Vertex Announces FDA Clearance of Investigational New Drug Application for VX-407 for the Treatment of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD)

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Investigational New Drug Application (IND) for VX-407, an investigational first-in-class small molecule corrector that targets the underlying cause of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) in patients with a subset of PKD1 genetic variants. ADPKD is the most common inherited kidney disease, with an estimated 250,000 people in the U.S. and Europe living with ADPKD; however, there are no treatments currently available that address the underlying causal biology of the disease.

ADPKD is a life-shortening genetic kidney disease characterized by the growth of numerous kidney-enlarging cysts that impair kidney function and can ultimately lead to kidney failure, requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation, and premature death.

The majority of ADPKD cases are caused by variants in the PKD1 gene, which encodes the polycystin 1 (PC1) protein. These inherited variants lead to a loss of PC1 function that results in cyst growth. VX-407 is a first-in-class small molecule corrector that is designed to target the underlying cause of ADPKD in a subset of patients with PKD1 variants, estimated at ~25,000 (or ~10%) of the overall ~250,000 ADPKD patient population, by restoring function to the variant PC1 protein. Vertex plans to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of VX-407 in healthy volunteers this month.

“The advancement of VX-407, a first-in-class molecule for the treatment of ADPKD, into the clinic represents another important opportunity to transform the treatment of a serious disease,” said Carmen Bozic, M.D., Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development and Medical Affairs, and Chief Medical Officer at Vertex. “Just as our approach in cystic fibrosis allowed us to reach more patients over time, our goal here is to serially innovate to reach the 250,000 people suffering from ADPKD.”

About Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD)

ADPKD is the most common inherited kidney disease and one of the most common severe Mendelian genetic diseases, affecting approximately 250,000 diagnosed people in the U.S. and Europe. As an autosomal dominant disease, one affected parent can pass on the disease to their children.

In most cases, ADPKD is caused by variants in the PKD1 and PKD2 genes, which express proteins known as polycystins. The majority of ADPKD patients (~80%) have a variant in the PKD1 gene, resulting in a loss of function of polycystin 1 (PC1). This leads to the proliferation of kidney epithelial cells, increased fluid secretion and the formation and expansion of numerous fluid-filled cysts. The progressive cyst formation causes an increase in kidney size and decline in kidney function. Around half of patients with ADPKD experience kidney failure by the age of 60. Kidney cysts can also lead to severe abdominal pain, cyst infection, blood in the urine and kidney stones, all of which significantly impair quality of life.