On August 15, 2022 aTyr Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: LIFE), a biotherapeutics company engaged in the discovery and development of first-in-class medicines from its proprietary tRNA synthetase platform, reported second quarter 2022 results and provided a corporate update (Press release, aTyr Pharma, AUG 15, 2022, View Source [SID1234618433]).

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"We are pleased with our second quarter progress as we announced our plans to initiate EFZO-FIT, a Phase 3 study of efzofitimod in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis," said Sanjay S. Shukla, M.D., M.S., President and Chief Executive Officer of aTyr. "This global pivotal study is a major milestone for the sarcoidosis community and is projected to be the largest interventional study for patients with sarcoidosis to date. We are on track to enroll the first patient in this study this quarter."

Second Quarter 2022 and Subsequent Period Highlights

In May 2022, announced plans to initiate the global pivotal EFZO-FIT study, a global pivotal Phase 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of efzofitimod in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. This is a 52-week study consisting of three parallel cohorts randomized equally to either 3.0 mg/kg or 5.0 mg/kg of efzofitimod or placebo dosed intravenously once a month for a total of 12 doses. The study intends to enroll 264 subjects with pulmonary sarcoidosis at multiple centers in North America, Europe and Japan. The trial design will incorporate a forced steroid taper. The primary endpoint of the study is steroid reduction. Secondary endpoints include measures of lung function and sarcoidosis symptoms.
Accomplished several operational milestones for the EFZO-FITTM study since its announcement in May 2022, including multiple interactions with regulatory authorities in the United States, European Union and Japan along with the submission of study protocol and clinical trial applications to regulatory authorities, ethics committees and institutional review boards. Site selection, qualification and initiations for several sites have occurred, as well as an investigator meeting for U.S. sites. The company is on track to enroll the first patient in the study in the third quarter of 2022.
Received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Fast Track designation for efzofitimod for the treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis. Fast Track designation helps facilitate development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious or life-threatening diseases with unmet medical need. Fast Track designation provides certain benefits, including more frequent interactions with the FDA throughout the development program, as well as eligibility for accelerated approval, priority review and rolling review.
Presented clinical data from the recently completed Phase 1b/2a study of efzofitimod in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2022 International Conference in San Francisco, California.
Announced fibroblast growth receptor 4 (FGFR4) as the target receptor for a fragment of the Alanyl-tRNA Synthetase (AARS) in a poster presented at the Keystone Symposia on Tissue Fibrosis and Repair: Mechanisms, Human Disease and Therapeutics. FGFR4 is known to play a role in diseases related to inflammation and fibrosis, including conditions where unchecked fibrosis can precede the development of certain cancers. The company intends to interrogate the interaction between this fragment of AARS and FGFR4 and the implications for disease in order to explore this synthetase fragment as a potential pipeline candidate.
Second Quarter 2022 Financial Highlights and Cash Position

Cash & Investment Position: Cash, restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments as of June 30, 2022, were $89.3 million.
R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses were $9.1 million for the second quarter of 2022, which consisted of product development and manufacturing costs for the efzofitimod and ATYR2810 programs, as well as startup costs for the Phase 3 EFZO-FITTM study.
G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses were $3.4 million for the second quarter of 2022.
Shares Outstanding: Common shares outstanding were 28,127,458 as of June 30, 2022.
Conference Call and Webcast Details

aTyr will host a conference call and webcast today at 5:00 p.m. EDT / 2:00 p.m. PDT to discuss its financial results and provide a corporate update. Interested parties may access the call by registering here in order to obtain a dial in, personalized passcode and webcast information. Links to a live audio webcast and replay may be accessed on the aTyr website Events page at: View Source An audio replay will be available for at least 90 days following the event.

About Efzofitimod

aTyr is developing efzofitimod as a potential therapeutic for patients with fibrotic lung disease. Efzofitimod, a fusion protein comprised of the immunomodulatory domain of histidyl-tRNA synthetase fused to the FC region of a human antibody, is a selective modulator of neuropilin-2 that downregulates innate and adaptive immune response in inflammatory disease states. aTyr’s lead indication for efzofitimod is pulmonary sarcoidosis, a major form of interstitial lung disease. Clinical proof-of-concept for efzofitimod was recently established in a Phase 1b/2a multiple-ascending dose, placebo-controlled study of efzofitimod in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, which demonstrated safety and a consistent dose response and trends of benefit of efzofitimod compared to placebo on key efficacy endpoints, including steroid reduction, lung function, clinical symptoms and inflammatory biomarkers. aTyr is currently conducting EFZO-FIT, a Phase 3 study of efzofitimod in pulmonary sarcoidosis patients.