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Travere Therapeutics Announces Voluntary Pause of Enrollment in the Phase 3 HARMONY Study of Pegtibatinase Related to Commercial Manufacturing Scale-Up

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Travere Therapeutics (Nasdaq: TVTX) has announced a voluntary pause in enrollment for its Phase 3 HARMONY Study of pegtibatinase, a potential treatment for classical homocystinuria (HCU). This decision was made to address necessary process improvements in manufacturing scale-up for commercial production. Currently enrolled patients will continue to receive study medication from unaffected small-scale batches.

The pause was initiated after the company determined that the desired drug substance profile was not achieved in the recent scale-up process. Travere expects to restart enrollment in the HARMONY Study no earlier than 2026. As a result, the company anticipates a reduction in research and development expenses by more than $30 million in 2025 compared to 2024. Travere's cash reserves of $325.4 million as of June 30, 2024, are expected to support operations into 2028.

Travere Therapeutics (Nasdaq: TVTX) ha annunciato una pausa volontaria nell'arruolamento per il suo studio di fase 3 HARMONY su pegtibatinase, un potenziale trattamento per l'omocistinuria classica (HCU). Questa decisione è stata presa per affrontare i miglioramenti necessari nei processi di produzione su larga scala per la produzione commerciale. I pazienti attualmente arruolati continueranno a ricevere il farmaco dello studio da lotti piccoli e non influenzati.

La pausa è stata avviata dopo che l'azienda ha determinato che il profilo della sostanza farmaceutica desiderato non era stato raggiunto nel recente processo di scala. Travere prevede di riavviare l'arruolamento nello studio HARMONY non prima del 2026. Di conseguenza, l'azienda si aspetta una riduzione delle spese di ricerca e sviluppo di oltre 30 milioni di dollari nel 2025 rispetto al 2024. Le riserve di cassa di Travere pari a 325,4 milioni di dollari al 30 giugno 2024, dovrebbero supportare le operazioni fino al 2028.

Travere Therapeutics (Nasdaq: TVTX) ha anunciado una pausa voluntaria en la inscripción para su Estudio HARMONY de Fase 3 sobre pegtibatinase, un tratamiento potencial para la homocistinuria clásica (HCU). Esta decisión se tomó para abordar las mejoras necesarias en los procesos de fabricación a gran escala para la producción comercial. Los pacientes actualmente inscritos continuarán recibiendo el medicamento del estudio a partir de lotes pequeños y no afectados.

La pausa se inició después de que la empresa determinara que el perfil de sustancia farmacéutica deseado no se logró en el reciente proceso de escalado. Travere espera reiniciar la inscripción en el Estudio HARMONY no antes de 2026. Como resultado, la empresa anticipa una reducción en los gastos de investigación y desarrollo de más de 30 millones de dólares en 2025 en comparación con 2024. Las reservas de efectivo de Travere de 325,4 millones de dólares al 30 de junio de 2024, se espera que sustenten las operaciones hasta 2028.

Travere Therapeutics (Nasdaq: TVTX)가 전통적인 호모시스틴뇨증 (HCU)에 대한 잠재적 치료제인 페그티바타나제를 대상으로 하는 3상 HARMONY 연구에 대한 자발적인 등록 중단을 발표했습니다. 이 결정은 상업적 생산을 위한 제조 공정 개선을 해결하기 위해 내린 것입니다. 현재 등록된 환자들은 영향받지 않은 소규모 배치에서 연구 약물을 계속 받게 될 것입니다.

등록 중단은 회사가 최근의 대규모 공정에서 원하는 약물 물질 프로필을 달성하지 못했다고 판단한 후 시작되었습니다. Travere는 2026년 이전에는 HARMONY 연구의 등록을 재개하지 않을 것으로 예상하고 있습니다. 결과적으로 회사는 2024년에 비해 2025년에 연구 및 개발 비용이 3천만 달러 이상 절감될 것으로 예상하고 있습니다. Travere의 현금 보유액은 2024년 6월 30일 기준으로 3억 2,540만 달러로, 2028년까지 운영을 지원할 것으로 예상됩니다.

