Alterity Granted U.S. FDA Fast Track Designation for ATH434
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
Alterity Therapeutics Granted U.S. FDA Fast Track Designation for ATH434 to
Treat Multiple System Atrophy
– Fast Track Designation highlights potential of ATH434 to address high unmet need for
individuals with MSA –
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA AND SAN FRANCISCO, USA – 5 May 2025: Alterity Therapeutics (ASX:
ATH, NASDAQ: ATHE) (“Alterity” or “the Company”), a biotechnology company dedicated to
developing disease modifying treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced that
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for ATH434 for
the treatment of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). This designation is intended to accelerate the
development and review of novel investigational products such as ATH434 and recognizes its
potential as an innovative approach to address the high unmet need for treating MSA, a disease
with no approved therapy.
“Receiving the FDA’s Fast Track Designation for ATH434, alongside the Orphan Drug Designation
we have already received, underscores the promise of this novel agent to address the urgent
need for a disease modifying therapy for individuals with MSA,” said, David Stamler, M.D., Chief
Executive Officer of Alterity. “This designation reinforces the potential of ATH434 as
demonstrated by recent scientific findings related to its mechanism of action and the robust and
clinically meaningful efficacy from our double-blind Phase 2 clinical trial. Importantly, the Fast
Track designation provides us the opportunity to interact with the FDA more frequently on the
advancement of ATH434, potentially accelerating its development path and approval. We look
forward to leveraging the Fast Track designation to bring this promising treatment to patients as
quickly as possible."
About FDA Fast Track Designation
The Fast Track Designation is intended to facilitate and expedite the development and review of
new drugs for serious conditions with unmet medical needs, such as MSA. Fast Track designation
for a drug candidate confers some or all of the following benefits:
• Eligibility for Accelerated Approval and Priority Review, if relevant criteria are met
• Opportunities for more frequent and early communication with the FDA throughout the
development process
• Rolling review for the future New Drug Application (NDA) that allows the FDA to begin
reviewing sections of an application as they are completed, rather than waiting for the full
application.
Fast Track eligibility requires demonstration of the potential for clinically meaningful benefits,
which can include the mechanism of action, preclinical studies, or data from patient studies.
Alterity’s previous interactions with the FDA indicated that the modified Unified Multiple System
Atrophy Rating Scale (UMSARS) Part I scale is considered a clinically meaningful endpoint for
MSA. Alterity’s Fast Track application included top-line data from the ATH434-201 randomized,
double-blind Phase 2 clinical trial which demonstrated efficacy on the modified UMSARS I in
addition to preclinical data confirming that ATH434 is a low to moderate affinity iron chaperone.
About ATH434
Alterity’s lead candidate, ATH434, is an oral agent designed to inhibit the aggregation of
pathological proteins implicated in neurodegeneration. ATH434 has been shown preclinically to
reduce α-synuclein pathology and preserve neuronal function by restoring normal iron balance
in the brain in preclinical models. As an iron chaperone, it has excellent potential to treat
Parkinson’s disease as well as various Parkinsonian disorders such as Multiple System Atrophy
(MSA). Phase 1 studies have demonstrated the agent is well tolerated and achieved brain levels
comparable to efficacious levels in animal models of MSA. Positive results from the randomized,
double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with MSA demonstrated robust
clinical efficacy, target engagement on key biomarkers, and a favorable safety profile. A second
Phase 2 open-label biomarker trial in patients with more advanced MSA is ongoing. ATH434 has
been granted Fast Track Designation by the U.S. FDA, and Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S.
FDA and the European Commission for the treatment of MSA.
