Category Archives: Genetic Therapy

To treat babies, young children with spinal muscular atrophy

EMA has recommended granting a conditional marketing authorisation in the European Union for the gene therapy Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec) to treat babies and young children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare and often fatal genetic disease that causes muscle weakness and progressive loss of movement.

There are currently limited treatment options for children with SMA in the EU. Patients also receive physical aids to support muscular functions and help them and their families cope with the symptoms of the disease.

Spinal muscular atrophy is usually diagnosed in the first year of life. Most patients with severe SMA do not survive early childhood. Patients with the disease cannot produce sufficient amounts of a protein called survival motor neuron (SMN), which is essential for the normal functioning and survival of motor neurons (nerves from the brain and spinal cord that control muscle movements). Without this protein, the motor neurons deteriorate and eventually die. This causes the muscles to fall into disuse, leading to muscle wasting (atrophy) and weakness.

The SMN protein is made by two genes, the SMN1 and SMN2 genes. Patients with spinal muscular atrophy lack the SMN1 gene but have the SMN2 gene, which mostly produces a short SMN protein that cannot work properly on its own. A one-time intravenous administration of Zolgensma supplies a fully functioning copy of the human SMN1 geneenabling the body to produce enough SMN protein. This is expected to improve their muscle function, movement and survival of children with the disease.

Treatment with Zolgensma should only be administered once in suitable clinical centres under the supervision of a physician experienced in the management of patients with SMA.

EMAs recommendation for conditional marketing authorisation is based on the preliminary results of one completed clinical trial and three supporting studies in patients with spinal muscular atrophy with different stages of disease severity. These included genetically diagnosed and pre-symptomatic patients.

The clinical trial providing the main body of data for the assessment of Zolgensma was conducted in 22 patients who were less than six months of age at the time of the gene replacement therapy with Zolgensma. The trial assessed the percentage of patients who had improvement in their survival (i.e. without the need to be permanently on a ventilator) and motor milestones, such as head control, crawling, sitting, standing and walking (with or without assistance).

The survival of patients treated with Zolgensma exceeded what can be expected from untreated patients with severe SMA. Out of 22 patients enrolled in the trial, 20 patients (91 per cent) were alive and did not need permanent ventilatory support at 14 months of age. The experience with this disease shows that at 14 months of age only 25 per cent of patients are still alive. These patients also achieved motor milestones, which are usually not achieved in the natural history of the disease. 14 patients (64 per cent) reached the milestone of independent sitting before 18 months of age. One patient (4 per cent) reached the milestone of walking unassisted before reaching 16 months of age. Patients with less motor deterioration appeared to benefit the most from the treatment with Zolgensma.

The most common side effects found in participants in the clinical trials for Zolgensma wereincreases in liver enzymes (transaminases) seen in blood tests. This is an effect of the immune response to the treatment.

Because Zolgensma is an advanced-therapy medicinal product (ATMP), it was assessed by the Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT), EMAs expert committee for cell- and gene-based medicines.

On the basis of the CATs assessment and positive opinion, EMAs committee for human medicines (CHMP) recommended a conditional approval for this medicine. This is one of the EUs regulatory mechanisms to facilitate early access to medicines that fulfil an unmet medical need. This type of approval allows the Agency to recommend a medicine for marketing authorisation with less complete data than normally expected, in cases where the benefit of a medicines immediate availability to patients outweighs the risk inherent in the fact that not all the data are yet available.

Additional efficacy and safety data are being collected through three ongoing studies, a long-term registry and further investigations on the product, including recommendations for future quality development. All results must be included in post-marketing safety reports, which are continuously reviewed by EMA.

The opinion adopted by the CHMP is an intermediary step on Zolgensmas path to patient access. The opinion will now be sent to the European Commission for the adoption of a decision on an EU-wide marketing authorisation.Once amarketing authorisationhas been granted, decisions about price and reimbursement will take place at the level of each Member State, taking into account the potential role/use of this medicine in the context of the national health system of that country.

Read more from the original source:
EMA grants conditional marketing authorisation in EU for gene therapy Zolgensma - Express Healthcare

Report Description

A recent market intelligence report that is published by Data Insights Partner onGene Therapy marketmakes an offering of in-depth analysis of segments and sub-segments in the regional and international Gene Therapy market. The research also emphasizes on the impact of restraints, drivers, and macro indicators on the regional and world Gene Therapy market over the short as well as long period of time. A detailed presentation of forecast, trends, and dollar values of international Gene Therapy market is offered. In accordance with the report, the global Gene Therapy market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 30% over the period of forecast.

Market Insight, Drivers, Restraints& Opportunity of the Market:

Gene therapy is a medical procedure which replaces defective genes or introduces new genes n order to prevent or cure genetic disorders. This procedure has become a bench mark in medical industry as there is no requirement of surgery or drugs or other procedure which has side effects on the individuals. Gene therapy was first commercialized in China in 2004 by China based SiBono Gene Tech (product Gendicine).

The global gene therapy market has been expanding due to the rigorous research conducted in the field of genetics. The rising awareness about the capability of cure of several rare genetic diseases by gene therapy is another important driver which leads the global gene therapy market during the forecast period. Gene therapy has capability cure several life threatening diseases such as cancer, cardiac diseases, AIDS, cystic fibrosis, age-related disorders, sickle cell anemia etc. In March 2019, the director of the National Health Institute (NIH), the U.S. announced that the recent clinical trials on the gene therapy for the treatment of sickle cell anemia showed promising result- therefore, increasing prevalence of aforementioned lie threatening diseases would likely to drive the growth of the global gene therapy market during the forecast period.

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On the other hand, treatment cost and stringent regulatory conditions etc. may hamper the growth of the global gene therapy market in the upcoming future. The results of Gendicine clinical trials were published in 2003 and the medicine got approval by the China State Food and Drug Administration in the same year. Although approved in China, Gendicines use is not very promising outside China. There are several concerns among the researchers about the quality of the clinical trials performed and safety and efficacy of the treatment. However, Gendicines equivalent Advexin (company Introgen Therapueitcs) is still waiting for the FDA approval.

Increasing investment to the gene therapy related research (around 10 Bn was invested in 2015 by private and public organizations), new product developments such as (Zolgensma in 2019), strategic alliance among the key players (such as collaboration between Axovant and Yposkesi) would bring the global gene therapy market an opportunity to propel during the forecast period. In May 2019, Avexis (a Novartis company) has got the FDA approval for Zolgensma for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy for the pediatric patients (less than 2 years of age).

Segment Covered:

This market intelligence report on the global gene therapy market encompasses market segments based on product, application, target user and geography. On the basis of product, the sub-markets is segmented into Yescarta, Kymriah, Strimvelis, Gendicine, Zolgensma and others (Advexin). Based on application, the global gene therapy market has been segregated into large B-Cell lymphoma, Car T Cell therapy, ADA-SCID (adenosine deaminase deficiency), muscular atrophy, head and neck squamus cell carcinoma, others (Crigler-Najjar syndrome). By target user, the global gene therapy market is also classified into adult and pediatric. By Geography, the global gene therapy market has been divided into North America (the U.S., Canada), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and other countries), Europe (Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, Russia, and other countries), Asia Pacific (India, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand and other countries), Middle East and Africa (GCC, South Africa, Israel and Other countries).

Profiling of Market Players:

This business intelligence report offers profiling of reputed companies that are operating in the market. Companies such as Novartis, Gilead Sciences, Orchard Therapeutics Ltd, SiBiono GeneTech Co, Introgen Therapeutics and among others have been profiled into detail so as to offer a glimpse of the market leaders. Moreover, parameters such as gene therapy market related investment & spending and developments by major players of the market are tracked in this global report.

Report Highlights:

In-depth analysis of the micro and macro indicators, market trends, and forecasts of demand is offered by this business intelligence report. Furthermore, the report offers a vivid picture of the factors that are steering and restraining the growth of this market across all geographical segments. In addition to that, IGR-Growth Matrix analysis is also provided in the report so as to share insight of the investment areas that new or existing market players can take into consideration. Various analytical tools such as DRO analysis, Porters five forces analysis has been used in this report to present a clear picture of the market. The study focuses on the present market trends and provides market forecast from the year 2017-2027. Emerging trends that would shape the market demand in the years to come have been highlighted in this report. A competitive analysis in each of the geographical segments gives an insight into market share of the global players.

