Vera Therapeutics Reports Topline Results Of Mid-stage Study Of Atacicept; Stock Tanks 60%

(RTTNews) - Shares of Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (VERA) tanked over 60% in extended session on Tuesday after the company issued topline results from its Phase 2b trial of atacicept for the treatment of patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy.

Vera said atacicept met primary endpoint at 24 weeks, and also achieved statistical significance in the 150 mg dose group with a 33% mean reduction in proteinuria from baseline, with available data showing trend towards further reductions in proteinuria at week 36.

Atacicept is the company's potential best-in-class, disease-modifying dual inhibitor of the cytokines B lymphocyte stimulator and a proliferation-inducing ligand.

Vera plans to advance atacicept into a pivotal Phase 3 trial in the first half of 2023.

"IgAN is a serious and progressive autoimmune disease of the kidney, can severely impact quality of life as up to half of patients develop end-stage kidney disease, requiring dialysis or kidney transplant within 20 years of diagnosis," said Jonathan Barratt, The Mayer Professor of Renal Medicine, University of Leicester, U.K.

"The positive topline results from the ORIGIN clinical trial demonstrate atacicept's ability to reduce Gd-IgA1, the source of this disease, which in turn leads to clinically meaningful reductions in proteinuria at an early, 24-week time point, and is strongly supportive of a long-term benefit on kidney function. A 30% reduction in proteinuria at nine months has shown clear association with slowing of kidney function decline in patients with IgAN, and atacicept - having shown this in the ORIGIN clinical trial - is a promising potential therapy for chronic treatment of IgAN."

immunoglobulin A nephropathy, also known as Berger's disease, is a kidney disease that occurs when an antibody called immunoglobulin A (IgA) builds up in your kidneys. This results in local inflammation that, over time, can hamper your kidneys' ability to filter waste from your blood.