Travere Therapeutics (Nasdaq: TVTX) a annoncé une pause volontaire dans l'inscription de son étude de phase 3 HARMONY sur le pegtibatinase, un traitement potentiel pour l'homocystinurie classique (HCU). Cette décision a été prise pour aborder les améliorations nécessaires dans l'échelle de fabrication pour la production commerciale. Les patients actuellement inscrits continueront à recevoir le médicament de l'étude à partir de petits lots non affectés.

La pause a été initiée après que l'entreprise a déterminé que le profil de substance médicamenteuse souhaité n'avait pas été atteint dans le récent processus de montée en échelle. Travere s'attend à redémarrer l'inscription à l'étude HARMONY au plus tôt en 2026. En conséquence, l'entreprise anticipe une réduction de plus de 30 millions de dollars de ses dépenses de recherche et développement en 2025 par rapport à 2024. Les réserves de trésorerie de Travere, qui s'élevaient à 325,4 millions de dollars au 30 juin 2024, devraient soutenir les opérations jusqu'en 2028.

Travere Therapeutics (Nasdaq: TVTX) hat eine freiwillige Pause bei der Einschreibung für die Phase-3-Studie HARMONY zu Pegtibatinase, einer potenziellen Behandlung für die klassische Homocystinurie (HCU), angekündigt. Diese Entscheidung wurde getroffen, um notwendige Prozessverbesserungen beim Hochlauf der Herstellung für die kommerzielle Produktion anzugehen. Aktuell eingeschriebene Patienten werden weiterhin das Studienmedikament aus nicht betroffenen Kleinserien erhalten.

Die Pause wurde eingeleitet, nachdem das Unternehmen festgestellt hatte, dass das gewünschte Wirkstoffprofil im jüngsten Hochlaufprozess nicht erreicht wurde. Travere erwartet, die Einschreibung in die HARMONY-Studie nicht vor 2026 wieder aufzunehmen. Infolgedessen rechnet das Unternehmen mit einer Reduzierung der Forschungs- und Entwicklungskosten um mehr als 30 Millionen Dollar im Jahr 2025 im Vergleich zu 2024. Die Barmittelreserven von Travere in Höhe von 325,4 Millionen Dollar

Positive
  • Currently enrolled patients can continue receiving study medication
  • Anticipated reduction in R&D expenses by over $30 million in 2025
  • Cash reserves of $325.4 million expected to support operations into 2028
Negative
  • Voluntary pause in enrollment for Phase 3 HARMONY Study
  • Desired drug substance profile not achieved in recent scale-up process
  • Earliest restart of enrollment pushed to 2026
  • Delay in planned investments for clinical enrollment and large-scale production

Insights

The voluntary pause in enrollment for Travere Therapeutics' Phase 3 HARMONY study of pegtibatinase is a significant setback for the company's pipeline. This delay, caused by manufacturing scale-up issues, pushes the potential restart of enrollment to 2026, substantially extending the timeline for this key program.

While the company maintains confidence in pegtibatinase's potential as a first disease-modifying therapy for classical homocystinuria (HCU), this delay will likely impact investor sentiment and the company's near-term prospects. The expected $30 million reduction in R&D expenses for 2025 provides some financial cushion, but it also reflects a significant slowdown in clinical development activities.

Positively, Travere's cash position of $325.4 million as of June 30, 2024, is projected to support operations into 2028, providing a substantial runway to address these manufacturing challenges. However, investors should be aware that delays in pivotal trials can increase overall development costs and potentially impact market entry timing, which could affect the company's competitive position in the HCU treatment landscape.

The manufacturing scale-up issues encountered by Travere Therapeutics highlight the complexities involved in transitioning from small-scale production to commercial-scale manufacturing for biologics. The failure to achieve the desired drug substance profile during scale-up is a critical concern that requires careful analysis and resolution.

This situation underscores the importance of robust process development and the challenges of maintaining product quality and consistency at larger scales. The company's decision to pause enrollment to address these issues is prudent, as it prevents potential complications that could arise from using suboptimal material in clinical trials.

