Tag Archive for: noventia

Noventia’s Reply to Lafora Patient Community

Noventia replied to the open letter from the Lafora patient community that they were in the final stages of formalizing an agreement with Fondazione Telethon for the clinical development of ION283. Here are their answers to some of our questions:

“• Clinical Trial Phase: We are preparing to submit an application for a Phase 1 clinical study to the regulatory authorities by the end of this year. This study will primarily focus on safety, but will also include preliminary efficacy endpoints, and is expected to enroll 20 patients.

• Trial Sites: The coordinating center identified for the study is the IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences in Bologna, Italy, a center of excellence in this field. Should there be any delays in certification, we have contingency plans to involve one or more additional European centers to avoid unnecessary delays.

Regarding your question on site accreditation, in Italy, Phase 1 clinical centers must be certified under the specific AIFA regulation 809/2015. Our selected center in Bologna is in the process of obtaining this certification, which we anticipate will be finalized by the time of the study submission. For any potential international sites, while this Italian regulation does not apply, we will ensure they meet comparable high-quality standards. The thorough evaluation and selection of all clinical sites will be conducted as soon as the final protocol is ready.

• Transparency and Communication: We are committed to keeping the patient community updated. Once the clinical protocol is finalized, we will organize a dedicated meeting with patient representatives and associations to share all relevant details and answer your questions. Up to now, the Italian patient associations AILA and Tempo Zero have been regularly consulted and kept aligned through periodic meetings and updates. We will continue this approach, ensuring that all families remain informed as we move forward.”

Open Letter to Noventia

Dear Noventia Pharma Team,

We are families affected by Lafora disease who are holding on to hope through your work. Your dedication to developing a treatment for Lafora means everything to us. We were excited when you shared the news of the ION283 license purchase and your intentions to create a clinical trial last year, but we are anxiously awaiting more details. We know that any future progress with ION283 will come from your company, so we kindly request a public update on what is next for the drug’s development after the safety study at UTSW.

As you know, the current ION283 safety study includes only 10 children. While we are grateful this study is happening, many more families were heartbroken to learn our children could not participate. These families are now left waiting, watching their children’s condition progress, and praying for the next opportunity. We are counting on Noventia to help make that opportunity possible.

For many of us, your work is the only hope we have left. Our children do not have time to wait. Lafora disease is aggressive and unforgiving—we are pleading for a chance to save our children’s lives. We desperately urge Noventia to share your plans and move forward quickly with a clinical trial or expanded access program so more children can receive this potentially life-saving treatment. You have our full support in this mission, and we are willing to assist however we can.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could share any updates with us or join our community for a Q&A. Some of our questions include:

  • How soon would expanded access be available for those not included in the trial?
  • What will be the initial phase of the clinical trial conducted by Noventia?
  • Which international sites will be involved?
  • Are those sites accredited to conduct a clinical trial?

We look forward to your prompt response and a clear outline of Noventia’s intentions regarding ION283. We are grateful for everything you do for the rare disease community and remain hopeful that Noventia will act swiftly to help more families in this fight against Lafora disease.

With hope,

The Lafora patient community

Patient organizations:

 
Asociacion CEL LUZ logo
Chelsea's Hope Lafora Children Research Fund

Lafora warriors and their families:

Hanifa Ishaque

Maggie Blatz

Anthony Caycho

Durmisevic Amar

Camila Bicca Oliveira

Caroline Bicca Oliveira

Prakash

Dr. Sagheer Hanif

Zarana Rathod

Tammie

Gonzalo Bruquetas

أم حسین الطباطبائي

Samy Sharif

Gladi Gidanian

Bilal Bhat

Bies Mahabier

Jamie Hennon

Marianne Rodriquez

Marina Weiss & Gajic Family

Georgianna

Spiros Georgakis

Paola Pacca

Romina Varesi

Silvana Parlato

Sami Memon

Marija Mrvosevic

Colleen Baumgartner-Hirsh

Simona Fochetti

Joan Monda

Babeth Letort

Jenifer Merriam

Recai yıldız

Marija Novakovic

Veronique Gadomski

Pierre Gadomski

Nuray yıldız

Fatos Malaj

Maha Hashim Alansari

Carmine Lettieri

Moniqueca Barfield

Jette Daubjerg

Elpida Georgaki

Nadira Belalouache

Fasal Alansari

Nora Belalouache

Hodosy Karol & Hodosy Viola Sheila Barter

Cheryl Bentley

Nicoletta Berti

Jette Daubjerg

Vanessa Lucas

Christophe Lucas

Kim Rice MD

Jim Rice MD

Tanja Weber

Antonello Giorgino

Daryoosh Moghaddam

Muhammad Malik

Mara Gerloni

Pasquale Esposito

Andi Müller

Anantha & Gopalakrishnan T

Korina Georgaki

 

Ionis Statement for the Lafora Community

IONIS logoIonis shared a statement with Chelsea’s Hope for the Lafora community. They have agreed to license the ION283 program to Noventia Pharma, and Noventia will assume responsibility for developing it. 

The licensing of the ION283 program will not impact the Safety Study. That will continue as planned, and we will update our community as soon as enrollment is open on clinicaltrials.gov.

As a reminder, please sign up for our mailing list and indicate you want to receive “research updates” to receive this news as soon as possible.