PepGen, a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing the next generation of oligonucleotide therapies, today announced that based on the levels of dystrophin protein measured in the 10 mg/kg cohort of its CONNECT1-EDO51 study investigating PGN-EDO51 in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients amenable to exon 51 skipping, the Company will focus on advancing its promising myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) program currently in Phase 2 clinical development. The Company is voluntarily discontinuing development of PGN-EDO51 and intends to wind down all DMD-related research and development activities.
In the 10 mg/kg cohort (n=4) of the CONNECT1 study, PGN-EDO51 increased exon 51 skipped transcripts to 4.26% (a mean increase of 3.5%); however, total dystrophin only increased to 0.59% of normal levels (a mean increase of 0.36%). The safety profile of PGN-EDO51 continued to be generally favorable and all treatment-related adverse events were mild in nature. No serious adverse events were reported in the study.
Read More: Next Generation Exon Skipping Therapies Developed for the Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
“We are disappointed by the dystrophin results observed in the 10 mg/kg dose cohort in CONNECT1, as it was our hope that we could improve upon existing therapies for patients in a more profound way,” said James McArthur, PhD, President and CEO of PepGen. “As we wind down our DMD program, we would like to thank the patients, families, caregivers, investigators and study staff for their support and participation in this research. I also want to acknowledge our team’s hard work and commitment to advancing new potential treatments for DMD patients.”
Learn More: Cures of Duchenne (List of All Researches)
