Editas Medicine Inc. (NASDAQ:EDT) has announced its Q3 2020 results and business highlights.
Editas doses first patients with EDIT-101
Cynthia Collins, Editas Medicine’s CEO, said that the company finalized dosing in its first cohort with EDIT-101 in the breakthrough BRILLIANCE study. Enrolment is still active but has experienced delays because of the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that the company is delighted to regain complete operating control of the ocular programs per the agreement with AbbVie, which offers the company significant flexibility. Collins added that Editas Medicine’s advancements in its ocular portfolio had been enhanced by the strategic development of engineered cell medicines.
She indicated that the company is on track to file an IND for EDIT-301 for sickle cell in Q4 2020. Editas Medicine is eager to present more data on this best-in-class treatment and the company’s extensive manufacturing process at the upcoming ASH annual meeting. The company has also made significant progress in the development of an allogeneic NK cell medicine, EDIT-201 for treating solid tumours. The preclinical data of EDIT-201 the company will present at the ASH meeting showed enhanced tumour-killing ability compared to unedited NK cells. Additional data on the program will feature at the upcoming Annual Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Meeting.
Editas Medicine receives all rights for ocular medicines
In 2017 the company had terminated its agreement on ocular medicines with Allergan which is now part of AbbVie. But during the quarter the company signed a new agreement with AbbVie regaining development and commercialization rights for ocular medicines. As part of the agreement, Abbvie transferred all supplier contracts that included contract research organization and sponsorship of the IND for BRILLIANCE Phase 1/2 clinical trial to EDITAs. Editas will continue advancing ocular medicines that include EDIT-101 for Leber congenital amaurosis 10 (LCA10).
During the quarter the company received Rare Paediatric Disease Designation from the FDA for EDIT-301 for treatment of sickle cell disease. The company will file an IND for EDIT-301 by the end of this year for the indication.
