Fractyl Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: GUTS) (the “Company”), a metabolic
therapeutics company focused on pioneering new approaches that
treat the root cause of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), today
announced that it will accelerate its REMAIN-1 clinical study,
which is evaluating Revita’s efficacy in maintaining weight loss
following the discontinuation of GLP-1 therapy. The Company also
announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
approved an amendment to the protocol for the REVITALIZE-1 study of
its Revita device, which expands eligibility to patients with T2D
who are inadequately controlled on any glucose lowering agent,
including GLP-1 agonists and/or insulin, thus expanding the
potential U.S. treatment population by nearly six-fold. Fractyl now
anticipates reporting open label data from the REVEAL-1 cohort of
REMAIN-1 starting in Q4 2024, a mid-point data analysis from
REMAIN-1 in Q2 2025, and topline data from REVITALIZE-1 in
mid-2025.
Obesity is a highly prevalent, complex disease that is
associated with multiple cardiometabolic complications, including
T2D. GLP-1 agonists have become game-changers in the treatment of
diabetes and obesity: over 40% of patients with diabetes in the
U.S. have tried GLP-1s and over 12 million U.S. adults have used
them just to lose weight,1, 2 yet they are not providing patients
with sustained solutions to these chronic problems. Discontinuation
rates are high due to gastrointestinal side effects, cost, access
challenges, and other unexplained reasons. Clinical trials have
highlighted the risk of substantial weight regain — as much as 66%
— within one year of discontinuing GLP-1 therapies.3, 4
Revita is an outpatient endoscopic procedure that involves
resurfacing the mucosal lining of the duodenum, the first part of
the small intestine just after the stomach, which is responsible
for breaking down food into absorbable nutrients. Revita targets
the duodenal lining, which can become thickened by high-fat and
high-sugar diets, making it hard for the body to maintain a healthy
metabolism and blood glucose levels. By resurfacing and reversing
the pathology of the duodenal lining, if approved, Revita has the
potential to become the first disease-modifying therapy that
targets a root cause of obesity and T2D.
“We are pleased to announce the acceleration of our REMAIN-1
study to address the significant unmet need we’re seeing around
weight maintenance following the use of GLP-1 treatment,” said
Harith Rajagopalan, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Executive
Officer of Fractyl. “If successful and approved, Revita may offer a
reliable ‘off-ramp’ to the millions of people currently taking
GLP-1 therapies, potentially providing durable weight maintenance
without having to continue taking these medications.”
Dr. Rajagopalan added, “In parallel, we are excited about the
expansion of the protocol for REVITALIZE-1, because we believe
Revita holds unique potential for tackling disease progression and
prevention in the huge public health crisis that is T2D. For
patients currently managing T2D with medications and/or insulin,
Revita aims to enhance glucose regulation and halt or slow down the
disease's advancement, representing a paradigm shift in the way in
which we treat these patients.”
In prior clinical studies of Revita conducted in people with T2D
in the U.S. and EU, pooled analyses of weight data provided
evidence to support the potential for durable weight maintenance
after a single Revita procedure. Revita is approved in Germany for
the treatment of T2D and has both an FDA Breakthrough Device
designation in insulin-treated T2D and reimbursement support from
the CMS, meaning that CMS will cover routine costs and certain
trial-related expenses for participants.
REMAIN-1 UpdateREMAIN-1 is a randomized,
double-blind trial of Revita versus sham in patients who have lost
at least 15% total body weight on tirzepatide therapy, which is
expected to begin in Q3 2024. Given the accelerated timeline, the
Company now anticipates a mid-point data analysis from this cohort
in Q2 2025. In parallel to the randomized portion of the REMAIN-1
study, Fractyl will also have an open label cohort, REVEAL-1, that
will follow a similar patient population and management protocol
with open label data updates. The Company anticipates providing
initial open label data in Q4 2024.
REVITALIZE-1 Update REVITALIZE-1 (NCT04419779)
is a randomized, double-blind crossover, sham-controlled,
multi-center study of Revita. Previously, the protocol included T2D
patients taking insulin and up to three non-insulin drugs,
including GLP-1 therapies. The updated protocol will now include
patients with inadequately controlled T2D on at least one glucose
lowering agent (GLA). Fractyl will immediately begin recruiting
these additional patients into REVITALIZE-1 and now expects to
report topline data in mid-2025.
REJUVA Update The Company presented new
head-to-head preclinical data comparing Rejuva®, its
adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based GLP-1 pancreatic gene therapy
program, to semaglutide as part of a President Select Abstract at
ADA’s 84th Scientific Sessions in Orlando, FL. These data
demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the
percentage and durability of weight reductions as well as a greater
relative proportion of fat mass to lean mass loss in mice treated
with Rejuva vs. semaglutide.
About Fractyl Health Fractyl Health is a
metabolic therapeutics company focused on pioneering new approaches
to the treatment of metabolic diseases, including obesity and T2D.
