– FDA aligned on plan to initiate parallel Phase 2 trials of rademikibart in patients with moderate-to-severe asthma or COPD experiencing an acute exacerbation –
– Expect to initiate both trials in Q2 2025 –
SAN DIEGO, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Connect Biopharma Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: CNTB) (Connect or Connect Biopharma), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming acute and chronic care of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), today announced positive feedback from its Type C meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Division of Pulmonology, Allergy, and Critical Care, in the Office of Immunology and Inflammation.
“We are pleased to have the FDA’s alignment on our two parallel Phase 2 trials evaluating rademikibart in patients experiencing an acute exacerbation of asthma or COPD, an area where no biologic therapies have been approved or systematically studied,” said Barry Quart, Pharm.D., CEO and Director of Connect Biopharma. “During our Type C meeting, the FDA acknowledged the unmet need for reducing recurrent exacerbations during the vulnerable 28-day period following an acute exacerbation of asthma or COPD. In our previously completed Phase 2 study for the maintenance treatment of asthma, a 600 mg subcutaneous (SC) loading dose of rademikibart was well-tolerated and delivered robust improvement in pulmonary function in less than 24 hours. This promising data suggests that rademikibart could provide meaningful and rapid benefit to the millions of patients who experience exacerbations of asthma or COPD and are seen in emergency departments or are hospitalized each year.”
Based on the advice from the FDA at the meeting, Connect plans to begin enrolling patients in these trials during the second quarter of this year.
The two parallel Phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials are expected to each enroll approximately 160 patients and include patients with uncontrolled, moderate-to-severe asthma or COPD with eosinophils ≥300 cells/µL who are experiencing an acute exacerbation. The trials are designed to evaluate the benefits of a single 600 mg SC dose of rademikibart in patients over 28 days following an acute exacerbation. Based on the results of a recently published trial of a similar design, approximately 45% of patients receiving the current standard of care experienced treatment failure in the 28 days following an acute exacerbation, demonstrating the continued unmet need for better treatments for these patients1. Connect expects to report data from both rademikibart Phase 2 trials in the first half of 2026 with a cash runway into 2027.
“Asthma and COPD patients face a heightened risk of further exacerbations within the first 28 days following an initial episode. While biologics have demonstrated significant success in maintenance therapy, none have been approved to address airway symptoms immediately after an acute exacerbation,” said Mario Castro, MD, MPH, Professor and Chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. “The pulmonology community is encouraged by the plan to evaluate the potential benefits of a single 600 mg SC dose of rademikibart following an acute exacerbation in these Phase 2 trials in patients with asthma and COPD.”
About Connect Biopharma and Rademikibart
Connect Biopharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to transforming care for asthma and COPD. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the company is advancing rademikibart, a next-generation, potentially best-in-class anti-interleukin-4-receptor alpha (IL-4Rα) antibody. With an initial focus on acute exacerbations—an area with significant unmet need—rademikibart has the potential to also drive chronic utilization in asthma and COPD amongst the approximately 1 million asthma patients and 1.3 million COPD patients in the U.S. who experience acute exacerbations annually. In a Phase 2 trial for asthma, rademikibart demonstrated strong efficacy and safety data, with clinically meaningful reductions in exacerbations and rapid, statistically significant improvements in FEV1, observed within one week—and in most cases, within 24 hours via home spirometry.
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Ramakrishnan S, et.al. Treating eosinophilic exacerbations of asthma and COPD with benralizumab (ABRA): a double-blind, double-dummy, active placebo-controlled randomised trial. Lancet 2025; 13(1): 59-68.