The timeline for resolving these manufacturing challenges, with enrollment restart not expected until 2026, suggests that significant process optimization and validation work is required. This extended timeline may also involve regulatory interactions to ensure that any process changes meet regulatory requirements for pivotal trial material and eventual commercial production.

Company to host conference call today at 4:30 p.m. ET

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Travere Therapeutics, Inc., (Nasdaq: TVTX) today announced a voluntary pause of enrollment in the Phase 3 HARMONY Study evaluating pegtibatinase for the treatment of classical homocystinuria (HCU). The voluntary enrollment pause enables the Company to work to address necessary process improvements in manufacturing scale-up to support commercial scale manufacturing as well as full enrollment in the HARMONY Study. Patients currently enrolled in pegtibatinase studies continue to receive study medication from small scale batches which are unaffected by the scale-up process. Currently enrolled patients will be able to continue on study medication as scheduled for the duration of the trials they are participating in.

The voluntary enrollment pause was enacted following the Company’s determination that the desired drug substance profile was not achieved in the recent scale-up process. The Company is in the process of notifying all study investigators of the decision to pause enrollment of new patients into the study until additional material is available.

“We believe the potential for pegtibatinase to become the first disease-modifying therapy for classical HCU remains unchanged. Our internal team and external manufacturing partners have extensive biologics expertise, and we are confident that we will be able to make the necessary manufacturing process improvements to continue with this pivotal program. We remain committed to supporting the patients currently enrolled in our clinical trials while working with our manufacturing partners to optimize our commercial-scale manufacturing process,” said Bill Rote, Ph.D., senior vice president of research and development at Travere Therapeutics.

The Company expects to further evaluate the necessary commercial process improvements to enable the continuation of the Phase 3 program and anticipates the earliest date to restart enrollment in the Phase 3 HARMONY Study will be in 2026. Previously planned investments related to clinical enrollment in HARMONY and large-scale production are expected to be delayed beyond 2025. Together with the expected decline in costs associated with the development of sparsentan as the Phase 3 programs advance towards completion, the Company now estimates that research and development expenses may be reduced by more than $30 million in 2025 compared to 2024. The Company continues to anticipate that its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $325.4 million as of June 30, 2024 can support its operations into 2028.

Conference call information

Travere Therapeutics will host a conference call and webcast today, Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss the voluntary pause in enrollment. To participate in the conference call, dial +1 (323) 994-2093 (U.S.) or +1 (888) 394-8218 (International), confirmation code 5880214. The webcast can be accessed on the Investor page of Travere’s website at ir.travere.com/events-presentations. Following the live webcast, an archived version of the call will be available for 30 days on the Company’s website.

About Classical Homocystinuria

Classical homocystinuria (HCU) is a rare genetic metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency in the enzyme cystathionine beta synthase (CBS). CBS is a pivotal enzyme that is essential for the management of methionine and cysteine in the body. Classical HCU leads to toxic levels of homocysteine that can result in life-threatening thrombotic events such as stroke, pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, ophthalmologic and skeletal complications, as well as developmental delay. Current treatment options are limited to protein-restricted diet and use of vitamin B6 and betaine.

About Pegtibatinase

Pegtibatinase is an investigational PEGylated, recombinant enzyme replacement therapy designed to address the underlying cause of classical HCU. In preclinical studies, pegtibatinase has demonstrated an ability to reduce total homocysteine levels and improve clinical parameters. In December 2023 the Company initiated the pivotal Phase 3 HARMONY Study to support the potential approval of pegtibatinase for the treatment of classical HCU. The HARMONY Study is a global, randomized, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pegtibatinase as a novel treatment to reduce total homocysteine (tHcy) levels. In May 2023 the Company announced that data from four patients treated with the highest dose of pegtibatinase in the Phase 1/2 COMPOSE Study showed a clinically meaningful 67.1% mean relative reduction in total homocysteine from baseline and was generally well-tolerated after 12 weeks of treatment. To date, the pegtibatinase program has been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation, Rare Pediatric Disease and Fast Track designations by the FDA, as well as Orphan Drug designation in the U.S. and Europe.

