Electra Therapeutics Presents Positive Clinical Results From Completed Phase 1b Study of ELA026 in Secondary Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (sHLH) in an Oral Session at ASH 2024

Electra Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing antibody therapies against novel targets for immunological diseases and cancer, announced the presentation of positive results from the completed Phase 1b study of ELA026 for the treatment of secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (sHLH). ELA026 is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody that targets SIRP-α/β1/γ on the cell surface of myeloid cells and T lymphocytes, the principal pathological immune cells that induce the cytokine storm and hyperinflammation in sHLH. Targeting SIRP to selectively deplete pathogenic immune cells has potential for broad therapeutic applications in immunology, inflammation and cancer. The results of the ELA026 study in sHLH are being presented today at 2:45 PM PST in an oral session at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.

The Phase 1b study was an open-label, single-arm, multicenter study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ELA026, assess the pharmacodynamic (PD) and pharmacokinetic (PK) profile, and identify a dose regimen for further evaluation in a Phase 2/3 study (NCT05416307). The Phase 1b study demonstrated that for sHLH patients with the poorest prognosis, those with malignancy-associated HLH (mHLH), treatment with ELA026 in frontline settings achieved 100% overall response rate by week 4 and 100% hospital discharge, as well as 92% survival at two months. Various PD and HLH-related biomarkers showed that ELA026 rapidly attenuated inflammation, which correlated with clinical responses.

“ELA026 has shown potential to be a transformative treatment for sHLH, a life-threatening disease with no approved therapies. Compared with available treatment, which may include chemotherapy and single cytokine-directed therapies, ELA026 may offer a safer, more effective approach to address the overwhelming immune reaction in sHLH. The Phase 1b study results showing rapid PD and biomarker effects and improved survival at two months are particularly promising,” said Swaminathan P. Iyer, MD, Professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “There is a growing appreciation that controlling the cytokine storm early in the sHLH disease course is necessary to prevent multiorgan failure and allow for proper treatment of the underlying cancer. It is clear that overcoming this critical early period of hyperinflammation in sHLH provide significant clinical benefits for patients.”