Just because a statement turns out to be false doesn’t mean it was intended to be, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit said in tossing a stockholder class action against Frequency Therapeutics Inc., now part of Korro Bio Inc.
A phase IIb clinical study has Frequency Therapeutics Inc. reeling and making big changes, including layoffs. The placebo-controlled phase IIb study of FX-322 in treating acquired sensorineural hearing loss by regenerating hair cells in the cochlea missed its primary efficacy endpoint, so the company is discontinuing the program. It’s also shutting down a phase Ib study of FX-345, a program for treating the same indication.
A phase IIa study of Frequency Therapeutics Inc.’s lead candidate in treating hearing loss showed it fared no better than placebo, but the company said its faith in the candidate is bolstered by the belief the study was hampered by trial design issues and by data from another study.
Astellas Pharma Inc. and Frequency Therapeutics Inc. have agreed to develop and commercialize Frequency's regenerative therapeutic candidate, FX-322, to treat sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL).