Janssen buys rights to Hemera’s eye disease gene therapy candidate

Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceuticals division Janssen has purchased rights to acquire an investigational gene therapy asset for geographic atrophy from Hemera Biosciences.

Geographic atrophy is an advance and severe form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which affects five million people globally.

Hemera’s investigational gene therapy, HMR59, is administered as a one-time intravitreal injection to aid vision preservation in patients with geographic atrophy.

HMR59 is designed to increase the ability of retina cells to produce a soluble form of CD59, a protein that protects the retina from damage. Patients with wet AMD often have low levels of this protein, which is an essential component of the body’s natural immune response.

"Geographic atrophy is a devastating form of AMD that impacts the ability to accomplish everyday tasks, such as reading, driving, cooking, or even seeing faces," said James List, global therapeutic area head, cardiovascular & metabolism, Janssen Research & Development.

"Our aim with this novel, single-administration gene therapy is to use our development expertise and deep heritage in vision care to help improve patient outcomes by intervening early, halting the progression to blindness, and preserving more years of sight,” he added.

A phase I study of the gene therapy in patients with geographic atrophy has already been completed, while a second phase I study exploring HMR59 in patients with wet AMD is currently conducting follow-up visits to evaluate the therapy’s long-term safety.