Management to provide overview of MAU868, its lead asset in the treatment of BK Virus infections in kidney transplant patients
BK Virus is a leading cause of transplant loss and transplant-associated morbidity
KOL webinar to be held Tuesday, March 29, 2022
BRISBANE, Calif., March 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (“Vera”), a late-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing transformative treatments for patients with serious immunological diseases, today announced that it will host a key opinion leader (KOL) webinar discussing BK Virus (BKV) featuring world-renowned transplant nephrologist and pioneering kidney transplant researcher, Stanley C. Jordan, M.D., FASN, FAST. As part of the webinar, management will provide an overview of Vera’s lead asset in the treatment of BKV, MAU868, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody to treat BKV infections.
The event will be held on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 11:00 AM ET. A live question and answer session will follow. To register for the event, please click here.
BK Virus is a polyoma virus that can be reactivated in settings of immunosuppression, such as in kidney transplant. It is a leading cause of kidney transplant loss and transplant-associated morbidity; there are currently no approved treatments for BKV in the U.S.
MAU868 has the potential to neutralize infection by blocking BKV virions from binding to host cells. MAU868 is currently undergoing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy for the treatment of BKV in kidney transplant patients. MAU868 has been shown in an interim analysis of week 12 data from Cohorts 1 and 2 of a Phase 2 study to be well tolerated and showed a greater proportion of subjects with decrease in BK plasma viral load versus placebo. Phase 2 interim analysis results will be shared in mid-2022. Vera holds an exclusive worldwide license for the development and commercialization of MAU868 in all indications from Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer Inc.
Dr. Jordan is medical director of the kidney transplant program, transplant immunology laboratory, and director of nephrology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and professor of pediatrics and medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles. He developed a process that uses intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) to reduce the risk of rejection in difficult cases in which other medications have failed. After undergoing years of experiments and clinical trials, IVIG became a fully accepted, Medicare-approved therapy in 2004 when it was found effective in a multi-center study partly funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Jordan also created a technique to detect post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) in its earliest stages when intervention is most effective. PTLD is a form of cancer that can have catastrophic effects on children who receive donated organs.
Dr. Jordan has received numerous awards for his groundbreaking work and research in nephrology and the field of transplantation: International Society of Nephrology Jean Hamburger Award, the Society’s highest honor; National Kidney Foundation “Gift of Life Award”; Transplantation Society Medawar Prize, the world’s highest dedicated award for the most outstanding contributions in the field of transplantation; Transplantation Society Award for Outstanding Achievement in Transplantation; American Society of Transplantation Senior Achievement Award in Clinical Transplantation; Western Society of Clinical Investigation Mayo Soley Award; American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Paul Terasaki Clinical Sciences Award; Cedars-Sinai inaugural Prize for Research in Scientific Medicine (PRISM); Cedars-Sinai Pioneer in Medicine Award; and University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Distinguished Alumni Award. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has 14 patent applications (two awarded and seven licensed).
About Vera
Vera Therapeutics is a late-stage biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for serious immunological diseases. Vera’s mission is to advance treatments that target the source of immunologic diseases in order to change the standard of care for patients. Vera’s lead product candidate is atacicept, a fusion protein self-administered as a subcutaneous injection once weekly that blocks both B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and a proliferation inducing ligand (APRIL), which stimulate B cells and plasma cells to produce autoantibodies contributing to certain autoimmune diseases, including IgA nephropathy (IgAN), also known as Berger’s disease and lupus nephritis. In addition, Vera is evaluating additional diseases where the reduction of autoantibodies by atacicept may prove medically useful. Vera is also developing MAU868, a monoclonal antibody designed to neutralize infection with BK Virus, a polyomavirus that can have devastating consequences in certain settings such as kidney transplant. For more information, please visit www.veratx.com.
Forward-looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release regarding matters, events or results that may occur in the future are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, the continued tolerability of Vera’s product candidates, research and clinical development plans and timing, the scope, progress, and results of developing Vera’s product candidates, strategy, and regulatory matters, including the timing and likelihood of success of obtaining drug approvals. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Words such as “will,” “potential,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Vera’s current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks related to the regulatory approval process, results of earlier clinical trials may not be obtained in later clinical trials, risks and uncertainties associated with Vera’s business in general, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the other risks described in Vera’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in its latest Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 10, 2021, particularly under the caption “Risk Factors.” All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made and are based on management’s assumptions and estimates as of such date. Vera undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.
For more information, please contact:
Investor Contact:
Joyce Allaire
LifeSci Advisors
212-915-2569
jallaire@lifesciadvisors.com
Media Contact:
Kathy Vincent
Greig Communications, Inc.
kathy@greigcommunications.com
