Oxford, UK – 31st July, 2020: Oxford Biomedica plc (LSE:Oxford Biomedica) (“Oxford Biomedica” or “the Group”), a leading gene and cell therapy group, announced today that it has signed a three year Clinical Supply Agreement (“CSA”) with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Axovant Gene Therapies Ltd. (“Axovant”) (Nasdaq: AXGT). The CSA builds on the worldwide license agreement signed between the two companies in June 2018 for the Parkinson’s disease gene therapy program Oxford Biomedica-102, now called AXO-Lenti-PD.
Under the terms of the CSA, Oxford Biomedica will manufacture GMP batches for Axovant to support the ongoing and future clinical development of AXO-Lenti-PD, a clinical-stage gene therapy product to treat moderate to severe Parkinson’s Disease based on Oxford Biomedica’s LentiVector® platform. Axovant is currently conducting a Phase 2 SUNRISE-PD trial with AXO-Lenti-PD. Dosing of all patients in the second cohort is completed with 6-month safety and efficacy data expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. Oxford Biomedica expects to manufacture AXO-Lenti-PD in its commercial-scale GMP manufacturing facilities including Oxbox in the UK, and additionally in other Oxford Biomedica GMP facilities as required to ensure security of supply.
John Dawson, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Biomedica, said: “This new Agreement builds upon our existing worldwide licensing agreement with Axovant and highlights the strengths of Oxford Biomedica’s commercial GMP manufacturing capabilities. We are pleased with how the partnership is progressing and excited by the clinical progress to date. The agreement today signals our commitment to the efficient ongoing development of this much needed product for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
“We are now at a stage in the partnership where we can determine the manufacturing activities and infrastructure required to support the mid and late-stage development of AXO-Lenti-PD in a way which is compatible with later commercialisation and we look forward to this next phase of our partnership.”
Pavan Cheruvu, Chief Executive Officer at Axovant Gene Therapies, said: “This Agreement with Oxford Biomedica means that together we can continue to advance the development of AXO-Lenti-PD in Parkinson’s disease. We are pleased to extend our partnership with Oxford Biomedica, a world leader in lentiviral vector development and manufacturing, as we scale-up AXO-Lenti-PD production to support our Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical studies and enable commercialization of the product. This marks another mutual accomplishment for our Parkinson’s disease program where we expect to enroll the first subject in a randomized, sham-controlled trial in 2021.”
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Enquiries:
Oxford Biomedica plc
John Dawson, Chief Executive Officer, T: +44 (0)1865 783 000
Stuart Paynter, Chief Financial Officer, T: +44 (0)1865 783 000
Catherine Isted, Head of Corporate Development & IR, T: +44 (0)1865 954 161 / E: ir@oxb.com
Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott/Matthew Neal, T: +44 (0)20 3709 570
About Oxford Biomedica
Oxford Biomedica (LSE:Oxford Biomedica) is a leading, fully integrated, gene and cell therapy group focused on developing life changing treatments for serious diseases. Oxford Biomedica and its subsidiaries (the “Group”) have built a sector leading lentiviral vector delivery platform (LentiVector®), which the Group leverages to develop in vivo and ex vivo products both in-house and with partners. The Group has created a valuable proprietary portfolio of gene and cell therapy product candidates in the areas of oncology, ophthalmology, CNS disorders, liver diseases and respiratory disease. The Group has also entered into a number of partnerships, including with Novartis, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi, Axovant Gene Therapies, Orchard Therapeutics, Santen, Boehringer Ingelheim, the UK Cystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy Consortium and Imperial Innovations, through which it has long-term economic interests in other potential gene and cell therapy products. Additionally the group has signed a Clinical and Commercial Supply Agreement with AstraZeneca for manufacture of the adeno based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZN1222. Oxford Biomedica is based across several locations in Oxfordshire, UK and employs more than 550 people. Further information is available at www.oxb.com
About AXO-Lenti-PD
AXO-Lenti-PD is an investigational gene therapy for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease that is designed to deliver three genes (tyrosine hydroxylase, cyclohydrolase 1, and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase) via a single lentiviral vector to encode a set of critical enzymes required for dopamine synthesis, with the goal of reducing variability and restoring steady levels of dopamine in the brain. The investigational gene therapy aims to provide patient benefit for years following a single administration. The SUNRISE-PD Phase 2 trial is ongoing with dosing completed for all patients in cohort 2, with 6 month safety and efficacy data expected in Q4 2020. Axovant expects to dose the first patient in the Part B randomized, sham controlled study in 2021.
About Axovant Gene Therapies
Axovant Gene Therapies is a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing a pipeline of innovative product candidates for debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. Our current pipeline of gene therapy candidates targets GM1 gangliosidosis, GM2 gangliosidosis (also known as Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease), and Parkinson’s disease. Axovant is focused on accelerating product candidates into and through clinical trials with a team of experts in gene therapy development and through external partnerships with leading gene therapy organizations. For more information, visit www.axovant.com.