From UM labs to Abivax: the fabulous destiny of the drug that sought to treat chronic intestinal diseases
The fruit of some twenty years' research, obefazimod could enter the pharmaceutical market within the next two years. Conceived by a researcher at the University of Montpellier and developed by the Abivax company, this anti-inflammatory treatment could bring relief to tens of millions of patients suffering from chronic intestinal diseases. A national and international success story, born of the synergy between Montpellier research and an innovative company.
The method has been maturing in Professor Jamal Tazi's brain since 2002. Nearly 20 years and a dozen patents later, he sees the fruit of his research on the way to resolving a major therapeutic impasse for nearly 40 million patients affected by ulcerative colitis throughout the Western world.
When the adventure began, Jamal Tazi was a professor at the University of Montpellier, and he set out to identify molecules capable of modulating splicing. The idea: to have an effect on this essential cellular process of messenger RNA maturation, whose alterations are at the root of numerous human pathologies (such as muscular dystrophy or progeria, for example). "At the time, there was no molecule that could intervene in this process, and government support was decisive: it was the first time a national program had encouraged cooperation between biologists and chemists," he recalls.
This interdisciplinary approach, carried out in partnership with the Institut Curie, led to the isolation in 2004 of the first molecules capable of correcting splicing. A world first... But their usefulness in treating patients had yet to be demonstrated. So the team quickly set to work on the AIDS virus, which hijacks the splicing machinery to replicate itself. This work gave rise to Splicos (2009-2014), then Abivax (founded in 2014), both funded by Truffle Capital and the result of a public-private cooperative laboratory involving the Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier(IGMM), the Institut Curie and the Université de Montpellier. "We had to synthesize and test over forty new molecules a month", recalls the researcher.
Spectacular results
In 2014, they finally discovered "the grail". Named SPL464, then renamed ABX464, the famous molecule has a proven impact on the AIDS virus. But the market was already saturated. Jamal Tazi therefore decided to redirect his work towards chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. In 2018, the results of the first clinical trials carried out on patients suffering from ulcerative colitis (UC) were spectacular. "One of the first patients treated had to have his colon removed; four years later, he's still in complete remission," adds the researcher, winner of the CNRS innovation medal in 2017 and currently shortlisted for the prestigious Prix Galien.
Supported by the CNRS partnership and development department, a founding member of the Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation, the project is "a fine example of a successful public-private partnership", sums up IBMM director Etienne Schwob. "Until 2021, 50% of the staff of our cooperative laboratory were financed by the CNRS, and 50% by Abivax, i.e. 15 to 20 people depending on the period. Within our walls, the IGMM made its premises available, as well as its instruments and scientific knowledge. It was this combination that made the treatment such a success", explains the director.
Published last July, the results of phase 3 clinical trials confirm the molecule's efficacy. Administered at a dose of 50 mg once a day, obefazimod achieved clinical remission in 16.4% of patients by the eighth week. The same evening, the announcement sent the markets into a frenzy, and Abivax raised over 750 million dollars in the United States in just a few hours, or almost 600 million euros. A historic feat in the world of French biotech.
Now in the "maintenance" phase, the famous drug could be on the market by 2027. It could then find new applications, particularly for patients suffering from Crohn's disease.