- This marks the company’s second Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for BPM31510 franchise in the last two months
- BPM31510T targets mitochondrial machinery to promote wound healing in EB patients
BOSTON, MASS., October 31, 2024 – BPGbio, Inc., a leading biology-first, AI-powered, clinical stage biopharma focused on mitochondrial biology and protein homeostasis, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for BPM31510T, its investigational treatment for epidermolysis bullosa (EB). This designation coincides with EB Awareness Week, observed annually from October 25-31, highlighting the urgent need for innovative EB treatments.
EB, a rare genetic connective tissue disorder, affects roughly one in 20,000 children in the United States, leaving them with delicate skin prone to blistering, chronic wounds, scarring, and increased cancer risks. Severe cases of EB can result in life-threatening complications, including an aggressive form of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Currently, there is no cure and treatment options are limited.
“The EB community is thrilled by this designation, as EB patients and families remain hopeful for more effective treatments,” said Brett Kopelan, Executive Director, DEBRA of America, the largest EB patient advocacy organization in the U.S. “We deeply appreciate BPGbio’s commitment to advancing research and expanding options for the EB community.”
The FDA’s Rare Pediatric Disease Designation is intended for companies developing treatments for pediatric diseases that currently lack approved therapies. This designation provides BPGbio eligibility for a priority review voucher upon BPM31510T’s approval for EB. It is the second Rare Pediatric Disease Designation that BPGbio has received for BPM31510, with the initial designation awarded last month for primary CoQ10 deficiency. BPM31510T has also received the FDA’s Orphan Drug Designation.
“EB is difficult to manage clinically and on a day-to-day basis due to fragile skin resulting in painful and persistent blistering wounds that can, in some subtypes, progress into squamous cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, which is the leading cause of mortality in the severe form of EB,” said Robert S. Kirsner, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman and Harvey Blank Professor of Dermatology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and Vice President of the Wound Healing Society. “In its Phase I clinical trial, BPM31510T was well-tolerated and demonstrated potential efficacy as an easy-to-use, topical therapy for EB. This designation, and the continued clinical development for BPM31510T, offers new hope to patients suffering from EB and their families.”
BPM31510T, developed to support wound healing in EB patients, targets cellular and mitochondrial processes that promote wound healing. By influencing key pathways involved in wound healing—including inflammation, cell proliferation, and tissue remodeling—BPM31510T has been shown to support wound care in EB across multiple subtypes. Following successful preclinical and Phase I studies, BPGbio is partnering with DEBRA of America to advance BPM31510T into Phase II/III trials, anticipated to begin in 2025.