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Salient Features:

This study offers comprehensive yet detailed analysis of the Gene Therapy market, size of the market (US$ Mn), and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR (%)) for the period of forecast: 2019 2027, taking into account 2017 as the base year

It explains upcoming revenue opportunities across various market segments and attractive matrix of investment proposition for the said market

This market intelligence report also offers pivotal insights about various market opportunities, restraints, drivers, launch of new products, competitive market strategies of leading market players, emerging market trends, and regional outlook

Profiling of key market players in the world Gene Therapy market is done by taking into account various parameters such as company strategies, distribution strategies, product portfolio, financial performance, key developments, geographical presence, and company overview

Leading market players covered this report comprise names such as. Novartis, Gilead Sciences, Orchard Therapeutics Ltd, SiBiono GeneTech Co, Introgen Therapeutics and among others

The data of this report would allow management authorities and marketers of companies alike to take informed decision when it comes to launch of products, government initiatives, marketing tactics and expansion, and technical up gradation

The world market for Gene Therapy market caters to the needs of various stakeholders pertaining to this industry, namely suppliers, manufacturers, investors, and distributors for Gene Therapy market. The research also caters to the rising needs of consulting and research firms, financial analysts, and new market entrants

Research methodologies that have been adopted for the purpose of this study have been clearly elaborated so as to facilitate better understanding of the reports

Reports have been made based on the guidelines as mandated by General Data Protection Regulation

Ample number of examples and case studies have been taken into consideration before coming to a conclusion

Reasons to buy:

vIdentify opportunities and plan strategies by having a strong understanding of the investment opportunities in the Gene Therapy market

vIdentification of key factors driving investment opportunities in the Gene Therapy market

vFacilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data

vPosition yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential

vDevelop strategies based on the latest regulatory events

vIdentify key partners and business development avenues

vRespond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects

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Gene Therapy Market Regulations and Competitive Landscape Outlook size 2027 - Skyline Gazette

Gene therapy could dramatically alter how dozens of inherited diseases are treated. It's also transforming how the academic institutions working in this growing field move research from the laboratory to the clinic.

Private sector skepticism a decade or more ago spurred institutions like the University of Pennsylvania and Nationwide Children's Hospital to advance experimental projects much further before selling their ideas to biopharma companies a departure from the previous model of identifying a molecular target and letting industry do the heavy lifting.

As a result, university technology transfer officers are much more involved in the technical and commercial details of preclinical drug development, from assembling financing and creating private companies to building manufacturing capacity. The product is a host of new startups, such as AveXis, Spark Therapeutics and Bamboo Therapeutics, that in recent years have been swallowed up by large pharmaceutical companies.

"The old way is, 'I have a patent, I'm going to throw it over the fence to you and you throw me a sack of money,'" said John Swartley, managing director of the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Center for Innovation, in an interview. "This is completely different. This is co-development."

John Swartley

Permission granted by University of Pennsylvania

"We're directly involved over multiple years in helping to move the technology forward. And our commercialization partner is going to take it hopefully all the way to the market."

A paper published earlier this month in JAMA quantifies the shift. Together, hospitals, universities and the National Institutes of Health sponsored 206 of the 341 identified gene therapy trials that were active in 2019. Biotech and pharma companies led the remaining 135.

Measured by funding, hospitals, universities and the NIH had a hand in more than 280 of those studies, as some trials had multiple funders. Fourteen trials were funded by other federal sources or non-profit charities.

Hospitals and universities were most active in early-stage studies, with industry sponsoring only 22% of Phase 1 trials. But, in gene therapy, those initial human tests can hold more weight, as the benefits of a genetic fix can be quickly apparent.

"This is a sign that the model of drug development that was prominent in the past academia does basic science and finds some targets and then pharma develops the actual drug product is pretty different with gene therapy," one of the paper's authors, Walid Gellad, director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing at the University of Pittsburgh, wrote in an email to BioPharma Dive.

The changing academic model also raises questions about the rich price tags being sought by drugmakers for gene therapies, given the greater role played by universities and other non-profit entities.

"The paper, I think, informs discussions about how high prices really need to be in order to encourage private risk taking for gene therapies it may be a different number than for other drugs that have less late stage involvement by academia and NIH," wrote Gellad.