Despite advances in treatment over the last 50 years, obesity and
T2D continue to be rapidly growing drivers of morbidity and
mortality in the 21st century. Fractyl Health’s goal is to
transform metabolic disease treatment from chronic symptomatic
management to durable disease-modifying therapies that target the
organ-level root causes of disease. Fractyl Health is based in
Burlington, MA. For more information,
visit www.fractyl.com or https://twitter.com/FractylHealth.
About RevitaFractyl Health’s lead product
candidate, Revita, is based on the company’s insights surrounding
the potential role of the gut in obesity and T2D. Revita is
designed to remodel the duodenal lining via hydrothermal ablation
(i.e., duodenal mucosal resurfacing) to edit abnormal intestinal
nutrient sensing and signaling mechanisms that are a potential root
cause of metabolic disease. Revita has received a CE mark in Europe
and, in January 2022, received reimbursement authorization through
NUB in Germany for the treatment of T2D. In the United States,
Revita is for investigational use only under US law. A pivotal
study of Revita in patients with T2D who are inadequately
controlled on any glucose lowering agent, REVITALIZE-1, is
currently enrolling in the United States and Europe. A pivotal
study of Revita in patients with obesity after discontinuation of
GLP-1 based drugs, called REMAIN-1, is anticipated to initiate in
Q3 2024.
About Rejuva Fractyl Health’s Rejuva® platform
focuses on developing next-generation adeno-associated virus
(AAV)-based, locally delivered gene therapies for the treatment of
obesity and T2D. The Rejuva platform is in
preclinical development and has not yet been evaluated by
regulatory agencies for investigational or commercial use. Rejuva
leverages advanced delivery systems and proprietary screening
methods to identify and develop metabolically active gene therapy
candidates targeting the pancreas. The program aims to transform
the management of metabolic diseases by offering novel,
disease-modifying therapies that address the underlying root causes
of disease.
Forward-Looking Statements This press release
contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements
contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of
historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements,
including, without limitation, statements regarding the promise and
potential impact of our preclinical or clinical trial data, the
design, initiation, timing and results of clinical enrollment and
any clinical studies or readouts, the content, information used
for, timing or results of any IND-enabling studies or IND
applications, the potential launch or commercialization of any of
our product candidates or products, the potential treatment
population for any of our product candidates or products, and our
strategic and product development objectives and goals, including
with respect to enabling long-term control over obesity and type 2
diabetes without the burden of chronic therapies. These statements
are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the
Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be
materially different from any future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking
statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the
Company’s limited operating history; the incurrence of significant
net losses and the fact that the Company expects to continue to
incur significant net losses for the foreseeable future; the
Company’s need for substantial additional financing; the Company’s
ability to continue as a going concern; the restrictive and
financial covenants in the Company’s credit agreement; the lengthy
and unpredictable regulatory approval process for the Company’s
product candidates; uncertainty regarding its clinical studies; the
fact that the Company’s product candidates may cause serious
adverse events or undesirable side effects or have other properties
that may cause it to suspend or discontinue clinical studies, delay
or prevent regulatory development, prevent their regulatory
approval, limit the commercial profile, or result in significant
negative consequences; additional time may be required to develop
and obtain regulatory approval or certification for the Company’s
Rejuva gene therapy candidates; the Company’s reliance on third
parties to conduct certain aspects of the Company’s preclinical
studies and clinical studies; the Company’s reliance on third
parties for the manufacture of the materials for its Rejuva gene
therapy platform for preclinical studies and its ongoing clinical
studies; the regulatory approval process of the FDA, comparable
foreign regulatory authorities and lengthy, time-consuming and
inherently unpredictable, and even if we complete the necessary
clinical studies, we cannot predict when, or if, we will obtain
regulatory approval or certification for any of our product
candidates, and any such regulatory approval or certification may
be for a more narrow indication than we seek; and the potential
launch or commercialization of any of Company’s product candidates
or products and our strategic and product development objectives
and goals, and the other factors discussed under the caption “Risk
Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on May 13, 2024 and
in our other filings with the SEC. These forward-looking statements
are based on management’s current estimates and expectations. While
the Company may elect to update such forward-looking statements at
some point in the future, the Company disclaims any obligation to
do so, even if subsequent events cause its views to change.
Contacts Corporate Contact Lisa Davidson, Chief
Financial Officer ir@fractyl.com, 781.902.8800
Media Contact Jessica Cotrone, Corporate
Communications jcotrone@fractyl.com, 978.760.5622
Investor Contact
Stephen Jasper, Gilmartin Group stephen@gilmartinir.com,
619.949.3681
1
https://www.kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-may-2024-the-publics-use-and-views-of-glp-1-drugs/
2 US Census Bureau data as of July 1, 20233 Wilding JPH, et al.
Diabetes Obes Metab. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects
after withdrawal of semaglutide: The STEP 1 trial extension
(2022).4 Aronne LJ, et al. JAMA. Continued Treatment With
Tirzepatide for Maintenance of Weight Reduction in Adults With
Obesity: The SURMOUNT-4 Randomized Clinical Trial (2023).
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