Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and commercializes pharmaceutical products for the treatment of serious medical conditions. We currently have one marketed product: ARCALYST® (rilonacept) Injection for Subcutaneous Use, which is available for prescription in the United States for the treatment of Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes (CAPS), including Familial Cold Auto-inflammatory Syndrome (FCAS) and Muckle-Wells Syndrome (MWS) in adults and children 12 and older.
We have eight product candidates in clinical development, including three that are in late-stage (Phase 3) clinical development. Our late stage programs are rilonacept, which is being developed for the prevention and treatment of gout-related flares; VEGF Trap-Eye, which is being developed in eye diseases using intraocular delivery in collaboration with Bayer HealthCare LLC; and aflibercept (VEGF Trap), which is being developed in oncology in collaboration with the sanofi-aventis Group. Our earlier stage clinical programs are REGN475, an antibody to Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), which is being developed for the treatment of pain; REGN88, an antibody to the interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R), which is being developed in rheumatoid arthritis; REGN421, an antibody to Delta-like ligand-4 (Dll4), which is being developed in oncology; REGN727, an antibody to PCSK9, which is being developed for low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol reduction; and REGN668, an antibody to the interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4R), which is being developed for certain allergic and immune conditions. All five of our earlier stage clinical programs are fully human antibodies that are being developed in collaboration with sanofi-aventis.
Our core business strategy is to maintain a strong foundation in basic scientific research and discovery-enabling technologies and combine that foundation with our clinical development and manufacturing capabilities. Our long-term objective is to build a successful, integrated biopharmaceutical company that provides patients and medical professionals with new and better options for preventing and treating human diseases. However, developing and commercializing new medicines entails significant risk and expense.
Commercial Product:
ARCALYST® (rilonacept) – Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes (CAPS)
In February 2008, we received marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ARCALYST® (rilonacept) Injection for Subcutaneous Use for the treatment of Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes (CAPS), including Familial Cold Auto-inflammatory Syndrome (FCAS) and Muckle-Wells Syndrome (MWS) in adults and children 12 and older. We shipped $20.0 million of ARCALYST® (rilonacept) to our distributors in 2009, compared to $10.7 million in 2008. We own worldwide rights to ARCALYST.
In October 2009, rilonacept was approved under exceptional circumstances by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for the treatment of CAPS with severe symptoms in adults and children aged 12 years and older. Such authorizations are permissible for products for which a company can demonstrate that comprehensive data cannot be provided, for example, because of the rarity of the condition. Each year, we will need to provide for review by the EMEA any new or follow-up information that may become available. Rilonacept is not currently marketed in the European Union.
Clinical Programs:
1. Rilonacept – Inflammatory Diseases
We are evaluating rilonacept in gout, a disease in which, as in CAPS, IL-1 may play an important role in pain and inflammation. In September 2008, we announced the results of a Phase 2 study which evaluated the efficacy and safety of rilonacept versus placebo in the prevention of gout flares induced by the initiation of urate-lowering drug therapy. In this 83-patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the mean number of flares per patient over the first 12 weeks of urate-lowering therapy was 0.79 with placebo and 0.15 with rilonacept (p=0.0011), an 81% reduction. This was the primary endpoint of the study. All secondary endpoints also were met with statistical significance. In the first 12 weeks of treatment, 45.2% of patients treated with placebo experienced a gout flare and, of those, 47.4% had more than one flare. Among patients treated with rilonacept, only 14.6% experienced a gout flare (p=0.0037 versus placebo) and none had more than one flare. Injection-site reaction was the most commonly reported adverse event with rilonacept and no serious drug-related adverse events were reported.
2. VEGF Trap-Eye – Ophthalmologic Diseases
VEGF Trap-Eye is a specially purified and formulated form of VEGF Trap for use in intraocular applications. We and Bayer HealthCare are testing VEGF Trap-Eye in a Phase 3 program in patients with the neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). We and Bayer HealthCare are also conducting a Phase 2 study of VEGF Trap-Eye in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). Wet AMD and diabetic retinopathy (which includes DME) are two of the leading causes of adult blindness in the developed world. In both conditions, severe visual loss is caused by a combination of retinal edema and neovascular proliferation. We and Bayer HealthCare also initiated a Phase 3 program in central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in July 2009. In connection with the dosing of the first patient in a Phase 3 study in CRVO, we received a $20.0 million milestone payment from Bayer HealthCare.
3. Aflibercept (VEGF Trap) – Oncology
Aflibercept is a protein-based product candidate designed to bind all forms of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A (called VEGF-A, also known as Vascular Permeability Factor or VPF), VEGF-B, and the related Placental Growth Factor (called PlGF), and prevent their interaction with cell surface receptors. VEGF-A (and to a less validated degree, PlGF) is required for the growth of new blood vessels (a process known as angiogenesis) that are needed for tumors to grow and is a potent regulator of vascular permeability and leakage.
Aflibercept is being developed globally in cancer indications in collaboration with sanofi-aventis. We and sanofi-aventis are enrolling patients in three Phase 3 trials that combine aflibercept with standard chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of cancer. One trial (called VELOUR) is evaluating aflibercept as a 2nd line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with FOLFIRI (folinic acid (leucovorin), 5-fluorouracil, and irinotecan). A second trial (VITAL) is evaluating aflibercept as a 2nd line treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in combination with docetaxel. A third trial (VENICE) is evaluating aflibercept as a 1st line treatment for metastatic androgen independent prostate cancer in combination with docetaxel/prednisone. All three trials are studying the current standard of chemotherapy care for the cancer being studied with and without aflibercept. VITAL and VENICE are fully enrolled, and the VELOUR study is approximately 95% enrolled. In addition, a Phase 2 study (called AFFIRM) of aflibercept in 1st line metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with FOLFOX (folinic acid (leucovorin), 5-fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin) is approximately 75% enrolled.
