Trading Biotechs: Aurinia Pharma (AUPH)

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Aurinia Pharma (AUPH)

Aurinia Pharma releases additional 48-week data from the AURA-LV study during late-breaking session with Continued improvements in renal and extra-renal outcomes.

Co announced additional 48-week results from its global Phase IIb AURA-LV (:AURA) study in lupus nephritis (LN) during the National Kidney Foundation 2017 Spring Clinical Meetings in Orlando, FL. In addition to the trial meeting its complete and partial remission endpoints at 48 weeks, all pre-specified secondary endpoints that have been analyzed to date were also met at 48 weeks. These pre-specified endpoints include: time to CR and PR (speed of remission); reduction in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index or SLEDAI score; and reduction in urine protein creatinine ratio (:UPCR) over the 48-week treatment period.
Both doses of voclosporin at 48 weeks demonstrated continued improvement over the control group across multiple dimensions. Notably, the voclosporin groups demonstrated statistically significantly improved speed and rates of CR and PR. Of the patients that achieved CR at 24 weeks, in the low-dose voclosporin group, 100% remained in CR at 48 weeks, which demonstrates durability of clinical response. Proteinuria levels and reduction in SLEDAI scores, which include non-renal measures of lupus activity, also continued to significantly separate over time versus the control group.

3 weeks later:

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, is engaged in the development of a therapeutic drug to treat autoimmune diseases in Canada. The company's lead drug includes Voclosporin, a calcineurin inhibitor for the treatment of lupus nephritis. It has a development and license agreement with 3SBio Inc. for the clinical development, registration, and commercialization of voclosporin in China; and licensing and collaboration agreement with Vifor Pharma for the treatment of lupus and various proteinuric nephrology indications. The company was formerly known as Isotechnika Pharma Inc. and changed its name to Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. in October 2013. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Victoria, Canada.