SOM Biotech has secured a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Orphan Medical Products (COMP) for SOM3355, a candidate therapy for Huntington's disease (HD). The molecule already holds orphan drug designation in the US, marking a significant regulatory milestone for the Barcelona-based clinical-stage company.
Novel Multimodal Mechanism Shows Promise
SOM3355 represents a unique therapeutic approach, combining mild beta-blocking activity with VMAT1 and VMAT2 inhibition. This multimodal mechanism of action has demonstrated encouraging results in both proof-of-concept and phase 2b clinical studies in HD patients.
The EMA's orphan designation is granted when a product shows potential to offer significant benefit to patients with unmet medical needs. According to EU legislation, this benefit must be confirmed at the time of marketing authorization, with the concept of significant benefit being unique to EU orphan legislation.
"Such promise, which must be substantiated in the phase 3 clinical study, will resonate not only with patients in Europe but also worldwide," said Silvia Panigone, CEO of SOM Biotech. "This recognition supports SOM Biotech's mission to explore the full potential of SOM3355 and to bring a novel first-line treatment option to the HD patients in the EU and beyond."
Addressing Complex Disease Symptomatology
Huntington's disease presents a complex clinical picture with symptoms ranging from motor and behavioral disturbances to psychiatric complications. The progressive neurodegeneration causes an imbalance of neurotransmitters, resulting in varying symptomatology at different disease stages.
Current therapeutic interventions, including dopamine depleting agents, focus on individual symptoms of HD's complex clinical presentation. This approach leads to polypharmacy, poor adherence, increased risk of adverse events, exacerbation of HD symptoms, drug-drug interactions, and hospitalization. Additionally, side effects induced by dopamine depleting agents might not be distinguished from HD progression.
"The dynamic nature of HD requires that more medications are prescribed based on disease progression," explained Rossella Medori, MD, CMO of SOM Biotech. "The need to improve quality of care by treating HD in its complexity is now well recognized. If the clinical profile of SOM3355 is confirmed, we hope to offer a streamlined medicinal intervention addressing multiple symptoms with good tolerability that is accepted well by individuals suffering from HD."
Global Development Strategy
SOM Biotech is committed to progressing globally with the final stage of development of SOM3355. The company's approach aims to provide a comprehensive treatment solution that could potentially reduce the burden of multiple medications currently required for HD management.
HD is a rare, hereditary, progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by a trinucleotide CAG-repeat expansion ≥36 in the Huntington gene. The disease is clinically characterized by a triad of symptoms including motor abnormalities, neuropsychiatric disturbances, and cognitive decline. Currently, there is no cure for HD.
SOM Biotech operates as a clinical-stage company dedicated to discovering and developing innovative therapies for patients with rare central nervous system disorders, utilizing a proprietary artificial intelligence platform called SOMAIPRO for drug mechanism identification.
