8-K
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934
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Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
May 2, 2006 (May 1, 2006) |
REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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New York |
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000-19034 |
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133444607 |
(State or other jurisdiction of
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(Commission File Number)
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(I.R.S. Employer |
incorporation)
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Identification Number) |
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777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York
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10591-6707 |
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(Address of principal executive offices)
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(Zip Code) |
(914) 347-7000
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy
the filing obligation of registrant under any of the following provisions:
o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Item 7.01 |
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Regulation FD Disclosure |
On May 1, 2006, the Company issued a press release announcing positive
preliminary results from its phase 1 trial of the Vascular Endothelial Growth
Factor (VEGF) Trap in patients with the neovascular form of age-related macular
degeneration. A copy of the press release is included as Exhibit 99(a) to this
Current Report on Form 8-K.
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Item 9.01 |
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Financial Statements and Exhibits |
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(c) Exhibits |
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99(a) Press Release of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. dated May 1, 2006. |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
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REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. |
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Dated: May 2, 2006
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By:
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/s/ Stuart Kolinski
Stuart Kolinski
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Vice President and General Counsel |
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Exhibit Index
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Description |
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99(a)
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Press Release of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. dated May 1, 2006. |
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EX-99.A
Exhibit 99(a)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
REGENERON REPORTS POSITIVE PHASE 1 DATA FOR THE VEGF
TRAP IN AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION
Preliminary results show improvements in vision and retinal swelling
VEGF Trap was well tolerated at all dose levels
Company also announces initiation of phase 2 trial
Tarrytown,
New York (May 1, 2006) Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: REGN) announced today
positive preliminary results from its phase 1 trial of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor
(VEGF) Trap in patients with the neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).
In addition to meeting its primary endpoints of safety and tolerability at all dose levels, the
VEGF Trap demonstrated positive preliminary efficacy results. Based on these encouraging data,
the Company announced today the start of a phase 2 trial in wet AMD. The data from the phase 1
trial were presented today at the 2006 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
Annual Meeting and are available on the Companys web site, www.regeneron.com.
We are very encouraged both by the promising safety and tolerability data from this trial and by
the observed improvements in both retinal swelling and visual acuity in patients following a
single dose of this very high-affinity VEGF blocking agent, said George Yancopoulos, M.D.,
Ph.D., Regenerons Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer, and President, Regeneron
Research Laboratories. With the start of the phase 2 trial, we hope to validate these early,
preliminary findings in a more comprehensive study, determine an optimal dosing regimen, and
progress rapidly to registration studies for the VEGF Trap in wet AMD. In addition, we have
initiated a small pilot study in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME).
About the Phase 1 Study
A total of 21 patients with wet AMD received a single intravitreal injection of 0.05, 0.15, 0.5, 1,
2, or 4 milligrams (mg) of VEGF Trap. Patients were followed for 6 weeks at which time they were
permitted, according to the study protocol, to receive other available treatments. The report
presented at the ARVO meeting covers the initial 6-week evaluation phase of the trial, for which
data is now available for all 21 patients. Preliminary results were as follows:
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Single doses of the VEGF Trap were generally well tolerated at all
dose levels tested (0.05 to 4 mg), with no systemic or serious
adverse events reported. Dose escalation to the highest planned
dose was achieved without reaching a maximum tolerated dose (MTD). |
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Of the 20 patients evaluable for efficacy, 95 percent had
stabilization or improvement in visual acuity, defined as £ 15
letter loss on the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study
(ETDRS) eye chart. |
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The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) for all patients in the
study increased by a mean of 4.8 letters at 6 weeks. In the two
highest dose groups (2 mg and 4 mg), the mean improvement in BCVA
was 13.5 letters, with three of six patients gaining 15 or more
letters. |
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There was a large, rapid and sustained decrease in retinal
thickness as measured by ocular coherence tomography (OCT). As
measured by posterior pole OCT scans, the median excess retinal
thickness was 194 microns at baseline and 60 microns at 6 weeks;
as assessed by the Fast Macular Scan protocol, the median excess
retinal thickness was 119 microns at baseline and 27 microns at 6
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Phase 2 Trial
Based on the preliminary phase 1 results, the Company announced today the start of a 150 patient,
12 week, phase 2 trial of the VEGF Trap in wet AMD. The trial is designed to evaluate treatment
with multiple doses of the VEGF Trap using different doses and different dosing regimens, as well
as safety and efficacy.
