Lumos Pharma Acquires Candidate for Oral Treatment of Growth Hormone Deficiency
Lumos Pharma, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on development and commercialization of therapeutics for rare and neglected diseases, today announced that it has acquired the license for LUM-201, an investigational orally administered small molecule that promotes secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland, from Ammonett Pharma LLC. Lumos plans to initiate a Phase IIb trial in 2019 in patients with Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency (PGHD) to compare multiple doses of LUM-201 to daily injections of recombinant human growth hormone, which is the current standard of care. Rick Hawkins, CEO of Lumos Pharma, commented, “The Lumos investors and the entire Lumos team are extremely excited for the opportunity to rapidly advance this oral candidate for PGHD patients. Many patients will potentially appreciate an alternative to injections.” Michael Thorner, MB, BS, DSc, a leading endocrinologist based at the University of Virginia and adviser to Lumos who has long been involved with the program while an executive at Ammonett Pharma, commented, “Lumos is the perfect company to advance this treatment to approval. It has excellent rare disease drug development expertise and resources. I look forward to working with the team on the product’s development and commercialization.”
About Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency (PGHD)
PGHD is the consequence of low secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland. PGHD results in and manifests as abnormal linear growth. Children are usually diagnosed by approximately 7 years of age due to short stature and stunted growth velocity. About 1 in 4,000 children in the US are diagnosed with PGHD. Current treatment options are limited to daily injections of recombinant human growth hormone. Treatment should begin as soon as PGHD is diagnosed and continue for several years until the child reaches full height potential. Unfortunately, daily injections are sometimes not well-accepted by children and poor compliance with treatment results in reduced growth.
About Lumos Pharma
Lumos Pharma, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on development and commercialization of therapeutics for rare and neglected diseases. Lumos Pharma was founded and is led by a management team with longstanding experience in rare disease drug development and is funded by leading healthcare investors, including Deerfield, NEA, Clarus, Sante, Roche Ventures and the Welcome Trust. The Company’s lead product candidate is LUM-201, which is in late stage clinical development and is a candidate oral treatment for Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency. If approved, LUM-201 will provide a valuable alternative to the injections that current PGHD patients endure for many years of treatment. LUM-201 has received Orphan Drug Designation in both the US and EU. Lumos Pharma’s additional product opportunity is LUM-001 for Creatine Transport Deficiency (CTD), a rare disease classified as an inborn error of metabolism that causes developmental delay and intellectual disability for which there is no approved treatment. LUM-001 has shown promising therapeutic potential for the treatment of CTD in preclinical studies.
Contact: Chris Bemben – (512) 402-2074 – cbemben@lumos-pharma.com