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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 21, 2025

 

 

DISC MEDICINE, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   001-39438   85-1612845
(State or Other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation)
 

(Commission

File Number)

  (IRS Employer
Identification No.)

321 Arsenal Street

Suite 101

   
Watertown, Massachusetts     02472
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)     (Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: 617 674-9274

 

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 


Title of each class

 

Trading
Symbol(s)

 

Name of each exchange

on which registered

Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share   IRON   The Nasdaq Global Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

 

 


Item 7.01

Regulation FD Disclosure.

On January 21, 2025, Disc Medicine, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release outlining positive feedback from the Company’s Type C meeting with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (the “FDA”) to discuss the APOLLO post-marketing confirmatory trial for bitopertin in erythropoietic protoporphyria (“EPP”) and X-linked protoporphyria (“XLP”). A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

The information contained in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.1, is intended to be furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly provided by specific reference in such filing. The Company undertakes no obligation to update, supplement or amend the material attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

 

Item 8.01

Other Events.

On January 21, 2025, the Company announced positive feedback from its Type C meeting with the FDA to discuss the APOLLO post-marketing confirmatory trial for bitopertin in EPP and XLP. The meeting resulted in alignment on the design of the APOLLO post-marketing confirmatory trial. Key features include:

 

   

Co-primary endpoints of average monthly total time in sunlight without pain between 10:00 and 18:00 during the last month of the 6-month treatment period and percent change from baseline in whole blood metal-free protoporphyrin IX (“PPIX”) after 6 months of treatment;

 

   

Other measures of efficacy such as occurrence of phototoxic reactions, cumulative total pain-free time in sunlight, patient global impression of change (“PGIC”) and time to prodome;

 

   

Selection of 60 mg dose of bitopertin and 6-month treatment duration;

 

   

Inclusion of patients aged 12+ with EPP, including XLP; and

 

   

Double-blind, placebo-controlled study with ~150 patients randomized 1:1.

The Company plans to initiate the APOLLO trial by mid-2025 and will include sites in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. The Company anticipates submitting a New Drug Application (“NDA”) for bitopertin in EPP and XLP in the second half of 2025 under the Accelerated Approval Program. Based on the anticipated timing of the NDA submission, the Company expects enrollment for the APOLLO trial to be well underway by the Prescription Drug User Fee Act date for accelerated approval, if granted.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Current Report on Form 8-K contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, express or implied statements regarding the Company’s expectations with respect to its potential APOLLO confirmatory clinical study of bitopertin in EPP and XLP patients, including the proposed study design, the anticipated timeline, and the results thereof; and the possible regulatory path forward for bitopertin in EPP, including whether the FDA will determine that the accelerated approval pathway continues to be appropriate, the treatment of the APOLLO clinical study as a post-marketing confirmatory trial and the timeline for a potential NDA submission and accelerated approval, if granted, and whether the NDA submission will meet the standards of accelerated approval. The use of words such as, but not limited to, “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “future,” “potential,” “continue,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “will,” “should,” “seek,” “anticipate,” or “could” or the negative of these terms and other similar words or expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based on the Company’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of the Company’s business, future plans and strategies, clinical results and other future conditions. New risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties. No representations or warranties (expressed or implied) are made about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements.


The Company may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of material risks and uncertainties including but not limited to: the nature, strategy and focus of the Company; the Company’s plans to research, develop and commercialize its current and future product candidates; the timing of the availability of data from the Company’s clinical trials; the timing and anticipated results of the Company’s preclinical studies and clinical trials and the risk that the results of the Company’s clinical trials may not be predictive of future results in connection with future studies or clinical trials and may not support further development and marketing approval; and the other risks and uncertainties described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2024. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. None of the Company, nor its affiliates, advisors or representatives, undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

 

Item 9.01

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

 

Exhibit
No.

  

Description

99.1    Press release issued by Disc Medicine, Inc. on January 21, 2025, furnished herewith
104    Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

 


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

      DISC MEDICINE, INC.
Date: January 21, 2025     By:  

/s/ John Quisel, J.D., Ph.D.

   

Name:

Title:

  John Quisel, J.D., Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer

Exhibit 99.1

 

LOGO

Disc Medicine Announces Successful Type C Meeting with FDA for Bitopertin in Erythropoietic Protoporphyria (EPP) and Shares Plans for NDA Submission

 

   

Pursuing accelerated approval for bitopertin in EPP with protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) reduction as the surrogate endpoint

 

   

Planning to submit NDA under accelerated approval pathway in H2 2025 based on existing clinical data, including results from BEACON and AURORA Phase 2 trials

 

   

Achieved regulatory alignment on APOLLO post-marketing confirmatory trial design and on track to initiate trial by mid-year 2025

 

   

Aligned on average monthly time in light without pain during the last month of the 6-month treatment period and percent change from baseline in whole-blood metal-free PPIX after 6 months of treatment as coprimary endpoints for confirmatory trial

 

   

Management will host a conference call on Tuesday, January 21 at 8:00 am EST.

WATERTOWN, Mass. January 21, 2025 — Disc Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:IRON), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel treatments for patients suffering from serious hematologic diseases, today announced positive feedback from its Type C meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss the APOLLO post-marketing confirmatory trial for bitopertin in EPP.

“Our recent FDA interaction marks another step toward delivering a potentially life-altering therapy for EPP patients, and we appreciate the collaboration with regulators, our investigators, and the EPP patient community which has brought us to this point,” said John Quisel, J.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Disc. “Last year, we aligned with the FDA on PPIX reduction as a surrogate endpoint for potential accelerated approval of bitopertin, and we are actively pursuing that path with plans to submit an NDA in the second half of 2025. As part of that process, the Type C meeting has provided further clarity on our plans for the APOLLO post-marketing confirmatory trial, which will kick off by the middle of this year and could eventually be the basis for converting an accelerated approval, if granted, to a full approval.”

