About Us  

Vision

Synageva BioPharma is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and delivering medicines for patients with rare disease and unmet medical need.  At Synageva, we share a passion and commitment to improving the lives of patients with rare diseases. Our team is drawn from leading biotech companies and has helped bring several life-saving therapies to patients whose diseases were once considered too rare for developing treatments. We believe that every patient deserves treatment options, regardless of the rarity of their disease.

Programs

Synageva's sebelipase alfa (SBC-102) is a recombinant form of the human lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) enzyme under development as an enzyme replacement therapy for LAL Deficiency. LAL Deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder (LSD) caused by a marked decrease in LAL enzyme activity. Late onset LAL Deficiency, sometimes called Cholesteryl Ester Storage Disease (CESD), is an underappreciated cause of cirrhosis and accelerated atherosclerosis in children and adults due to the buildup of fatty material in the liver and blood vessel walls as a result of decreased LAL enzyme activity. Early onset LAL Deficiency, sometimes called Wolman disease, is the most rapidly progressive form of LAL Deficiency and is usually fatal within the first six months of life. Synageva is evaluating sebelipase alfa in global clinical trials for both early and late onset LAL Deficiency. Sebelipase alfa has been granted orphan designations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.  Additionally, sebelipase alfa received fast track designation by the FDA, and Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA for early onset LAL Deficiency.

Synageva's SBC-103 is a recombinant form of the human alpha-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAGLU) enzyme under development as an enzyme replacement therapy for mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB (MPS IIIB, also known as Sanfilippo B syndrome). MPS IIIB is caused by a marked decrease in NAGLU enzyme activity which leads to the buildup of abnormal sugars called heparan sulfate disaccharides (HSD) in the brain and other organs. The accumulation of abnormal HSD, particularly in the central nervous system, leads to severe cognitive decline, behavioral problems, speech loss, increasing loss of mobility, and premature death. Using various dosing approaches, SBC-103 reduced HSD substrate storage in the brains, liver and kidney tissues in an MPS IIIB animal model. SBC-103 has been granted orphan designation by the FDA and the EMA. Synageva plans to enter SBC-103 into human clinical trials for MPS IIIB during the first half of 2014.

In addition to sebelipase alfa and SBC-103, Synageva has several other protein therapeutic programs targeting rare diseases in various stages of preclinical development. These include programs targeting rare, life-threatening conditions beyond the lysosomal storage disorders. We selected these programs based on scientific rationale, unmet medical need, potential to impact disease course and strategic alignment with our corporate focus. These pipeline programs (SBC-104, SBC-105, and SBC-106) have the potential to offer patients and health care providers with effective therapies to treat the rare and devastating diseases targeted by these programs. As with LAL Deficiency and MPS IIIB, these diseases are characterized by significant morbidity and mortality, currently have high unmet medical need and are conditions where safe and effective treatments have the potential to make a meaningful impact on disease progression.

History

Patients and Families: Click here for more information on LAL Deficiency, or contact Synageva here.

Physicians: Click here to contact Synageva if you have a patient with LAL Deficiency or if you are interested in participating in research and clinical trials related to LAL Deficiency.