University involvement in gene therapy development was driven in part by the private sector's reluctance to get involved in a therapeutic approach perceived, until several years ago, as risky. The death of Jesse Gelsinger in a Penn gene therapy trial in 1999 inflicted severe reputational damage on the field, driving away drugmaker interest.

Scientists kept the faith, and their institutions carried the field forward for years afterward. When Swartley began working at Penn in 2007, one of his first meetings was with the university's gene therapy director James Wilson, who was in charge of the tragic trial that led to Gelsinger's death.

James Wilson

Permission granted by the University of Pennsylvania

"From an external perspective, from an industrial perspective, there was almost nothing happening," he said. "But it was evident from the kind of research that Dr. Wilson and his colleagues were sharing with us, they made a very convincing case that this was going to rapidly shift into a more of a developmental paradigm."

"They were anticipating a tremendous amount of industry interest when that shift occurred," Swartley added. "It turned out to be very prophetic."

At the University of North Carolina, the situation was similar in the early part of the 2000s. The institution reached a slightly different solution, however, spinning out companies like Asklepios BioPharmaceutical to advance gene therapy beyond the walls of the university laboratories.

"We had a lot of vector technology, but the market was not receptive to gene therapy at the time," said Kelly Parsons, associate technology commercialization director at UNC, in an interview. "We had a startup company that had to work very diligently to try to establish the merits of gene therapy."

Asklepios is still an independent company today, some of its gene therapy work having been folded into a Pfizer-owned Duchenne muscular dystrophy project that was previously developed by Bamboo Therapeutics.

But the time spent building the knowledge and expertise at universities or closely affiliated startups has been one of the reasons why big pharmas have rushed into the space. By advancing the technology, the universities reduced the risk of failure, making pharmas more willing to buy in.

"We had a recognition that if we wanted the for-profit sector and the investment sector and the [venture capital] world to give gene therapy a chance, it was important as an institution we were able to start that process of de-risking the asset," said Matthew McFarland, vice president of commercialization and industry relations at Nationwide, in an interview.

Doing so was a greater commitment than they expected. "What we did is say: 'What stage would these assets need to get to before external dollars would be interested in investing?'" he said. "And the reality is, oh my gosh, you have to de-risk it all the way to the point it's ready to go into the patients."

That included the initial Phase 1 study of the spinal muscular atrophy gene therapy now known as Zolgensma, which was licensed to AveXis and later acquired by Novartis.

More broadly, development included building production capabilities compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices, which govern quality and consistency standards for finished drug products, and a regulatory team that was able to prepare Investigational New Drug applications within the hospital's technology transfer office.

Building up manufacturing expertise has resulted in a new business for Nationwide: the for-profit Andelyn Biosciences, which will run a commercial scale gene therapy production facility.

Solving the manufacturing question is something many academic gene therapy centers are still grappling with as they near the point of handing off to private-sector partners. Biopharma companies want to have confidence that the therapies manufactured by university scientists will work as well in clinical trials and in wider use as they did in earlier study.

"There's no university that has the ability to ramp their early production manufacturing production to a level to get enough doses that industry doesn't have to recapitulate it," said Jim O'Connell, director of technology transfer at the University of Florida's UF Innovate, in an interview. "It's notorious for university labs, small molecules and others, to not be able to have their work reproduced out in the real world."

This very question may have been behind data quality issues for Zolgensma. Last summer, Novartis was chastised by the Food and Drug Administration for having submitted manipulated preclinical data, a scandal that the Swiss pharma tied to AveXis co-founder and former Nationwide trial investigator Brian Kaspar. Through his lawyer, Kaspar has denied all wrongdoing.

"Academic institutions have got to ask themselves: How far into this do we want to go?," said O'Connell. "It's going to have a whole bunch of costs that universities aren't used to taking on. How do we share the expense? How do we share the risk appropriately?"

Thorny questions notwithstanding, the increased investment has led to better returns for universities. Technology transfer offices interviewed by BioPharma Dive report the licensing deals are much richer for gene therapies that have advanced to human testing or near it money which gets returned to scientists and their departments to fund new research.

Returns aren't equally shared, however. Schools blessed with research that is sought-after by private industry flourish, while others struggle, said Lee Vinsel, a Virginia Tech assistant professor who is writing a book called "The Innovator's Delusion."

