On May 13, 2025 Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: KZR), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel small molecule therapeutics to treat unmet needs in immune-mediated diseases, reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, and provided a business update (Press release, Kezar Life Sciences, MAY 13, 2025, View Source [SID1234652974]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"We shared exciting results this quarter from the PORTOLA trial, the first successful randomized study in treatment-refractory AIH," said Chris Kirk, CEO and co-founder of Kezar. "There has been almost no change over the last three decades in the treatment of this serious chronic disease, and patients and physicians are in need of new and effective therapies. We are encouraged by the promising safety and efficacy data in this difficult-to-treat patient population, in particular the durable and steroid-sparing remissions observed in patients treated with zetomipzomib. We continue to respond to the FDA Division of Hepatology and Nutrition on the partial clinical hold and are working toward achieving alignment on an appropriate trial design to demonstrate the clinical benefit of zetomipzomib in AIH."
Zetomipzomib: Selective Immunoproteasome Inhibitor
PORTOLA – Phase 2a clinical trial of zetomipzomib in patients with AIH (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05569759)
•In March, Kezar reported topline results from the PORTOLA Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating zetomipzomib in patients with autoimmune hepatitis. In relapsed AIH patients who entered screening on steroid-based therapy, 36% (5 of 14) of zetomipzomib-treated patients achieved a complete biochemical response (CR) and clinically significant steroid taper to 5 mg/day or less, compared to 0 of 7 of placebo patients. In the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, 31% (5 of 16) of zetomipzomib patients achieved a CR and steroid taper (5 mg/day or less), compared to 1 of 8 placebo patients. The median duration of response in zetomipzomib patients achieving a CR was 27.6 weeks (including the ongoing open-label extension at the time of the data cutoff), and no disease flares were reported in any zetomipzomib-treated patient achieving CR during study. A favorable safety profile was observed during the 6-month blinded treatment period.

•Kezar is responding to the information request from the FDA Division of Hepatology and Nutrition to resolve the partial clinical hold on the PORTOLA Phase 2a clinical trial.

PALIZADE – Phase 2b clinical trial of zetomipzomib in patients with active lupus nephritis (LN) (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05781750)
•In February, Kezar presented an update from the PALIZADE Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating zetomipzomib in patients with active LN. At the time of study termination, no patients had completed the full 52 weeks of treatment. Of the 12 patients receiving 60 mg of zetomipzomib who reached week 25, 42% achieved a urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR) of 0.5 or less, and the median UPCR was reduced by 79% from baseline. Marked improvements in serologic markers were observed in patients who received a 60 mg dose of zetomipzomib.
•In October 2024, Kezar made the strategic decision following a clinical hold by the FDA to terminate PALIZADE and focus the clinical development of zetomipzomib in AIH.
Financial Results
•Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $114.4 million as of March 31, 2025, compared to $132.2 million as of December 31, 2024. The decrease was primarily attributable to cash used in operations.
•Research and development (R&D) expenses for the first quarter of 2025 decreased by $5.0 million to $12.2 million, compared to $17.2 million in the first quarter of 2024. This decrease was primarily due to the decreased clinical activities resulting from the Company’s strategic decision to terminate the PALIZADE trial in October 2024, a decrease in manufacturing expense related to the timing of drug manufacturing runs and a decrease in facility related expenses.
•General and administrative (G&A) expenses for the first quarter of 2025 decreased by $1.1 million to $5.4 million compared to $6.5 million in the first quarter of 2024. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in legal and professional service expenses and non-cash stock-based compensation.
•Net loss for the first quarter of 2025 was $16.6 million, or $2.27 per basic and diluted common share, compared to a net loss of $21.7 million, or $2.98 per basic and diluted common share, for the first quarter of 2024.
•Total shares of common stock outstanding were 7.3 million shares as of March 31, 2025.
About PORTOLA
PORTOLA is a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of zetomipzomib in patients with AIH that are insufficiently responding to standard of care or have relapsed from a previous CR. The trial enrolled 24 patients, randomized (2:1) to receive 60 mg of zetomipzomib or placebo in addition to background therapy for 24 weeks, with a protocol-suggested steroid taper. All patients were required to receive a starting daily steroid dose of 20-40 mg/day of prednisone (or budesonide equivalent) and physicians were encouraged to taper daily steroid usage to 5 mg/day consistent with AIH treatment guidelines established by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The primary efficacy endpoint of PORTOLA, which was not powered for efficacy, evaluated the proportion of patients who achieved a CR by Week 24, measured as normalization of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) values (if elevated at baseline), with steroid dose levels not higher than baseline. A key secondary endpoint was the proportion of patients who achieved a CR by Week 24 with a steroid dose of 5 mg/day or less.