Ocera Therapeutics Licenses Novel Treatment For Acute Hepatic Encephalopathy From UCLB

Main Category: Liver Disease / Hepatitis
Also Included In: Clinical Trials / Drug Trials;  Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 03 Apr 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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University College London Business PLC (UCLB) and Ocera Therapeutics Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, announced the signing of an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement for UCL-L1V and all assets and technologies related to the compound for the treatment of acute hepatic encephalopathy (AHE).

The compound recently demonstrated that it directly reduces blood levels of ammonia, a highly toxic chemical that builds up during attacks of AHE.

Ocera will develop the licensed compound as its second pipeline compound and refer to it as OCR-002. OCR-002 is a novel injectable for the treatment of AHE in patients with advanced liver cirrhosis and acute liver failure.

The licensing agreement is based on research conducted by the collaborative global research project led by Professor Rajiv Jalan and the Liver Failure Group at the Institute of Hepatology, UCL (University College London). The research includes a study which demonstrated an acute and sustained reduction of systemic ammonia levels as well as decreased intracranial pressure in models of AHE in acute liver failure and cirrhosis. The data was published online in Hepatology in February 2009.

Clinical trials in patients with AHE due to cirrhosis and acute liver failure will be carried out at University College Hospital as well as other centres in 2009 under funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC) in the U.K. Ocera is planning to file an IND in late 2009 and U.S. trials will begin in early 2010.

AHE is a reversible neuropsychiatric abnormality frequently seen as a complication of acute liver failure and cirrhosis. With severe liver impairment, toxic substances such as ammonia that are normally removed by the liver accumulate in the blood and impair the function of brain cells.

Signs of AHE include impaired cognition, uncontrolled movements and decreased levels of consciousness leading to coma.

Cirrhosis, which can cause AHE, occurs due to a variety of causes such as hepatitis B and C infection, alcohol, and fatty liver associated with obesity and diabetes. It is estimated that there are up to 1 million cirrhosis patients in the U.S. Acute liver failure is a life threatening condition in otherwise healthy patients and is most commonly caused by an overdose of paracetamol (acetaminophen in the U.S.).

Other causes include reactions to other drugs, herbs, or acute hepatitis. AHE is one of the common complications of cirrhosis and acute liver failure, and up to150,000 patients are hospitalised in the U.S. each year.

"We are pleased to have licensed this breakthrough treatment for patients hospitalised with acute hepatic encephalopathy," said Dr. Laurent Fischer, President and CEO of Ocera Therapeutics. "By directly reducing blood levels of ammonia, OCR-002 has the potential not only to improve symptoms of encephalopathy but may also help to reverse this life-threatening condition and reduce healthcare costs by minimising a patient's time in intensive care."

"There is a significant unmet clinical need to treat hepatic encephalopathy which affects 40-60 percent of patients with established liver disease," stated Professor Rajiv Jalan M.D. "Unlike UCL-L1V, none of the currently available treatments directly lowers circulating levels of ammonia. The partnership with Ocera is a significant step towards bringing this potentially lifesaving discovery to patients."

Mr. Cengiz Tarhan, Managing Director of UCLB said, "This is a significant deal for UCL Business. I am delighted that Ocera is licensing the technology from us. In Ocera, we have found the perfect development and commercialisation partner. They specialise in liver and gastrointestinal drug development and have a demonstrated track record. I am excited to enter this relationship to tap into their extensive experience to bring this technology to market."

Notes:

About the Liver Failure Group

The Liver Failure Group, headed by Professor Rajiv Jalan, is based at the Institute of Hepatology, UCL. The research conducted by this group covers many aspects of acute and chronic liver disease. The focus of the Liver Failure Group is to better understand the mechanisms of liver failure and use this knowledge to develop disease biomarkers and design novel therapeutic strategies. The group includes clinicians and scientists.

About UCL

Founded in 1826, UCL was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, the first to admit students regardless of race, class, religion or gender, and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine. UCL is the seventh-ranked university in the 2008 THES-QS World University Rankings, and the third-ranked UK university in the 2008 league table of the top 500 world universities produced by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. UCL alumni include Marie Stopes, Jonathan Dimbleby, Lord Woolf, Alexander Graham Bell, and members of the band Coldplay. UCL currently has over 12,000 undergraduate and 8,000 postgraduate students. Its annual income is over £600 million.

About UCL Business PLC

UCL Business PLC (UCLB) is responsible for commercialising research across all disciplines generated from within UCL and associated organisations. It is primarily responsible for protecting inventions and transacting commercial activity including options, licences and collaborative commercial research. UCLB also has responsibility for creating and spinning-out companies from UCL. UCLB is wholly-owned by UCL and operates as an independent company with its own Board of Directors.

About Ocera Therapeutics, Inc.

Ocera Therapeutics, based in San Diego, California, USA, is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialisation of proprietary compounds to treat acute and chronic liver diseases and a broad range of gastrointestinal disorders. In addition to OCR-002, Ocera is developing AST-120 in mild hepatic encephalopathy (Phase 2b), pouchitis and irritable bowel syndrome. Ocera has raised $62.5 million dollars in venture financing from Domain Associates, Sofinnova Ventures, Thomas, McNerney & Partners, Montagu Newhall and InterWest Partners.

Source:
Ruth Metcalfe
University College London