Additional Data to be Presented at ARVO
Listed below are the titles and presentation times for additional clinical and pre-clinical data
that have been scheduled for presentation at ARVO:
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Pharmacokinetics and Ocular Tissue Penetration of VEGF Trap after Intravitreal Injection in Rabbits (May 1, 8:30 am) |
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Pre-clinical Development of VEGF Trap for the Treatment of Neovascular Disease (May 1, 9:00 am) |
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Safety Evaluation of Intravitreal Administration of VEGF Trap in Cynomolgus Monkeys for 13 Weeks (May 1, 11:15 am) |
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Low Dose, Subconjunctival Administration of VEGF Trap Inhibits Suture-Induced Neovascularization and Inflammation (May
1, 11:15 am) |
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Intravitreal Administration of VEGF Trap Suppresses Vascular Leak in the Retinas of Diabetic Rats (May 1, 11:15 am) |
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Intravitreal Administration of VEGF Trap Inhibits Pathological Retinal Neovascularization in a Mouse Model of
Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy (May 1, 11:15 am) |
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Macular Edema: Lessons from Early Clinical Experiences (May 1, 1:15 pm) |
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Histologic Evaluation of Laser-Induced Choroidal Neovascularization (CNV) in Primates Receiving Intravitreal Injections
of VEGF Trap: Correlation with Florescein Angiography (May 1, 3:00 pm) |
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A Double-Masked, Placebo-Controlled, Safety and Tolerabiltiy Study of Intravenous VEGF Trap in Patients with Diabetic
Macular Edema (DME) (May 3, 8:30 am) |
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Single Dll4 Allele Deletion Alters Retinal Vascular Development in Mice (May 3, 12:00 pm) |
The VEGF Trap in Opthamalogy
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a naturally occurring protein in the body whose
normal role is to trigger formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) to support the growth of
the bodys tissues and organs. It has also been associated with the abnormal growth and fragility
of new blood vessels in the eye, which lead to the development of wet AMD. Other molecules that
have been evaluated for treatment of wet AMD by blocking VEGF, including Macugen®,
which has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, have demonstrated that blocking
VEGF can result in stabilization or improvement of vision in patients with wet AMD. Wet AMD is
the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in Americans aged 65 and over, with approximately
1.5 million people affected with this condition in the United States.
The VEGF Trap is a fully human, soluble VEGF receptor fusion protein that binds all forms of
VEGF-A along with the related placental growth factor (PlGF). The VEGF Trap is designed to block
the interaction of these growth factors with cell-surface receptors and prevent the subsequent
formation of the new blood vessels that play an important role in the development of wet AMD.
About Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Regeneron is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and intends to
commercialize therapeutic medicines for the treatment of serious medical conditions. Regeneron has
therapeutic candidates in clinical trials for the potential treatment of cancer, eye diseases, and
inflammatory diseases and has preclinical programs in other diseases and disorders.
This news release discusses historical information and includes forward-looking statements about
Regeneron and its products, programs, finances, and business, all of which involve a number of
risks and uncertainties, such as risks associated with preclinical and clinical development of our
drug candidates, determinations by regulatory and administrative governmental authorities which may
delay or restrict our ability to continue to develop or commercialize our drug candidates,
competing drugs that are superior to our product candidates, unanticipated expenses, the
availability and cost of capital, the costs of developing, producing, and selling products, the
potential for any collaboration agreement, including our agreement with the sanofi-aventis Group,
to be canceled or to terminate without any product success, risks associated with third party
intellectual property, and other material risks. A more complete description of these and other
material risks can be found in Regenerons filings with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), including its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005. Regeneron does not
undertake any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of
new information, future events, or otherwise unless required by law.
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Contact
Lauren Tortorete
212.845.5609
ltortorete@biosector2.com