About Travere Therapeutics

At Travere Therapeutics, we are in rare for life. We are a biopharmaceutical company that comes together every day to help patients, families and caregivers of all backgrounds as they navigate life with a rare disease. On this path, we know the need for treatment options is urgent – that is why our global team works with the rare disease community to identify, develop and deliver life-changing therapies. In pursuit of this mission, we continuously seek to understand the diverse perspectives of rare patients and to courageously forge new paths to make a difference in their lives and provide hope – today and tomorrow. For more information, visit travere.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Without limiting the foregoing, these statements are often identified by the words “on-track,” “positioned,” “look forward to,” “will,” “would,” “may,” “might,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “potential,” or similar expressions. In addition, expressions of strategies, intentions or plans are also forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, references to: the potential for pegtibatinase to become the first disease-modifying therapy for classical HCU; statements and expectations regarding future process improvements in manufacturing scale-up to support commercial scale manufacturing as well as full enrollment in the HARMONY Study, and related timing expectations; statements regarding ongoing clinical trials, including statements regarding medication for patients currently enrolled in such trials; and statements and expectations related to future research and development expenses and the expected timing thereof, including with respect to investments related to clinical enrollment in HARMONY and large scale production, and the expected decline in costs associated with the development of sparsentan as the Phase 3 programs advance towards completion; and expectations regarding cash runway. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements are risks and uncertainties associated with manufacturing processes and improvements, and risks related to the regulatory review and approval process, as well as risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s business and finances in general, the success of its commercial products and risks and uncertainties associated with its preclinical and clinical stage pipeline. Specifically, the Company faces risks associated with the challenges of manufacturing scale-up, the ongoing commercial launch of FILSPARI, market acceptance of its commercial products including efficacy, safety, price, reimbursement, and benefit over competing therapies, as well as risks associated with the successful development and execution of commercial strategies for such products. The risks and uncertainties the Company faces with respect to its preclinical and clinical stage pipeline include risk that the Company’s clinical candidates will not be found to be safe or effective and that current or anticipated future clinical trials will not proceed as planned. The Company also faces the risk that its cash runway might not last as long as currently anticipated and the risk that it will be unable to raise additional funding that may be required to complete development of any or all of its product candidates, including as a result of macroeconomic conditions; risks relating to the Company’s dependence on contractors for clinical drug supply and commercial manufacturing; uncertainties relating to patent protection and exclusivity periods and intellectual property rights of third parties; risks associated with regulatory interactions; and risks and uncertainties relating to competitive products, including current and potential future generic competition with certain of the Company’s products, and technological changes that may limit demand for the Company’s products. The Company also faces additional risks associated with global and macroeconomic conditions, including health epidemics and pandemics, including risks related to potential disruptions to clinical trials, commercialization activity, supply chain, and manufacturing operations. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, many of which are beyond our control. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Investors are referred to the full discussion of risks and uncertainties, including under the heading “Risk Factors”, as included in the Company’s most recent Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact Info

Media:
888-969-7879                                        
mediarelations@travere.com
Investors:
888-969-7879                                        
IR@travere.com

FAQ

What is the reason for Travere Therapeutics (TVTX) pausing enrollment in the HARMONY Study?

Travere Therapeutics paused enrollment to address necessary process improvements in manufacturing scale-up for commercial production of pegtibatinase, their potential treatment for classical homocystinuria (HCU).

Will current participants in Travere Therapeutics' (TVTX) pegtibatinase studies continue to receive treatment?

Yes, patients currently enrolled in pegtibatinase studies will continue to receive study medication from small-scale batches unaffected by the scale-up process.

When does Travere Therapeutics (TVTX) expect to restart enrollment in the Phase 3 HARMONY Study?

Travere Therapeutics anticipates the earliest date to restart enrollment in the Phase 3 HARMONY Study will be in 2026.

How will the enrollment pause affect Travere Therapeutics' (TVTX) financial outlook?

Travere Therapeutics estimates that research and development expenses may be reduced by more than $30 million in 2025 compared to 2024, and their current cash reserves are expected to support operations into 2028.

Travere Therapeutics, Inc.

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