January 27, 2023

Sol-Gel To Tackle Gorlin Syndrome In Pact With BridgeBio’s PellePharm

Sol-Gel Technologies, Ltd. (NASDAQ: SLGL), a dermatology company with FDA approvals for EPSOLAY® and TWYNEO®, two innovative dermatology products that were launched in the U.S. by partner Galderma during 2022, announced today the acquisition of topically-applied patidegib, a hedgehog signaling pathway blocker, for the treatment of Gorlin syndrome from PellePharm, Inc. Gorlin syndrome is a rare disease with no currently approved therapies by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or European Medical Association (EMA). Sol-Gel broadens its pipeline with this new chemical entity, designated as investigational compound SGT-610, which has the potential to be the first-ever drug for treatment of Gorlin syndrome. Sol-Gel expects the transaction to close on or about January 30, 2023, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Patidegib has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA and the EMA as well as Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA. Both FDA and EMA have stated that approval may be supported by a single pivotal Phase 3 study.

Alon Seri-Levy, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Sol-Gel, stated, “Rare diseases represent a high margin therapeutic category, and we estimate that SGT-610, if approved by the FDA, has the potential to generate, at peak, annual net sales in excess of $300 million. We believe that the risk/reward of this deal is extremely favorable to Sol-Gel and its shareholders. We conducted extensive due diligence on patidegib’s earlier development programs and consulted with expert clinicians to design a rigorous new Phase 3 trial that we believe can overcome the deficiencies of the earlier Phase 3 study to generate the safety and efficacy data necessary to support an FDA approval. We have a strong track record of conducting clinical studies of topical dermatologic drugs and we expect to leverage our experience to advance SGT-610 toward FDA approval, with the objective of providing Gorlin syndrome patients with the first drug that could prevent new basal cell carcinomas (BCCs).”

Gorlin syndrome affects approximately 1 in 31,000 people in the U.S. and is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder, mostly caused by inheritance of one defective copy of the tumor suppressor gene PTCH1. Gorlin syndrome is also called nevoid BCC syndrome because approximately 90% of individuals with this syndrome develop multiple BCCs by age 35, ranging from a few to many thousands of lesions during a patient’s lifetime. Painful surgical excision is the treatment of choice for BCCs. However, as multiple BCCs continue to evolve, repeated surgical intervention becomes impractical, and therefore, an important consideration in the treatment of Gorlin syndrome is preventing the development of new BCCs. SGT-610 is intended to prevent new BCC formation in adults with Gorlin syndrome without the accompanying systemic adverse events observed with oral BCC therapies.

Read the full press release from Sol-Gel Technologies Ltd.

About the Scholar

Hematology, Oncology

Jean Tang, MD, PhD

Stanford University
Harrington Scholar-Innovator

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