Clinical Data
To date, emricasan has been studied in over 500 subjects in six Phase 1 clinical trials and four Phase 2 clinical trials. This includes a total of 153 healthy volunteers, 306 subjects with elevated ALT levels and 53 liver transplant subjects receiving single or multiple doses of emricasan ranging from 1 to 500 mg per day orally or 0.1 to 10 mg/kg per day intravenously for up to 12 weeks. Emricasan has demonstrated evidence of a beneficial effect on serological biomarkers in patients with chronic liver disease independent of the cause of disease. Favorable changes have been observed in functional biomarkers of liver damage and inflammation, such as ALT and AST, and mechanistic biomarkers, such as cCK18 and caspase activity, indicating that emricasan works by the presumed mechanism of action of inhibiting apoptosis of liver cells. Importantly, clinical trials have also demonstrated that emricasan does not inhibit normal levels of caspase activity in healthy individuals. Emricasan has been generally well-tolerated in clinical trials completed to date.
Phase 2b Dose Response Study in HCV Patients (Study A8491003)
Study A8491003, or the 003 trial, was a Phase 2b, randomized, multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group, dose response trial. The trial was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of emricasan in patients with chronic HCV infection who were unresponsive to antiviral therapy and who had compensated liver disease with or without fibrosis. Patients with cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma were excluded from the trial. The trial enrolled 204 HCV patients across three oral emricasan dose arms of twice-daily, or BID, 5 mg, 25 mg and 50 mg and one placebo arm. The primary endpoint in the study was changes from Baseline in ALT and AST levels over a period of 12 weeks. This study also measured cCK18 levels, and caspase 3 and 7 activity as exploratory biomarkers. In this trial, emricasan treatment resulted in statistically significant reductions in the primary endpoints of ALT and AST levels as well as statistically significant reductions in cCK18 levels and caspase 3 and 7 activity.
As shown in Figure 3 below, the changes in ALT demonstrated in the 003 trial were statistically significant in each of the emricasan treatment groups compared with the placebo group. The decreases in ALT were seen by day 7, the first time post-dosing that ALT was measured, and the decreases were maintained throughout the treatment period (up to 12 weeks) in all emricasan treatment groups. Discontinuation of emricasan at the end of the treatment period was followed by a gradual return of ALT towards baseline levels.
Figure 3. Change in ALT (Mean SEM) from Baseline Following BID Dosing in Subjects with HCV
In addition to ALT levels, the 003 trial also examined changes in AST levels. As shown in Figure 4 below, the reductions in AST levels demonstrated in the 003 trial were also statistically significant in each of the emricasan treatment groups compared with the placebo group. Consistent with the ALT results, reductions in AST levels were seen as early as seven days and were maintained throughout the treatment period. At the end of treatment AST levels gradually returned to baseline levels.
The 003 trial data also provide evidence that emricasan reduces cCK18 levels from baseline in patients with elevated cCK18 levels, as shown in Figure 5 below. Statistically significant reductions in cCK18 levels were reported as early as three hours after dosing and were still evident following ten weeks of treatment, within each of the 5 mg, 25 mg and 50 mg dose arms compared to baseline values in the relevant dose group. Importantly, in the 003 trial, after ten weeks of dosing, cCK18 levels in all emricasan treatment groups were similar to the baseline level of cCK18 in healthy volunteers as established in our Phase 1 trial (see the description of study IDN-6556-03 below) and as generally reported from independent trials. We believe this observation suggests that normal levels of caspase activity remain intact. We also believe that by returning apoptosis to normalized levels, emricasan may enable the balance between apoptosis and the body’s normal clearance mechanism for apoptosis to be restored.
The 003 trial also included measurements of caspase 3 and 7 enzymatic activity. As shown in Figure 6 below, emricasan significantly reduced caspase 3 and 7 activity in a pattern similar to its effect on cCK18. We believe these data demonstrate that emricasan rapidly reduces elevated levels of caspase enzymatic activity and, as a consequence, excessive apoptosis in these patients. Since caspase 3 and 7 are known to be involved in the cleavage of CK18 which produces cCK18, we also believe these data suggest that the effect of emricasan on cCK18 is a result of inhibiting caspase activity. In addition, consistent with the cCK18 data, emricasan did not eliminate all caspase 3 and 7 activity in these patients. We believe this suggests that emricasan does not interfere with normal base levels of caspase activity or apoptosis, which is important in establishing the overall safety profile of emricasan.
