BOSTON and LONDON, Feb. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: CNTA), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that aims to discover and develop medicines that are transformational for patients, today announced that the Company will present additional data from the open-label extension (OLE) of AP-0101, a Phase 2a study of SerpinPC, a novel inhibitor of activated protein C (APC) being developed for the treatment of hemophilia, during an oral presentation at the 16^th Annual Congress of the European Association for Haemophilia and Allied Disorders (EAHAD), on February 10, 2023. The Company recently announced positive results from the Phase 2a OLE at the 64^th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting.    

“We are excited to share additional data from the OLE that further demonstrate the potential for SerpinPC to be a convenient subcutaneous treatment with a differentiated safety profile for people living with hemophilia,” said Saurabh Saha MD PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Centessa. “These data highlight the strong foundation on which we are advancing the registrational program for SerpinPC which includes elegantly designed studies focused on bringing this potential therapy to individuals with hemophilia B (with and without inhibitors) as quickly as possible, subject to regulatory approval.”

The abstract accepted for oral presentation is detailed below and included in the online meeting program on the EAHAD website.    

Abstract Title: SerpinPC in persons with severe hemophilia (PwH): Updated results from a multi-center, multi-part, first-in-human study. 
Authors: Trevor Baglin, Annelize Koch, Irina Mocanu, Levani Makhaldiani, Jim Huntington. 
Date / Time of presentation: Friday, February 10, 2023, 1:20 p.m. GMT Time.
Session Number / Name: Session 8. Latest Clinical Trial Results.

A copy of the presentation will be made available on the Company’s website after the formal presentation.

About SerpinPC

SerpinPC, a biologic based on the serpin family of proteins, is designed to allow more thrombin to be generated by inhibiting activated protein C (APC) thus rebalancing coagulation in hemophilia patients. SerpinPC is being developed as a potential treatment for all types of hemophilia regardless of severity or inhibitor status, and may also prevent bleeding associated with other bleeding disorders. Centessa Pharmaceuticals is advancing the registrational program for SerpinPC in hemophilia B, which includes a set of studies with multiple components. PRESent-5, initiated in late 2022, is an observational feeder study to collect prospective observational data for minimum defined periods before switching to dosing subjects in the interventional studies planned for 2023 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05605678). The interventional studies include PRESent-2 (moderately severe to severe hemophilia B without inhibitors, and severe hemophilia A with and without inhibitors) and PRESent-3 (hemophilia B with inhibitors). SerpinPC is an investigational agent that has not been approved by the FDA or any other regulatory authority.

About AP-0101

AP-0101 is an ongoing Phase 1/2a open-label clinical trial to investigate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of intravenous and subcutaneous doses of SerpinPC in healthy male volunteers and male persons with severe hemophilia (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04073498).

About Hemophilia A and Hemophilia B

Hemophilia A and hemophilia B are X-linked genetic disorders affecting one in 5,000 and one in 20,000 live male births, respectively, resulting in spontaneous internal bleeding that can be life-threatening. More than 70% of bleeds occur into joints (hemarthrosis) causing chronic joint damage (arthropathy) with musculoskeletal destruction. The bleeding associated with these disorders is the result of a defect or deficiency in factor VIII (in the case of hemophilia A) or factor IX (in the case of hemophilia B), the two components of the intrinsic tense complex.

Normal blood coagulation (hemostasis) is a crucial part of the physiological response to tissue damage. When blood components come into contact with extravascular cells and proteins, platelets accumulate and ultimately lead to the formation of thrombin, the effector enzyme of blood coagulation. Prothrombinase activity is required for the rapid, localized production of thrombin needed for adequate blood clotting. Prothrombinase is continuously degraded by APC, which is present in the circulation at low concentrations. In the setting of deficient intrinsic tenase activity (hemophilia), the natural anticoagulant activity of the circulating APC results in insufficient prothrombinase activity for normal blood clotting.

About Centessa Pharmaceuticals

Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that aims to discover and develop medicines that are transformational for patients. Our programs span discovery-stage to late-stage development and cover a range of high-value indications. We operate with the conviction that each one of our programs has the potential to change the current treatment paradigm and establish a new standard of care. For more information, visit http://www.centessa.com/, which does not form part of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “objective,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “aim,” “seek,” and variations of these words or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including statements related to the Company’s ability to discover and develop transformational medicines for patients; the timing of commencement of new studies or clinical trials of SerpinPC; research and clinical development plans and the timing thereof; the Company’s ability to differentiate SerpinPC from other treatment options; the development and therapeutic potential of SerpinPC; and regulatory matters, including the timing and likelihood of success of obtaining authorizations to initiate or continue clinical trials. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections only as of the date of this release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the safety and tolerability profile of our product candidates; our ability to protect and maintain our intellectual property position; business (including commercial viability), regulatory, economic and competitive risks, uncertainties, contingencies and assumptions about the Company; risks inherent in developing product candidates and technologies; future results from our ongoing and planned clinical trials; our ability to obtain adequate financing, including through our financing facility with Oberland, to fund our planned clinical trials and other expenses; trends in the industry; the legal and regulatory framework for the industry, including the receipt and maintenance of clearances to conduct or continue clinical testing; future expenditures risks related to our asset-centric corporate model; the risk that any one or more of our product candidates will not be successfully developed and/or commercialized; the risk that the results of preclinical studies or clinical studies will not be predictive of future results in connection with future studies; geo-political risks such as the Russia-Ukraine war and risks related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic including the effects of the Delta, Omicron and any other variants. These and other risks concerning our programs and operations are described in additional detail in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and our other reports, which are on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We explicitly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by law.

Contact:
Kristen K. Sheppard, Esq.
SVP of Investor Relations
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.