Indeed, broadly speaking, universities reported a little more than $3 billion in licensing revenue in 2017, but spent $68 billion, according to the Association of University Technology Managers. Less than 1% of licenses yielded more than $1 million in revenue.

Moreover, Vinsel argues the potential for licensing revenue incentivizes universities to only conduct research the private sector wants to license.

"One reason why we need federal funding and university research is to do basic science that corporations aren't going to pay for and do," Vinsel said. "If we tack more university research towards the profitable, who is going to do this basic work, including research that could really help society but will enrich no one?"

McFarland of Nationwide, however, points to less lucrative licenses it has signed, such as a device to prevent pressure ulcers in patients with tracheostomies, along with a mental health research and treatment facility the institution has launched, as ventures that were enabled by bigger deals like in gene therapy.

"If we can take that return and continue to foster research not only in [gene therapy] but even further spread that out and have an impact across all of research," he said.

"There are a lot of times when we're not the office of tech commercialization, but instead we're the office of tech realization, because what we go into is just about getting it out there to the public, and we're not going to get a return on it."

Read more here:
Big pharma shied away from gene therapy for years. Academia picked up the slack - BioPharma Dive

A new Cas13 RNA screen has been used to establish guide RNAs for the COVID-19 coronavirus and human RNA segments which could be used in vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.

A novel CRISPR-based editing tool that enables researchers to target mRNA and knockout genes without altering the genome has been developed. Using the CRISPR-Cas13 enzyme, researchers have created a genetic screen for RNA, currently designed for use on humans, which they say could also be used on RNA containing viruses and bacteria.

The developers have used their parallel-screening technique to create optimal guide RNAs for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus COVID-19 which could be used for future detection and therapeutic applications. These have been made available online here.

the seed regions could be used as next-generation biosensors, able to precisely discriminate between closely related RNA species

The CRISPR RNA screening technology was developed by researchers in the lab of study senior author Dr Neville Sanjana at the New York Genome Center and at New York University, both US. The platform is optimised to run massively-parallel genetic screens at the RNA level in human cells because it is based on the CRISPR-Cas13 enzyme, which targets RNA instead of DNA. According to the researchers, it could be used to understand aspects of RNA regulation and identify the function of non-coding RNAs in humans.

The team have used the data they collected by targeting thousands of different sites in human RNA transcripts to create a machine learning-based predictive model to expedite identification of the most effective Cas13 guide RNAs. This technology is available to researchers through a website and open-source toolbox, both can predict guide RNA efficiencies for custom RNA targets and provide pre-designed guide RNAs for all human protein-coding genes.

We anticipate that RNA-targeting Cas13 enzymes will have a large impact on molecular biology and medical applications, yet little is known about guide RNA design for high targeting efficacy, said Dr Sanjana. We set about to change that through an in-depth and systematic study to develop key principles and predictive modelling for most effective guide design.

Dr Hans-Hermann Wessels and PhD student Alejandro Mndez-Mancilla, co-first authors of the study published in Nature Biotechnology, developed a suite of Cas13-based tools and conducted a transcript tiling and permutation screen in mammalian cells. In total, they gathered information for more than 24,000 RNA-targeting guides.

We tiled guide RNAs across many different transcripts, including several human genes where we could easily measure transcript knock-down via antibody staining and flow cytometry, said Dr Wessels. Along the way, we uncovered some interesting biological insights that may expand the application of RNA-targeting Cas13 enzymes. These insights included which regions of the guide RNA are important for recognition of a target RNA, calling the identified segments seed regions these are vital for designing guide RNAs with off-target activity on unintended target RNAs.

The scientists suggest that the seed regions could be used as next-generation biosensors, able to precisely discriminate between closely related RNA species.

We are particularly excited to use the optimised Cas13 screening system to target non-coding RNAs. This greatly expands the CRISPR toolbox for forward genetic and transcriptomic screens, concluded Mndez-Mancilla.

