Once weekly, taken by mouth: the dosing claim that NextCure and Avere Therapeutics are staking a merger on. Avere's lead asset, AVR-001, is an oral peptide interleukin-23 receptor antagonist. Phase 1b data in psoriasis, per the companies' joint announcement, supports its potential for rapid development in that indication.
The companies describe AVR-001 as differentiated. No response rate or safety summary from the Phase 1b trial appears in the release. "Supports its potential to be rapidly developed as a convenient, once-weekly" therapy is the companies' characterization, not an independent data assessment. What the Phase 1b package actually shows will determine whether the merger rationale holds.
Financial terms are not disclosed. No development timeline or leadership structure for the combined entity appears in the announcement. The stated purpose is to advance AVR-001 from Phase 1b in psoriasis.