As it advances a monoclonal antibody targeting Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), Annexon Biosciences is embarking on another effort to improve treatment of the rare condition.
Alongside a clinical data presentation at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting, which wrapped up Wednesday, Annexon also debuted a new awareness campaign aimed at educating healthcare professionals about GBS.
The syndrome causes the immune system to attack the peripheral nerves, leading to weakness, tingling, numbness and, in some cases, paralysis and even death. Certain treatments can help ease GBS symptoms and offer a full recovery for many patients, but there are no FDA-approved therapies specifically for the condition.
The “Move GBS Forward” campaign centers around quantitative data and qualitative patient testimonials to highlight the rapid onset and progression of the condition and its potentially long-lasting, life-changing effects.
Campaign imagery features a patient frozen in a block of ice on a hospital bed, alongside text noting that GBS “can trap your patients for a lifetime.”
“As a rare disease, GBS is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed contributing to the trauma that patients suffer as they experience the severe weakness and acute paralysis caused by nerve damage,” Lisa Butler, CEO of the GBS/CIDP Foundation International, said in an Annexon release Tuesday.
The campaign, Butler added, “will help get GBS on the map for many more healthcare providers, so that the GBS community can take a step forward towards a future where patients may have a quicker recovery and better outcomes.”
The Move GBS Forward website is separated into three main sections, featuring information about, respectively, the symptoms and progression of GBS, the importance of rapid diagnosis and the theory that disrupting the immune system’s complement pathway might be able to stop progression of the condition. Interspersed throughout are quotes from GBS patients describing their experiences with paralysis.
The site also includes a form where doctors can sign up to receive updates about Annexon’s work in GBS and information about other educational opportunities.
Elsewhere at the AAN meeting, Annexon presented additional data from the phase 3 pivotal trial of its tanruprubart, which the biotech is hoping to make the first approved targeted therapy for GBS.
Last summer, Annexon announced that the therapy then known as ANX005 had met the study’s primary endpoint by achieving a 2.4-fold improvement in GBS disability after eight weeks. The one-time infusion also hit several secondary endpoints, including improvements in muscle strength at Day 8, a reduction of the number of days on artificial ventilation through Week 26 and a 31-day reduction over placebo in median time to walk independently.
At the conference this month, Annexon added to that list, sharing that after one week on tanruprubart, patients improved their scores on a 12-point measure of upper and lower limb limitations by at least two points and were 14 times more likely to be able to perform the Timed Up and Go test of mobility, balance and lower limb capacity. The company also touted the “durable” benefit of tanruprubart, as twice the number of treated patients had no limitations on the 12-point scale at Week 26 compared to placebo.
Annexon didn’t provide any updates about its plans to submit tanruprubart to the FDA for review, but said in last summer’s data drop that it planned to do so in the first half of 2025.