The company plans to develop Lilly’s first-in-class clinical stage anti-angiopoietin-like 3/8 monoclonal antibody for treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and potentially other conditions
OXFORD, England & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kyttaro announces that it has entered into an agreement for the worldwide exclusive license of an anti-angiopoietin-like (ANGPTL) 3/8 monoclonal antibody program developed by Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) for potential treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and linked dyslipidemias: hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia.
ANGPTL3 and ANGPTL8 are genetically validated targets for ASCVD and form the ANGPTL3/8 complex which is a potent endogenous inhibitor of lipoprotein lipase (LPL). LPL hydrolyzes circulating triglycerides in the bloodstream, which is the primary mechanism by which triglyceride-rich lipoproteins are cleared from the circulation. As such, the ANGPTL3/8 complex’s inhibition of LPL causes increased levels of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins in the bloodstream and has negative implications for the development of ASCVD. The anti-ANGPTL3/8 antibodies acquired by Kyttaro in this license agreement have demonstrated a high affinity for the target and a powerful potential to treat patients at high-risk for ASCVD based on their ability to increase LPL activity and lower triglycerides. Individuals with loss-of-function mutations in ANGPTL3 and ANGPTL8 proteins have been shown to be healthy and exhibit extremely low levels of triglycerides and LDL and a significantly reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease.
Despite aggressive glycemic and LDL control, there remains significant unmet need to high-risk ASCVD patients. Epidemiological studies have shown that elevated triglycerides are an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events and that severe hypertriglyceridemia is associated with acute pancreatitis, a rare and potentially fatal condition.
Approximately 65 million people or 25% of the United States adult population have (HTG) hypertriglyceridemia (TGs > 150 mg/dl) and over three million are suffering from (SHTG) severe hypertriglyceridemia (TGs > 500 mg/dl). Research shows that SHTG poses a specific risk for ASCVD amongst patients suffering from type 2 diabetes. The incidence of HTG and SHTG is similar in the European Union and the United Kingdom and approximately three times as large in China, a country with roughly 200 million people presenting with elevated triglycerides. Important variants in genes active in triglyceride metabolism are responsible for a significant portion of these patients and are associated with elevated ASCVD risk.
Douglas Eby, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kyttaro, commented: Heart disease stubbornly ranks as the world’s leading cause of death and the Kyttaro team is resolute in its goal to change the paradigm in ASCVD. The anti-ANGPTL3/8 antibody program positions our company brilliantly in an extremely large unmet medical zone, with the clear opportunity to make a significant impact in the lives of millions of patients suffering from disease. I would like to thank Lilly for the opportunity and welcome their company as an important shareholder in Kyttaro and as a valued partner.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
ABOUT KYTTARO
Kyttaro, an affiliate of Cambridge Science (CSC), is a United Kingdom headquartered clinical stage biosciences company, with offices in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, that is developing innovative therapeutics to treat hypertriglyceridemia, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and inflammatory and neurogastroenterology conditions.
For more information on Kyttaro, please visit us at www.kyttaro.com.
Contacts
For more information please contact:
Matthias Thurner, DPhil – SVP of Scientific Strategy mthurner@kyttaro.com
Arkadiy Chapko, MBA – Chief Financial Officer achapko@kyttaro.com
