OVERVIEW
Momenta is a biotechnology company with a product pipeline of both complex mixture generic and novel drugs. Our complex mixture generics and follow-on biologics effort is focused on building a thorough understanding of the structure-process-activity of complex mixture drugs to develop generic versions of marketed products. While we use a similar analytical and development approach across all of our product candidates, we tailor that approach for each specific product candidate. Our first objective is to apply our core analytical technology to thoroughly characterize the structure of the marketed product. By defining the chemical composition of multiple batches of a marketed product, we are able to develop an equivalence window which captures the inherent variability of the innovator's manufacturing process. Using this information, we then build an extensive understanding of the structure-process relationship to design and control our manufacturing process to manufacture reproducibly an equivalent version of the marketed product. Where necessary, and as required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, we will supplement an application with additional supportive structure-activity data (e.g., immunogenicity, pharmacodynamics). Our goal is to obtain FDA approval for and commercialize generic or follow-on versions of complex mixture products, thereby providing high quality, safe and affordable medicines to patients in need.
Our two most advanced complex generic candidates target marketed products which were originally approved by the FDA as New Drug Applications, or NDAs. Therefore, we were able to access the existing regulatory pathway for generic product candidates and submit an Abbreviated New Drug Application, or ANDA, for these generic candidates. M-Enoxaparin is designed to be a technology-enabled generic version of Lovenox® (enoxaparin sodium injection), a low molecular weight heparin, or LMWH, used to prevent and treat deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, and to support the treatment of acute coronary syndromes, or ACS. This drug is a complex mixture of polysaccharide chains derived from naturally sourced heparin. Our second major generic product candidate is M356 , a technology-enabled generic version of Copaxone® (glatiramer acetate injection), a drug that is indicated for the reduction of the frequency of relapses in patients with Relapse-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis, or RRMS. Copaxone consists of a complex mixture of polypeptide chains. With M356, we have extended our core characterization capabilities from the characterization of complex polysaccharide mixtures to include the characterization of complex polypeptide mixtures.
Our lead novel drug candidate, M118, has been engineered to possess what we believe will be an improved therapeutic profile (compared with other currently marketed products) to support the treatment of ACS. We also are seeking to discover and develop novel therapeutics by applying our technology to better understand the function of these polysaccharide mixtures in biological processes, with an initial focus in oncology.