The European Commission (EC), based on a positive opinion issued by the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), has granted Orphan Drug Designation for AMX0035, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals’ proprietary, fixed-dose combination of sodium phenylbutyrate (PB) and taurursodiol (TURSO; also known as ursodoxicoltaurine outside of the U.S.) for the treatment of Wolfram syndrome.
Wolfram syndrome is a prototypical disease of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress that is rare, progressive, and monogenic and is characterized by childhood-onset diabetes mellitus, optic nerve atrophy, deafness, diabetes insipidus, and neurodegeneration. There are currently no drugs approved for Wolfram syndrome, and many people with the disease die prematurely with severe neurological disabilities.
The FDA previously granted AMX0035 Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of Wolfram syndrome in 2020. The EMA grants Orphan Drug Designation status for products intended for the treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of rare, life-threatening, or chronically debilitating conditions where the product may represent a significant benefit over existing treatments.
Amylyx recently presented positive data from an interim analysis of its Phase 2 HELIOS study, including eight participants with Wolfram syndrome assessed at Week 24, which demonstrated that AMX0035 improved pancreatic function and glycemic control, as measured by C-peptide, HbA1c, and other markers of glucose metabolism. All eight participants met prespecified responder criteria showing either improvement or stabilization of disease according to both the Patient Reported Global Impression of Change (PGIC) and the Clinical Reported Global Impression of Change (CGIC) scales. The majority of participants reported some improvement in vision. In Wolfram syndrome, progressive decline and worsening of outcomes would have been expected on all measures, so disease improvement or stabilization alone is clinically meaningful. AMX0035 was generally well tolerated in all participants. The company anticipates reporting topline data from all 12 participants at Week 24 this fall.
“Wolfram syndrome is a disease where there are well-defined measurable biomarkers, rigorous supporting preclinical data, and clear rationale for our potential therapy based on its mechanism of action. Specifically, Wolfram syndrome is considered a prototypical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress disorder because of the clear link between WFS1 mutations and ER stress. AMX0035 is believed to target ER stress and mitochondrial dysfunction,” said Camille L. Bedrosian, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Amylyx.
“The interim data from HELIOS showed stabilization or even improvement across key outcomes at Week 24. HELIOS follows strong preclinical research with data showing clear effects in cellular and animal models. We look forward to reporting topline data from all participants at Week 24 this fall. We aim to address an urgent unmet medical need, given there are no approved treatment options for Wolfram syndrome.”
