HAE Information for Healthcare Professionals

What’s the best way to help your patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE)?

Give them the best care and treatment available.

We are KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; a research-based drug company with offices in the US and UK.

We are dedicated to developing small molecular protease inhibitors that we believe can help patients with diseases such as HAE. We have created a portfolio of oral plasma kallikrein inhibitors and advanced multiple candidates into clinical trials for HAE.

Our goal is to create what we believe can be one or more best-in-class oral HAE therapies to give patients more and better options for how they treat their disease. Our most advanced candidate is KVD900; an oral therapy for potential on-demand treatment of HAE. In July 2018, we announced early data on KVD900 that showed what we believe is a very attractive profile for acute treatment, with KVD900 entering the bloodstream at a rapid rate and achieving blood levels that we consider should be sufficient to shorten the duration and intensity of attacks. KVD900 is now in Phase 2, with enrollment complete.

Understanding HAE

A rare but potentially life-threatening disease, HAE is most frequently caused by a genetic disorder where the protein C1-inhibitor esterase is inadequately synthesized or dysfunctional. 

C1-inhibitor is a critical mediator of inflammation. With inadequate levels or malfunctioning C1-inhibitor, excess plasma kallikrein can become activated, leading the body to produce the vasopeptide bradykinin in excessive amounts, which in turn leads to increased vascular permeability and sudden onset of angioedema. 

Angioedema attacks can occur in the limbs, face, gastrointestinal tract and/or airways. Laryngeal episodes can happen to any patient and are potentially life-threatening.

Ongoing R&D

Currently, all HAE therapies are either injected on an acute basis or infused prophylactically. Neither therapy is ideal, and it can take time for HAE patients to learn what works best for them.

Our Phase 1 study for KVD900 suggested the compound displays a profile well-suited for use as an oral, on-demand therapy for attacks, with a combination of rapid uptake into the plasma and high plasma concentrations. 

In addition to KVD900, KVD824 is our twice-daily oral plasma kallikrein inhibitor for prevention of HAE attacks. We intend to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) submission for a Phase 2 clinical trial of KVD824 in the first quarter of 2021. This trial is intended to evaluate the efficacy and safety of KVD824 as a twice-daily prophylactic treatment for prevention of HAE attacks.

We’re excited by the possibility of developing best-in-class oral therapies for HAE and an alternative for HAE patients facing repeated angioedema attacks. We look forward to your interest as our research continues.

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