Exhibit 99.1
Annexon Biosciences Reports Phase 2 Clinical Trial Results Demonstrating Upstream Classical Complement Inhibition Associated with Clinical Benefit in Huntington’s Disease
ANX005 Demonstrated Full C1q Target Inhibition and Was Generally Well-Tolerated
Disease Progression Stabilized in Overall Patient Population Through the Nine-month Study
Rapid Improvement in Clinical Outcome Measures Maintained in Patients with High Baseline Complement Activity Through the Nine-month Study
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BRISBANE, Calif., June 7, 2022 - Annexon, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANNX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of complement medicines for patients with classical complement-mediated autoimmune, neurodegenerative and ophthalmic disorders, today announced promising, final data from its open-label Phase 2 clinical trial of ANX005 in patients with Huntington’s disease (HD).
HD is a fatal, progressive movement disorder that affects approximately 80,000 people globally, with about 300,000 people who are at-risk of inheriting the disease-causing gene. Annexon’s unique approach to tackle HD targets C1q, the initiating molecule of the classical complement pathway, to slow or halt classical complement diseases. In neurodegenerative diseases like HD, C1q inappropriately recognizes and tags functioning synapses necessary for normal brain health by activating and amplifying complement components that cause neuroinflammation, synapse damage and ultimately synapse loss. ANX005 is designed to fully block C1q and the entire classical complement pathway with the aim of preserving functioning synapses to slow or halt neurodegeneration.
“Huntington’s disease is a devastating condition, with no cure or approved disease-modifying treatments available,” said Edward Wild, FRCP, Ph.D., professor of neurology at University College London, consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London’s Queen Square, and associate director of UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre. “The apparent continued stabilization of clinical function over nine months is notable, and generally not expected in a progressive disease like HD. Moreover, the evidence of sustained improvement observed in patients with elevated baseline complement activity coupled with the benefit-risk profile demonstrated by ANX005 through the nine-month study underscore the potential of complement inhibition as a promising therapeutic mechanism for this difficult disease.”
ANX005 Phase 2 Target Engagement, Efficacy and Biomarker Results
The Phase 2 multi-center, open-label clinical trial evaluated ANX005 administered intravenously for a six-month dosing period in patients with, or at risk for, early manifest HD, followed by a three-month follow-up period. The primary outcome measures of the study were the safety and tolerability of ANX005; the pharmacokinetics (PK) of ANX005, as measured by serum and CSF concentrations; and pharmacodynamics (PD) effects, as measured by C1q, C4a and NfL serum and CSF concentrations. The study enrolled a total of 28 patients, of whom 23 completed both six-months of treatment and subsequent three-month follow-up period. The Phase 2 results reported today include efficacy data as measured by Composite Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (cUHDRS) and Total Functional Capacity (TFC), PK and PD data and NfL for those 23 patients, and safety data for all 28 patients enrolled.
Final data showed:
| • | | Treatment with ANX005 led to complete and durable target engagement of C1q in both serum and CSF throughout the treatment period and well into the follow-up period |