About ATH434-201 Phase 2 Clinical Trial
The ATH434-201 Phase 2 clinical trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
investigation of 12 months treatment with ATH434 in patients with MSA. The study evaluated
the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of ATH434 as well as the effect of ATH434 on
neuroimaging and protein biomarkers. Wearable sensors were employed to evaluate motor
activities outside of the clinic. The study enrolled 77 adults who were randomly assigned to
receive ATH434 50 mg or 75 mg twice daily or matching placebo. The data showed that,
compared to placebo, ATH434 produced clinically and statistically significant improvement on
the modified Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale (UMSARS) Part I, a functional rating
scale that assesses disability on activities of daily living affected in MSA. Additional efficacy
assessments demonstrated improvement consistent with the positive UMSARS Part I findings
including trends in improved motor performance on the Parkinson’s Plus rating scale, the Clinical
Global Impression of Severity Scale, and the Orthostatic Hypotension Symptom Assessment (a
patient reported outcome). Wearable sensor data indicated that ATH434 also led to increased
activity in an outpatient setting. Biomarkers were used to evaluate potential drug effect and
target engagement relative to placebo. Both dose levels stabilized or reduced iron accumulation
in MSA affected brain regions with trends in preservation of brain volume. ATH434 was well
tolerated with similar adverse event rates compared to placebo and no serious adverse events
attributed to ATH434. Additional information on the Phase 2 trial can be found by
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05109091.
About Multiple System Atrophy
Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) is a rare, neurodegenerative disease characterized by failure of
the autonomic nervous system and impaired movement. The symptoms reflect the progressive
loss of function and death of different types of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It is a
rapidly progressive disease and causes profound disability. MSA is a Parkinsonian disorder
characterized by a variable combination of slowed movement and/or rigidity, autonomic
instability that affects involuntary functions such as blood pressure maintenance and bladder
control, and impaired balance and/or coordination that predisposes to falls. A pathological
hallmark of MSA is the accumulation of the protein α-synuclein within glia, the support cells of
the central nervous system, and neuron loss in multiple brain regions. MSA affects at least 15,000
individuals in the U.S., and while some of the symptoms of MSA can be treated with medications,
currently there are no drugs that are able to slow disease progression and there is no cure.1
1Multiple System Atrophy | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (nih.gov)
About Alterity Therapeutics Limited
Alterity Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotechnology company dedicated to creating an alternate
future for people living with neurodegenerative diseases. The Company is initially focused on
developing disease modifying therapies in Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. Alterity
recently reported positive data for its lead asset, ATH434, in a Phase 2 clinical trial in participants
with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a rare and rapidly progressive Parkinsonian disorder.
ATH434 is also being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial in advanced MSA. In addition, Alterity
has a broad drug discovery platform generating patentable chemical compounds to treat the
underlying pathology of neurological diseases. The Company is based in Melbourne, Australia,
and San Francisco, California, USA. For further information please visit the Company’s website at
www.alteritytherapeutics.com.
Authorisation & Additional information
This announcement was authorized by David Stamler, CEO of Alterity Therapeutics Limited.
Investor and Media Contacts:
Australia
Millie Macdonald
Head of Investor Relations and Business Development
mmacdonald@alteritytherapeutics.com
+61 3 9349 4906
Ana Luiza Harrop
we-aualteritytherapeutics@we-worldwide.com
+61 452 510 255
U.S.
Remy Bernarda
remy.bernarda@iradvisory.com
+1 (415) 203-6386
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Company
has tried to identify such forward-looking statements by use of such words as "expects,"
"intends," "hopes," "anticipates," "believes," "could," "may," "evidences" and "estimates," and
other similar expressions, but these words are not the exclusive means of identifying such
statements.
Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by
such forward-looking statements are described in the sections titled “Risk Factors” in the
Company’s filings with the SEC, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F as well as
reports on Form 6-K, including, but not limited to the following: statements relating to the
Company's drug development program, including, but not limited to the initiation, progress and
outcomes of clinical trials of the Company's drug development program, including, but not
limited to, ATH434, and any other statements that are not historical facts. Such statements
involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties
relating to the difficulties or delays in financing, development, testing, regulatory approval,
production and marketing of the Company’s drug components, including, but not limited to,
ATH434, the ability of the Company to procure additional future sources of financing,
unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate therapeutic efficacy of the Company's drug
compounds, including, but not limited to, ATH434, that could slow or prevent products coming
to market, the uncertainty of obtaining patent protection for the Company's intellectual
property or trade secrets, the uncertainty of successfully enforcing the Company’s patent rights
and the uncertainty of the Company freedom to operate.
Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information
currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no
obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may
be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or
otherwise.
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