address the underlying SMA genetic defect, via SMN-dependent pathways, there continues to be a high unmet need for therapeutics that directly address muscle function.
About Scholar Rock
Scholar Rock is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines for the treatment of serious diseases in which signaling by protein growth factors plays a fundamental role. Scholar Rock is creating a pipeline of novel product candidates with the potential to transform the lives of patients suffering from a wide range of serious diseases, including neuromuscular disorders, cancer, and fibrosis. Scholar Rock’s approach to targeting the molecular mechanisms of growth factor activation enabled it to develop a proprietary platform for the discovery and development of monoclonal antibodies that locally and selectively target these signaling proteins at the cellular level. By developing product candidates that act in the disease microenvironment, the Company intends to avoid the historical challenges associated with inhibiting growth factors for therapeutic effect. Scholar Rock believes its focus on biologically validated growth factors may facilitate a more efficient development path. For more information, please visit www.ScholarRock.com or follow Scholar Rock on Twitter (@ScholarRock) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/scholar-rock/). Investors and others should note that we communicate with our investors and the public using our company website www.scholarrock.com, including, but not limited to, company disclosures, investor presentations and FAQs, Securities and Exchange Commission filings, press releases, public conference call transcripts and webcast transcripts, as well as on Twitter and LinkedIn. The information that we post on our website or on Twitter or LinkedIn could be deemed to be material information. As a result, we encourage investors, the media and others interested to review the information that we post there on a regular basis. The contents of our website or social media shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Scholar Rock® is a registered trademark of Scholar Rock, Inc.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Scholar Rock’s future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, Scholar Rock’s expectations regarding its growth, strategy, progress and timing of its clinical trials for apitegromab, and other product candidates and indication selection and development timing, the ability of any product candidate to perform in humans in a manner consistent with earlier nonclinical, preclinical or clinical trial data, and the potential of its product candidates and proprietary platform. The use of words such as “may,” “might,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “future,” “potential,” or “continue,” and other similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, that preclinical and clinical data, including the results from the Phase 2 clinical trial, including extension periods, of apitegromab are not predictive of, may be inconsistent with, or more favorable than, data generated from future clinical trials of the same product candidate, including, without limitation, the Phase 3 clinical trial of apitegromab in SMA, Scholar Rock’s ability to provide the financial support, resources and expertise necessary to identify and develop product candidates on the expected timeline, the data generated from Scholar Rock’s nonclinical and preclinical studies and clinical trials, information provided or decisions made by regulatory authorities, competition from third parties that are developing products for similar uses, Scholar Rock’s ability to obtain, maintain and protect its intellectual property, Scholar Rock’s dependence on third parties for development and manufacture of product candidates including, without limitation, to supply any clinical trials, Scholar Rock’s ability to manage expenses and to obtain additional funding when needed to support its business activities and establish and maintain strategic business alliances and new business initiatives, and the impacts of public health pandemics such as COVID-19 on business operations and expectations, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Scholar Rock’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in Scholar Rock’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements represent Scholar Rock’s views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Scholar Rock undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.
1 Dunaway Young, Sally et al. ‘Scoliosis Surgery Significantly Impacts Motor Abilities in Higher-functioning Individuals with Spinal Muscular Atrophy’. Journal of Neuromuscular Disease. 1 Jan. 2020: 183–192.