See the original post here:
CRISPR RNA-targeted genetic screen could be used for COVID-19 therapy - Drug Target Review

Basel, March 19, 2020 Novartis Pharma K.K. (Novartis Pharma) today announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) approved Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec) for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in patients under the age of two, including those who are pre-symptomatic at diagnosis. Patients must be negative for elevated anti-AAV9 antibodies. A rare, genetic neuromuscular disease caused by a lack of a functional SMN1 gene, SMA results in the rapid and irreversible loss of motor neurons, affecting muscle functions, including breathing, swallowing and basic movement.3 Approximately 60% of all SMA is Type 1.Zolgensma is a one-time gene therapy designed to address the genetic root cause of the disease by replacing the function of the missing or nonworkingSMN1gene. Zolgensma is administered during a single intravenous (IV) infusion, delivering a new working copy of the SMN gene into a patients cells, halting disease progression.Approximately 15-20 SMA patients in Japan are expected to be eligible for treatment each year. Reimbursement with MHLW is expected by the end of 1H20 and, pending agreement, Zolgensma will be available at that time.

SMA is the leading genetic cause of infant death and, if left untreated in its most common form, Type 1, leads to death or the need for permanent ventilation by the age of two in more than 90% of cases, said Kazunari Tsunaba, president and representative director, Novartis Pharma. A one-time dose of Zolgensma has the potential to make a truly transformative impact on this life-threatening disease. This is an important day for the children and families in Japan impacted by SMA, both today and in the future.

Approval is based on the Phase 1 START, START Long-term follow-up, Phase 3 STR1VE-US, Phase 3 SPR1NT and Phase 1/2 STRONG (intrathecal injection) trials. START and STR1VE-US were designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a one-time IV infusion of Zolgensma in symptomatic SMA Type 1 patients <6 months of age at dosing, who had one or two copies of the SMN2 backup gene, or two copies of the SMN2 backup gene, respectively. Zolgensma demonstrated rates of survival never seen in the natural history of the disease; rapid motor function improvement, often within one month of dosing; and milestone achievement, including the ability to sit without support, a milestone never achieved in untreated patients. Patients in START Long-term follow-up are now reaching five years of age. Interim results from the ongoing SPR1NT trial, a Phase 3, open-label, single-arm study of a single, one-time IV infusion of Zolgensma in pre-symptomatic patients (<6 weeks at age of dosing) genetically defined by bi-allelic deletion of SMN1 with 2 or 3 copies of SMN2 demonstrate rapid, ageappropriate major milestone gain, reinforcing the critical importance of early intervention in SMA patients. It is imperative to diagnose SMA and begin treatment, including proactive supportive care, as early as possible to halt irreversible motor neuron loss and disease progression.

The most commonly observed side effects after treatment were elevated liver enzymes and vomiting. Acute serious liver injury and elevated aminotransferases can occur. Patients with pre-existing liver impairment may be at higher risk. Prior to infusion, physicians should assess liver function of all patients by clinical examination and laboratory testing. And, they should administer systemic corticosteroid to all patients before and after treatment, and then continue to monitor liver function for at least 3 months after infusion.

Zolgensma provided rapid, significant and clinically meaningful therapeutic benefit in symptomatic and pre-symptomatic SMA, including prolonged event-free survival and achievement of motor milestones never seen before in natural history of the disease. We are proud to bring the first gene therapy for SMA to Japan, and especially of the transformational impact Zolgensma will have on the children and families affected by SMA, said Dave Lennon, president, AveXis.

InMay 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Zolgensma for the treatment of pediatric patients less than two years of age with SMA with bi-allelic mutations in the SMN1 gene. Approximately 400 patients have been treated with Zolgensma, including clinical trials, commercially and through the managed access program in the U.S. In the U.S. nearly all on-label patients have been approved by their payer for access to Zolgensma. AveXis is pursuing registration in close to three dozen countries with a Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use opinion expected in 1Q 2020 and regulatory decisions anticipated in Switzerland, Canada and Australia in late 2020 or early 2021.

Story continues

About Spinal Muscular AtrophySMA is the leading genetic cause of infant death and is designated as an intractable disease in Japan.1 If left untreated, SMA Type 1 leads to death or the need for permanent ventilation by the age of two in more than 90% of cases.2 Approximately 60% of all SMA is Type 1. Approximately 15-20 SMA patients in Japan are expected to be eligible for treatment each year 4,5 . SMA is a rare, genetic neuromuscular disease caused by a lack of a functional SMN1 gene, resulting in the rapid and irreversible loss of motor neurons, affecting muscle functions, including breathing, swallowing and basic movement.3 It is imperative to diagnose SMA and begin treatment, including proactive supportive care, as early as possible to halt irreversible motor neuron loss and disease progression.6 This is especially critical in SMA Type 1, where motor neuron degeneration starts before birth and escalates quickly. Loss of motor neurons cannot be reversed, so SMA patients with symptoms at the time of treatment will likely require some supportive respiratory, nutritional and/or musculoskeletal care to maximize functional abilities.7 More than 30% of patients with SMA Type 2 will die by age 25.8

About Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec)Zolgensma is designed to address the genetic root cause of SMA by providing a functional copy of the human SMN gene to halt disease progression through sustained SMN protein expression with a single, one-time IV infusion. Zolgensma represents the first approved therapeutic in the companys proprietary platform to treat rare, monogenic diseases using gene therapy. Approximately 400 patients have been treated with Zolgensma, including clinical trials, commercially and through the managed access program in the U.S.

AveXis has an exclusive, worldwide license with Nationwide Children's Hospital to both the intravenous and intrathecal delivery of AAV9 gene therapy for the treatment of all types of SMA; has an exclusive, worldwide license from REGENXBIO for any recombinant AAV vector in its intellectual property portfolio for the in vivo gene therapy treatment of SMA in humans; an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with Genethon for in vivo delivery of AAV9 vector into the central nervous system for the treatment of SMA; and a non-exclusive, worldwide license agreement with AskBio for the use of its self-complementary DNA technology for the treatment of SMA.

DisclaimerThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as potential, can, will, may, expected, pending, anticipate, pipeline, should, or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for Zolgensma, or regarding potential future revenues from Zolgensma. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that Zolgensma, will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that Zolgensma will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding Zolgensma could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political and economic conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic disease such as COVID-19; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AGs current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About AveXisAveXis, a Novartis company, is the worlds leading gene therapy company, redefining the possibilities for patients and families affected by life-threatening genetic diseases through our innovative gene therapy platform. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Bannockburn, IL, the goal of AveXis cutting-edge science is to address the underlying, genetic root cause of diseases. AveXis pioneered foundational research, establishing AAV9 as an ideal vector for gene transfer in diseases affecting the central nervous system, laying the groundwork to build a best-in-class, transformational gene therapy pipeline. AveXis received its first U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in May 2019 for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). AveXis is also developing therapies for other genetic diseases, including Rett syndrome, a genetic form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) SOD1 and Friedreichs ataxia. For additional information, please visitwww.avexis.com.

About NovartisNovartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend peoples lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the worlds top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 800 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 109,000 people of more than 145 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at https://www.novartis.com.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at https://twitter.com/novartisnewsFor Novartis multimedia content, please visit https://www.novartis.com/news/media-libraryFor questions about the site or required registration, please contact media.relations@novartis.com

References

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Novartis Media RelationsE-mail: media.relations@novartis.com

Novartis Investor RelationsCentral investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944E-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com

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BOSTON and LONDON, March 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orchard Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ORTX), a global gene therapy leader, today announced that company founder and gene therapy pioneer Bobby Gaspar, M.D., Ph.D., has been named chief executive officer, effective immediately. Dr. Gaspar, previously president of research, chief scientific officer, and a member of the Orchard board of directors, succeeds Mark Rothera, who has served as the companys chief executive officer since 2017. As part of this transition process, Frank Thomas, Orchards chief operating officer and chief financial officer, will take on the role of president.

As a world-renowned scientist and physician, and accomplished strategic and organizational leader with more than 25 years of experience in medicine and biotechnology, Bobby Gaspar is uniquely qualified to lead Orchard into the future, said Jim Geraghty, chairman of the Orchard board of directors. In addition, Frank Thomas proven track record of success in leading operations, corporate finance and commercialization at a number of publicly traded life sciences companies will continue to be invaluable in his expanded role. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, Id like to personally thank Mark for his many contributions to building Orchard into a leading gene therapy company over the last three years and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

One of the companys principal scientific founders, Dr. Gaspar has served on Orchards board of directors and has driven its research, development and regulatory strategy since its inception. Over the course of his long career he has been a leading force in the development of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy bringing it from some of the first studies in patients to potential regulatory approvals. Dr. Gaspars unparalleled expertise, in addition to his deep relationships with key physicians and treatment centers around the world, will continue to be integral to efforts to identify and treat patients with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) and other diseases through targeted disease education, early diagnosis and comprehensive newborn screening.

