Nabi Biopharmaceuticals Altastaph for the Prevention and Treatment of Staph. Aureus Infections

On Nov 17, 2004 Nabi Biopharmaceuticals released results from its Phase 2 clinical trial of Altastaph in premature or very low birth weight infants (infants weighing between 500 and 1500 grams). The company indicated that while the primary end-points of the study were met, an unexpectedly low rate of S. aureus infections in both the placebo and treatment arms of the study made any inference into Altastaph’s effectiveness difficult. The company stated that Altastaph was safe, achieved a good pharmacokinetic profile, and produced antibody levels above the targeted level of 80-100 mcg/ml, which is believed to be protective against infections in neonates. Nabi indicated that it plans to vigorously pursue development of a ‘next generation’ product with a broader spectrum of antimicrobial activity. BioHorizon has assigned an efficacy score of 45 to Altastaph.

Nabi describes Altastaph as a polyclonal antibody for the prevention and treatment of S. aureus infections in patients at immediate risk for infection or patients with immune systems unable to respond adequately to vaccine. Altastaph is produced by vaccinating healthy volunteers with the company’s StaphVAX vaccine, and then harvesting the anti-staphylococcus antibodies to capsular polysaccharides (protective outer sugar coatings on S. aureus bacteria) from S. aureus types 5 and 8. Nabi reports that these two types account for upwards of 85 % of all S. aureus infections.

The use of specific antibodies for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases is by no means a novel concept. Specific antibodies are used in the prevention of Hepatitis B, Rabies, RSV and in the treatment of Tetanus and Diptheria. A search of the BioHorizon.com Emerging Health Technology Surveillance System database yields two other antibody-based therapies targeted against S. aureus: Aurexis (Phase 2) and Veronate (Phase 3). We have assigned 45 innovation points to Altastaph.

S. aureus infections are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in low birth-weight neonates. Estimates of the incidence of VLBW in the United States are in the 14-15/100, 000 population range corresponding to a burden of illness score of 11. Demand/diffusion scoring is difficult at this stage of development; we have assigned the default score of 10.

Altastaph receives a final BioHorizon Emerging Health Technology Impact Score of 28 placing it in our Low Impact Technology category. No assessment activities are recommended for health services clients at this time.

Technology Details
Target Disease / Indication: Staph. Aureus infections
Technology Classification: Drug
Body System: Multiple Systems
Program Area: Medicine/Infectious Disease
Regulatory Status: Phase 2
BioHorizon Impact Score: 28/100 – Low