Podcast Center
Video Center
Webcasts
Resource Center
Events
May 19, 2016 at 09:15 AM
(Bloomberg) — Spark Therapeutics Inc. surged the most since October after the biotechnology company said its gene therapy helped three hemophilia B patients increase clotting ability enough to stop their regular infusion treatments.
The therapy, called SPK-9001, is co-owned by Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), which will take over development after Spark completes early-stage trials. The treatment gives patients a functioning copy of the gene that produces factor IX, a protein that clots blood. Spark rose 22 percent to $50.33 at 9:51 a.m. in New York, after earlier reaching $51.83.
See also: CCIIO: Annual PCIP Member Claims Average $28,994
Levels of factor IX stabilized at 28 percent of the normal level after 18 weeks in one patient and 30 percent after seven weeks in another, according to a statement from the companies Thursday. The study will be presented at the European Hematology Association’s annual meeting in June. A third patient was at 16 percent after three weeks.
Patients with more than 5 percent of the normal level are considered to have mild hemophilia, which means the bleeding is controlled unless they are in an unusual circumstance like an accident, according to Neil Frick, vice president of research and medical information at the National Hemophilia Foundation.
“You want to achieve a certain level of factor IX with consistency and durability,” without serious side effects, Spark’s Chief Executive Officer Jeff Marrazzo said by telephone. “From our perspective, it’s hitting all those things and exceeding the bar. We’re extremely excited.”
Eye therapy
Spark, based in Philadelphia, may be one of the first drugmakers to bring a gene therapy to market in the U.S. Its lead product, a treatment for a rare inherited eye disorder, has improved patients’ visions in trials. The new data “demonstrates Spark’s ability in multiple target tissues, first in the eye and now the liver,” Marrazzo said. “That should give people confidence in our technology.”
“These are the highest levels of sustained factor IX expression that have been reported in hemophilia B gene therapy trials,” said Lindsey George, the lead researcher on the trial and an attending physician at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
George said she’s “cautiously optimistic,” and that more time is needed to prove the durability of the treatment and ensure that no safety issues appear over time.
No bleeds
One of the three patients had a suspected ankle bleed two days after receiving treatment and gave himself an infusion. Other than that, there have been no bleeds or need for infusion for the three patients during the study period so far, according to the abstract. All the patients had severe hemophilia and needed regular infusions prior to joining the trial, said George.