In the 003 trial, emricasan was generally observed to be well-tolerated. The most commonly reported adverse events in emricasan-treated subjects were headache, fatigue, nausea and diarrhea, most of which were mild to moderate in severity. Thirteen subjects withdrew from the study including seven in the placebo group, three from the 5 mg, two from the 50 mg and one from the 25 mg emricasan groups. Nineteen adverse events reported by 14 subjects were considered severe with the greatest incidence in the placebo and 5 mg emricasan-treated groups (seven events each) and the lowest incidence in the 25 mg treatment group (one event). Severe adverse events were varied and showed no pattern across the treatment groups. The majority of adverse events had been resolved by the end of the study and the numbers of continuing events were similar for each of the patient cohorts. In addition, no concerning changes in any of the laboratory parameters and no clinically relevant changes in vital signs, electrocardiograms, physical examinations, or liver ultrasound scans could be attributed to emricasan.
Phase 2 Ascending Dose Study in Patients with Hepatic Impairment (Study A8491004)
Study A8491004, or the 004 trial, was a Phase 2, randomized, multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind, ascending dose trial in 105 patients with mild to moderate hepatic impairment. The trial was designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of several dosing regimens of orally administered emricasan in these patients. The secondary objective of the trial was to evaluate the effects of emricasan on ALT and AST, as markers of efficacy. The trial was conducted at seven study sites and emricasan was administered orally for up to three times daily for 14 days. The study predominantly included patients with HCV liver disease, and also included limited numbers of patients with liver disease attributed to other causes, including HBV, NASH and primary biliary cirrhosis/primary sclerosing cholangitis. While once-daily, or QD, and BID dosing in the HCV patients demonstrated significant reductions in ALT from baseline, the BID dosing cohorts demonstrated greater percentage decreases of ALT levels than QD dosing.
In the 004 trial, 25 HCV patients were administered emricasan once per day for 14 days. As set forth in Figure 7 below, ALT reductions were rapid and sustained during the 14-day dosing period with a 30% to 40% reduction from baseline. While ALT decreases were statistically significantly different than placebo for QD dosing at 25 mg, 100 mg and 200 mg (p-values ranging from 0.0041 to <0.0001), those seen at a QD dose of 5 mg were less dramatic. After treatment with emricasan was completed, ALT levels returned to pretreatment levels.
The 004 trial also examined BID, and three times daily, or TID, dosing of emricasan. In the trial, 30 patients received BID dosing at different dose levels and six patients were treated TID. As set forth in Figure 8 below, ALT reductions were rapid and sustained during the 14-day dosing period. In general, decreases in ALT were more pronounced than with QD dosing, with ALT reductions from baseline ranging from 39% to 56%. One cohort of patients was treated with 5 mg TID dosing. The results from this dosing group were similar to the BID dosing groups. Patients with liver disease from causes other than HCV were dosed at 100 mg BID. Most of these patients had reductions in ALT similar to those observed in the HCV patients. All dosing groups were statistically significantly different than placebo (p-values ranging from 0.0041 to <0.0001).
In all of the patient populations in this study, emricasan was generally well-tolerated. The most commonly reported adverse events related to emricasan were upper abdominal pain, dyspepsia, fatigue, dizziness, and headache. No subject was discontinued due to an adverse event. Importantly, in both the HCV and HBV infected patients studied, no increases in viral load parameters were observed.
Phase 1 Studies
We have conducted six Phase 1 trials in subjects with both single and multiple-dose administration of emricasan. The objective of these trials was to examine the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of emricasan. As shown in Figure 9 below, emricasan was generally well-tolerated in all six Phase 1 trials.
To understand the activity of emricasan on caspase activity in healthy subjects, a Phase 1 trial (study IDN-6556-03) in 15 subjects was conducted. In the trial, the levels of cCK18 in healthy human subjects was measured pre-dosing and then after dosing at different time intervals up to 12 hours post dosing. In this study, patients were administered 25 mg of emricasan BID as part of a drug-drug interaction study for 24 days with blood levels of cCK18 measured serially on days one, 17 and 24. As shown in Figure 10 below, dosing with emricasan did not cause meaningful decreases in cCK18 from predose levels in healthy subjects. We believe this demonstrates that emricasan does not interfere with the normal level of caspase activity and apoptosis in humans.