What is Acromegaly?
Acromegaly is a serious chronic life threatening disease triggered by excess secretion of growth hormone (GH) by benign pituitary tumours. Oversupply of GH over stimulates liver, fat and kidney cells, through their GH receptors, to produce excess levels of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I) in the blood manifesting in abnormal growth of the face, hands and feet, and enlargement of body organs including liver, kidney and heart.
The primary treatments for acromegaly are to surgically remove the pituitary gland and/or drug therapy to normalize GH and serum IGF-I levels. In North America and Europe there are approximately 85,000 diagnosed acromegaly patients with about half requiring drug therapy.
A second generation Antisense drug
designed to block growth hormone receptor.
ATL1103 is a second generation antisense drug designed to block growth hormone receptor (GHr) expression thereby reducing levels of the hormone insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) in the blood and is a potential treatment for diseases associated with excessive growth hormone action. By inhibiting GHr production, ATL1103 in turn reduces IGF‐I levels in the blood (serum). There are a number of diseases that are associated with excess GH and IGF‐I action. These diseases include acromegaly, an abnormal growth disorder of organs, face, hands and feet; diabetic retinopathy, a common disease of the eye and a major cause of blindness; diabetic nephropathy, a common disease of the kidney and major cause of kidney failure, and certain forms of cancer.
ATL1103 is in clinical development as a treatment for acromegaly. Normalising serum IGF‐I levels is the therapeutic goal in the treatment of acromegaly and reducing the effects of IGF‐I has a potential role in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy and certain forms of cancer. The Company conducted a successful Phase II trial of ATL1103 with the trial having met its primary efficacy endpoint by showing a statistically significant average reduction in sIGF-1 levels. The Company has also completed a high dose study of ATL1103 in adult patients with acromegaly in Australia.
