NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals Reports Positive Pre-Clinical Safety Data of DA-1241 in Combination with Sitagliptin and Opens Enrollment for Part 2 of Its Phase 2a Clinical Trial Evaluating DA-1241 for the Treatment of MASH
Full Data Readout Expected in the Second Half of 2024
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., January 18, 2024 – NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: NRBO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on transforming cardiometabolic diseases, today announced positive pre-clinical safety data of DA-1241, a novel G-Protein-Coupled Receptor 119 (GPR119) agonist, in combination with sitagliptin, a DPP4 inhibitor. Additionally, having satisfied its 45-day commitment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) related to its amended protocol, the company has opened enrollment for Part 2 of its Phase 2a clinical trial of DA-1241 when co-administered with sitagliptin for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
The pre-clinical results demonstrated that once daily oral administration in rats, of sitagliptin alone (180 mg/kg/day), DA-1241 alone (100 mg/kg/day), or sitagliptin in combination with DA-1241 (up to 180/100 mg/kg/day sitagliptin+DA-1241) for 13 weeks, was well tolerated with no adverse effects.
“Initiating Part 2 of our clinical study of DA-1241 in MASH patients paves the way to begin dosing in combination with sitagliptin, marking another significant clinical milestone for our most advanced asset,” stated Hyung Heon Kim, President and Chief Executive Officer of NeuroBo. “Based on the pre-clinical evidence to date, DA-1241 has been shown to improve both hepatic and systemic inflammation effectively, and the combination with sitagliptin increased the anti-inflammatory effects compared to DA-1241 as a monotherapy. As previously reported, DA-1241 was also well tolerated in healthy volunteers and in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Given the totality of this data, we believe that the mechanism of action could allow DA-1241 to become a safe and effective treatment for MASH, and its anti-MASH and anti-diabetic effects could be potentiated when co-administered with a DPP4 inhibitor. We expect to report the full data from the Part 2 trial in the second half of 2024.”
Each of the two-parts of the Phase 2a trial of DA-1241 is designed to be a 16-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DA-1241 in subjects with presumed MASH. Part 1, currently dosing subjects, is exploring the efficacy of DA-1241 versus placebo, and is expected to enroll approximately 49 subjects, who will be randomized in a 1:2:1 ratio into 3 treatment groups: DA-1241 50 mg, DA-1241 100 mg, or placebo.
Part 2 will explore the efficacy of DA-1241 in combination with sitagliptin, versus placebo, is expected to enroll approximately 37 subjects, who will be randomized in a 2:1 ratio into 2 treatment groups: DA-1241 100 mg/sitagliptin 100 mg or placebo.
For both Part 1 and Part 2, the primary endpoint is the change from baseline in alanine transaminase (ALT) levels at Week 16. Secondary efficacy endpoints include the proportion of subjects with normalization of ALT, absolute change in total cholesterol, low and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, and