The meeting resulted in alignment on the design of the APOLLO post-marketing confirmatory trial. Key features include:

 

   

Co-primary endpoints of average monthly total time in sunlight without pain between 10:00 and 18:00 during the last month of the 6-month treatment period and percent change from baseline in whole blood metal-free PPIX after 6 months of treatment;

 

   

Other measures of efficacy such as occurrence of phototoxic reactions, cumulative total pain-free time in sunlight, patient global impression of change (PGIC), and time to prodrome;

 

   

Selection of 60 mg dose of bitopertin and 6-month treatment duration;

 

   

Inclusion of patients aged 12+ with EPP including X-linked protoporphyria (XLP); and

 

   

Double-blind, placebo-controlled study with ~150 patients randomized 1:1.

Disc plans to initiate the APOLLO trial by mid-2025 and will include sites in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia. Based on guidance toward an NDA submission in H2 2025, Disc expects enrollment of the APOLLO trial to be well underway by the time of an accelerated approval, if granted.


LOGO

 

Management will host a call to discuss these updates on Tuesday, January 21 at 8:00 am EST. Please register for the event on the Events and Presentations page of Disc’s website (https://ir.discmedicine.com/).

About Bitopertin

Bitopertin is an investigational, clinical-stage, orally administered inhibitor of glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1) that is designed to modulate heme biosynthesis. GlyT1 is a membrane transporter expressed on developing red blood cells and is required to supply sufficient glycine for heme biosynthesis and support erythropoiesis. Disc is planning to develop bitopertin as a potential treatment for a range of hematologic diseases including erythropoietic porphyrias, where it has potential to be the first disease-modifying therapy. Bitopertin has been studied in multiple clinical trials in patients with EPP, including the Phase 2 open-label BEACON trial, the Phase 2 double-blind, placebo-controlled AURORA trial, and an open-label extension HELIOS trial.

Bitopertin is an investigational agent and is not approved for use as a therapy in any jurisdiction worldwide. Disc obtained global rights to bitopertin under a license agreement from Roche in May 2021.

About Erythropoietic Protoporphyria (EPP)

Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), including X-linked Protoporphyria (XLP), is a rare, debilitating and potentially life-threatening disease caused by mutations that affect heme biosynthesis, resulting in the accumulation of a toxic, photoactive intermediate called protoporphyrin IX (PPIX). This causes severe reactions when patients are exposed to sunlight, characterized by excruciating pain, edema, burning sensations and potential blistering and disfigurement. PPIX also accumulates in the hepatobiliary system and can result in complications including gallstones, cholestasis, and liver damage in 20-30% of patients and in extreme cases liver failure. Current standard of care involves extreme measures to avoid sunlight, including restricting outdoor activities to nighttime, use of protective clothing and opaque shields, and pain management. This has a significant impact on the psychosocial development, quality of life, and daily activities of patients, particularly in young children and families. There is currently no cure for EPP and only one FDA-approved therapy, a surgically implanted synthetic hormone designed to stimulate melanin production called Scenesse® (afamelanotide).

About Disc Medicine

Disc Medicine is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing novel treatments for patients who suffer from serious hematologic diseases. We are building a portfolio of innovative, potentially first-in-class therapeutic candidates that aim to address a wide spectrum of hematologic diseases by targeting fundamental biological pathways of red blood cell biology, specifically heme biosynthesis and iron homeostasis. For more information, please visit www.discmedicine.com.

Disc Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements 

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, express or implied statements regarding Disc’s expectations with respect to its potential APOLLO confirmatory clinical study of bitopertin in EPP and XLP patients, including the proposed study design, the anticipated timeline, and the results thereof; and the possible regulatory path forward for bitopertin in EPP, including whether the FDA will determine that the accelerated approval pathway continues to be appropriate, the treatment of the APOLLO clinical study as a post-marketing confirmatory trial, and the timeline for a potential NDA submission and accelerated approval, if granted, and whether the NDA submission will meet the standards of accelerated approval. The use of words such as, but not limited to, “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “future,”


LOGO

 

“potential,” “continue,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “will,” “should,” “seek,” “anticipate,” or “could” or the negative of these terms and other similar words or expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based on Disc’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of Disc’s business, future plans and strategies, clinical results and other future conditions. New risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties. No representations or warranties (expressed or implied) are made about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements.

Disc may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of material risks and uncertainties including but not limited to: the adequacy of Disc’s capital to support its future operations and its ability to successfully initiate and complete clinical trials; the nature, strategy and focus of Disc; the difficulty in predicting the time and cost of development of Disc’s product candidates; Disc’s plans to research, develop and commercialize its current and future product candidates; the timing of initiation of Disc’s planned preclinical studies and clinical trials; the timing of the availability of data from Disc’s clinical trials; Disc’s ability to identify additional product candidates with significant commercial potential and to expand its pipeline in hematological diseases; the timing and anticipated results of Disc’s preclinical studies and clinical trials and the risk that the results of Disc’s preclinical studies and clinical trials may not be predictive of future results in connection with future studies or clinical trials and may not support further development and marketing approval; and the other risks and uncertainties described in Disc’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the “Risk Factors” section of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2024. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. None of Disc, nor its affiliates, advisors or representatives, undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Media Contact

Peg Rusconi

Deerfield Group

peg.rusconi@deerfieldgroup.com

Investor Relations Contact

Christina Tartaglia

Precision AQ

christina.tartaglia@precisionaq.com

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Entity File Number 001-39438
Entity Tax Identification Number 85-1612845
Entity Address, Address Line One 321 Arsenal Street
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