Dr. Gaspar commented: I am honored to become Orchards next CEO at a time of such opportunity for the company and for patients with severe genetic disorders. Through the consistent execution of our strategy, our talented team has advanced a leading portfolio of gene therapy candidates, expanding our R&D, manufacturing and commercial capabilities. We will now focus on driving continued innovation and growth, as well as strong commercial preparation and execution. I look forward to providing greater detail around our commercialization plan, pipeline prioritization and how we can realize the full potential of our HSC gene therapy platform, in the coming quarter.

Mr. Thomas commented: Im excited to be part of this next phase of Orchards evolution as a gene therapy leader as we look to refine our strategic priorities, ensure financial strength through improved operating efficiencies and prepare for a new cycle of growth, which includes our anticipated upcoming launch of OTL-200 in Europe. Im confident we will achieve long-term growth and value for our shareholders while turning groundbreaking innovation into potentially transformative therapies for patients suffering from devastating, often-fatal inherited diseases.

Mr. Rothera commented: It has been a great privilege to lead Orchard and this outstanding management team for the past three years. Orchard is poised to make a huge difference to the lives of patients worldwide living with devastating rare genetic conditions. Having worked closely with Bobby for the last several years, I know that he is tremendously talented, extremely passionate about the patient-centric mission, and fully prepared to lead Orchard as it enters its next phase as a company.

About OrchardOrchard Therapeutics is a global gene therapy leader dedicated to transforming the lives of people affected by rare diseases through innovative, potentially curative gene therapies. Our ex vivo autologous gene therapy approach harnesses the power of genetically-modified blood stem cells and seeks to permanently correct the underlying cause of disease in a single administration. The company has one of the deepest gene therapy pipelines in the industry and is advancing seven clinical-stage programs across multiple therapeutic areas where the disease burden on children, families and caregivers is immense and current treatment options are limited or do not exist, including inherited neurometabolic disorders, primary immune deficiencies and blood disorders.

Orchard has its global headquarters in London and U.S. headquarters in Boston. For more information, please visit http://www.orchard-tx.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Availability of Other Information About Orchard

Investors and others should note that Orchard communicates with its investors and the public using the company website (www.orchard-tx.com), the investor relations website (ir.orchard-tx.com), and on social media (twitter.com/orchard_tx and http://www.linkedin.com/company/orchard-therapeutics), including but not limited to investor presentations and investor fact sheets, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. The information that Orchard posts on these channels and websites could be deemed to be material information. As a result, Orchard encourages investors, the media, and others interested in Orchard to review the information that is posted on these channels, including the investor relations website, on a regular basis. This list of channels may be updated from time to time on Orchards investor relations website and may include additional social media channels. The contents of Orchards website or these channels, or any other website that may be accessed from its website or these channels, shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements about Orchards strategy, future plans and prospects, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include express or implied statements relating to, among other things, the companys business strategy and goals, and the therapeutic potential of Orchards product candidates, including the product candidate or candidates referred to in this release. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Orchards control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. In particular, the risks and uncertainties include, without limitation: the impact of the COVID-19 virus on Orchards clinical and commercial programs, the risk that any one or more of Orchards product candidates, including the product candidate or candidates referred to in this release, will not be approved, successfully developed or commercialized, the risk of cessation or delay of any of Orchards ongoing or planned clinical trials, the risk that prior results, such as signals of safety, activity or durability of effect, observed from preclinical studies or clinical trials will not be replicated or will not continue in ongoing or future studies or trials involving Orchards product candidates, the delay of any of Orchards regulatory submissions, the failure to obtain marketing approval from the applicable regulatory authorities for any of Orchards product candidates, the receipt of restricted marketing approvals, and the risk of delays in Orchards ability to commercialize its product candidates, if approved. Given these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Other risks and uncertainties faced by Orchard include those identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in Orchards annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 27, 2020, as well as subsequent filings and reports filed with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect Orchards views as of the date hereof, and Orchard does not assume and specifically disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Contacts

InvestorsRenee T. LeckDirector, Investor Relations+1 862-242-0764Renee.Leck@orchard-tx.com

MediaChristine C. HarrisonVP, Public Affairs & Stakeholder Engagement+1 202-415-0137media@orchard-tx.com

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