Clinical Trial of CTP-543Clinical Trial of CTP-543
Concert Pharmaceuticals Releases Additional Data from Phase 2 Clinical Trial of CTP-543 in Alopecia Areata
Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today released new data analyses from its Phase 2 dose-ranging clinical trial of its investigational agent CTP‑543 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe alopecia areata.
The results were selected as an oral presentation at the Late-Breaking Research Program at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting; however, the in-person meeting, originally scheduled for March 21, 2020, in Denver, was converted to a virtual meeting. The corresponding abstract was published by AAD in connection with the virtual meeting.
The data analyses released by Concert build on the previously-reported Phase 2 primary efficacy analysis which showed that administration of 8 mg twice daily and 12 mg twice-daily doses of CTP-543 for 24 weeks produced a statistically significantly greater number of responders compared to placebo.
A responder was defined as a ≥ 50% relative reduction in the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score at Week 24 compared to baseline. In the new analyses, statistically significant results were reported for the 8 mg and 12 mg twice-daily doses at more stringent response thresholds, which may be more clinically meaningful to patients, and positive findings were reported for clinician and patient-reported outcome measures of scalp hair loss.
“We believe that these data from our Phase 2 dose-ranging study set a new benchmark for clinical efficacy in treating alopecia areata and provide important information to inform our planned Phase 3 trials with CTP-543.
Since both the 8 mg and 12 mg twice-daily doses resulted in statistically significant improvement in SALT scores compared to placebo and exhibited a generally well-tolerated safety profile, we plan to assess both doses in our Phase 3 program,” said James V. Cassella, Ph.D., Chief Development Officer of Concert Pharmaceuticals. “Importantly, we would like to thank the alopecia areata patients for their participation in this study, as well as the clinical investigators and research staff for their significant efforts to support the development of CTP-543.”
Key new findings further highlight the positive efficacy results in the Phase 2 study, including:
- Meaningful hair regrowth: At Week 24, 26% and 42% of patients who received CTP-543 in the 8 and 12 mg twice-daily cohorts, respectively, achieved an absolute SALT score ≤ 20 (p <0.05 vs. placebo), indicating a clinically-meaningful 80 per cent or greater scalp hair present. In addition, 36% of patients in the 12 mg twice-daily cohort achieved an absolute SALT score ≤ 10 (p <0.05 vs. placebo) at Week 24.
- Clinical Global Impression of Improvement: Data from the Clinician Global Impression of Improvement scale showed 75% of clinicians rated the response in the 12 mg twice-daily cohort and 61% of clinicians rated the response in the 8 mg twice-daily cohort as “much improved” or “very much improved” at Week 24. For both doses, there was a statistically significant difference from placebo (p <0.001).
- Similarly, previously-reported data from the Phase 2 trial for the Patient Global Impression of Improvement scale showed 78% of patients receiving 12 mg twice daily and 58% of patients receiving 8 mg twice-daily rated their alopecia areata as “much improved” or “very much improved” at Week 24. For both doses, there was a statistically significant difference from placebo (p <0.001).
In Phase 2 dose-ranging trial, the most common (≥10%) side effects in the 8 mg or 12 mg CTP-543 dose groups were headache, nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, acne, nausea and low-density lipoprotein increase. One serious adverse event of facial cellulitis was reported in the 12 mg dose group as possibly related to treatment. After a brief dosing interruption, treatment was continued, and this patient completed the trial. No thromboembolic events were reported during the trial.
Slides summarizing the new analyses are available in the Scientific Presentations section of Concert’s website.
About the Phase 2 Trial Design of CTP-543 in Alopecia Areata
The Phase 2 trial was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, sequential dose trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CTP-543 in adult patients with moderate-to-severe alopecia areata. A total of 149 patients were randomized to receive one of three doses of CTP-543 (4 mg, 8 mg or 12 mg) or placebo, administered twice-daily. The primary outcome measure utilized the SALT score after 24 weeks of dosing. The average baseline SALT score across all patients was approximately 88%, where 0% is no scalp hair loss and 100% represents total scalp hair loss. All patients who completed 24 weeks of treatment in the 12 mg dosing cohort had the opportunity to continue in a separate extension study to evaluate long-term safety and efficacy of CTP-543.
Previously-reported data from the Phase 2 trial demonstrated a relative reduction in overall SALT scores from baseline at Week 24, the primary efficacy endpoint of the study. In the 12 mg twice-daily cohort, 58% of patients achieving a ≥ 50% relative reduction in their overall SALT score from baseline compared to 9% for placebo (p <0.001). In the 8 mg twice-daily cohort, 47% of patients achieved the primary endpoint compared to placebo (p <0.001).
About CTP-543 and Alopecia Areata
CTP-543 is an oral selective inhibitor of Janus kinases JAK1 and JAK2. The FDA has granted Fast Track designation for CTP-543 for the treatment of alopecia areata. The Company intends to advance CTP-543 into Phase 3 evaluation in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks hair follicles, resulting in partial or complete loss of hair on the scalp and body. Alopecia areata may affect approximately 700,000 Americans at any given time1. The scalp is the most commonly affected area, but any hair-bearing site can be affected alone or together with the scalp. The onset of the disease can occur throughout life and affects both women and men. Alopecia areata can be associated with serious psychological consequences, including anxiety and depression. There are currently no drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of alopecia areata.
The FDA selected alopecia areata as one of eight new disease areas that it focused on under its Patient-Focused Drug Development Initiative (PFDDI) in 2016-2017.
The goal of the PFDDI is to bring patient perspectives into an earlier stage of product development. Following the FDA’s Patient-Focused Drug Development meeting held in September 2017 on alopecia areata, the FDA summarized the input shared by patients and patient representatives in a Voice of the Patient report. Additional information on the PFDDI is available online.
Concert Pharmaceuticals Releases Additional Data from Phase 2 Clinical Trial of CTP-543 in Alopecia Areata
1 Benigno M. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology. 2020.
Previous Posts