4. REGN475 (Anti-NGF Antibody) for pain
Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a member of the neurotrophin family of secreted proteins. NGF antagonists have been shown to prevent increased sensitivity to pain and abnormal pain response in animal models of neuropathic and chronic inflammatory pain. Mutations in the genes that code for the NGF receptors were identified in people suffering from a loss of deep pain perception. For these and other reasons, we believe blocking NGF could be a promising therapeutic approach to a variety of pain indications.
REGN475 is a fully human monoclonal antibody to NGF generated using our VelocImmune® technology. Preclinical experiments indicate that REGN475 specifically binds to and blocks NGF activity and does not bind to or block cell signaling for closely related neurotrophins such as NT-3, NT-4/5, or BDNF.
5. REGN88 (Anti-IL-6R Antibody) for inflammatory diseases
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a key cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, causing inflammation and joint destruction. A therapeutic antibody to the IL-6 receptor (IL-6R), tocilizumab, developed by Roche, has been approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
REGN88 is a fully human monoclonal antibody to IL-6R generated using our VelocImmune technology that is in a Phase 2/3 double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis and a Phase 2 double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study in ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine. REGN88 is being developed in collaboration with sanofi-aventis.
6. REGN421 (Anti-Dll4 Antibody) for advanced malignancies
In many clinical settings, positively or negatively regulating blood vessel growth could have important therapeutic benefits, as could the repair of damaged and leaky vessels. VEGF was the first growth factor shown to be specific for blood vessels, by virtue of having its receptor specifically expressed on blood vessel cells. In the December 21, 2006 issue of the journal Nature, we reported data from a preclinical study demonstrating that blocking an important cell signaling molecule, known as Delta-like ligand 4 (Dll4), inhibited the growth of experimental tumors by interfering with their ability to produce a functional blood supply. The inhibition of tumor growth was seen in a variety of tumor types, including those that were resistant to blockade of VEGF, suggesting a novel anti-angiogenesis therapeutic approach. Moreover, inhibition of tumor growth is enhanced by the combination of Dll4 and VEGF blockade in many preclinical tumor models.
REGN421 is a fully human monoclonal antibody to Dll4 generated using our VelocImmune technology. REGN421 is being developed in collaboration with sanofi-aventis and is in Phase 1 clinical development.
. REGN727 (Anti-PCSK9 Antibody) for LDL cholesterol reduction
Elevated low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels is a validated risk factor leading to cardiovascular disease. Statins are a class of drugs that lower LDL by upregulating the expression of the LDL receptor (LDLR), which removes LDL from circulation. PCSK9 (proprotein convertase substilisin/kexin type 9) is a protein that binds to LDLR, which prevents LDLR from binding to LDL and removes it from circulation. People who have a mutation that reduces the activity of PCSK9 have lower levels of LDL, as well as a reduced risk of adverse cardiovascular events. We used our VelocImmune® technology to derive a fully human monoclonal antibody called REGN727 that is designed to bind to PCSK9 and prevent it from inhibiting LDLR. REGN727 is being developed in collaboration with sanofi-aventis and is in Phase 1 clinical development.
8. REGN668 (Anti-IL4R Antibody) for allergic and immune conditions
Interleukin-4 receptor (IL4Ra) is required for signaling by the cytokines IL-4 and IL-13. Both of these cytokines are critical mediators of immune response, which, in turn, drives the formation of antibodies and the development of allergic responses, as well as the atopic state that underlies asthma and atopic dermatitis. REGN668 is a fully human VelocImmune antibody that is designed to bind to IL4R. REGN668 is being developed in collaboration with sanofi-aventis and is in Phase 1 clinical development.
Research and Development Technologies:
One way that a cell communicates with other cells is by releasing specific signaling proteins, either locally or into the bloodstream. These proteins have distinct functions, and are classified into different “families” of molecules, such as peptide hormones, growth factors, and cytokines. All of these secreted (or signaling) proteins travel to and are recognized by another set of proteins, called “receptors,” which reside on the surface of responding cells. These secreted proteins impact many critical cellular and biological processes, causing diverse effects ranging from the regulation of growth of particular cell types, to inflammation mediated by white blood cells. Secreted proteins can at times be overactive and thus result in a variety of diseases. In these disease settings, blocking the action of specific secreted proteins can have clinical benefit.
VelociSuiteTM
VelociSuite consists of VelocImmune, VelociGene®, VelociMouse®, and VelociMabTM. The VelocImmune mouse platform is utilized to produce fully human monoclonal antibodies. VelocImmune was generated by exploiting our VelociGene technology (see below), in a process in which six megabases of mouse immune gene loci were replaced, or “humanized,” with corresponding human immune gene loci. VelocImmune mice can be used to generate efficiently fully human monoclonal antibodies to targets of therapeutic interest. VelocImmune and our entire VelociSuite offer the potential to increase the speed and efficiency through which human monoclonal antibody therapeutics may be discovered and validated, thereby improving the overall efficiency of our early stage drug development activities. We are utilizing the VelocImmune technology to produce our next generation of drug candidates for preclinical and clinical development.