Apellis Announces Detailed 18-Month Results from Phase 3 DERBY and OAKS Studies of Pegcetacoplan for Geographic Atrophy (GA) at ARVO Annual Meeting

• Monthly and every-other-month treatment with pegcetacoplan showed a continuous and clinically meaningful reduction in the growth of both extrafoveal and foveal lesions at month 18 (all p-values nominal)  
  • Continued to demonstrate a robust effect in patients with extrafoveal lesions 
  • Showed an improved effect in patients with foveal lesions
• Ten presentations, including three oral presentations, showcase Apellis’s leadership in retina

WALTHAM, Mass., May 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: APLS), a global biopharmaceutical company and leader in complement, today announced detailed, longer-term data from the Phase 3 DERBY and OAKS studies of intravitreal pegcetacoplan, an investigational, targeted C3 therapy, for the treatment of geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Monthly and every-other-month pegcetacoplan showed a continuous and clinically meaningful reduction in the growth of both extrafoveal and foveal lesions at month 18. The analysis was reported during an oral presentation at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting taking place May 1-4 in Denver and builds on the previously announced 18-month data.

“Slowing disease progression and preserving vision longer is critical for all patients with GA, so I am very encouraged that pegcetacoplan continuously reduced lesion growth over time in patients who are representative of the real-world GA population,” said Roger Goldberg, M.D., presenting author and vitreoretinal specialist at Bay Area Retina Associates. “These results support that we are on the brink of the first potential treatment for patients living with this relentless, progressive, and irreversible disease.”

Pegcetacoplan Continues to Reduce GA Lesion Growth in Broad Patient Population at Month 18

In a longer-term analysis of the primary endpoint, pegcetacoplan continued to show a robust reduction in GA lesion growth in patients with extrafoveal lesions and an improved effect in patients with foveal lesions compared to pooled sham at month 18 (all p-values are nominal). GA typically presents first with extrafoveal lesions, which then progress toward the fovea where central vision is impacted.

• Pegcetacoplan reduced extrafoveal GA lesion growth in OAKS by 33% (p