InflaRx to prioritize izicopan as its leading pipeline asset, with a goal of continuing toward Phase 2b readiness in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS)
To broaden signal-finding activities for izicopan in additional I&I (inflammation and immunology) indications, InflaRx intends to conduct a PK bridging study in China in 2026 to enable expedited proof of concept studies in China and additional geographies
Toward the goal of fast-tracking izicopan development across all applicable I&I indications, InflaRx continues its concurrent strategy to foster discussions with potential collaborators
InflaRx is executing an approximately 30% workforce reduction, leading to a significant reduction of the Company’s cost structure, and extension of its cash runway to mid-2027
The Company intends to host a virtual Capital Markets Day to highlight the clinical utility and commercial potential of izicopan in HS and I&I broadly in spring 2026
Jan. 08, 2026 -- InflaRx N.V. (Nasdaq: IFRX), a biopharmaceutical company pioneering anti-inflammatory therapeutics by targeting the complement system, today announced it is undertaking measures to reduce spending, extend the Company’s cash runway, and align resources to enable further development of izicopan in HS and other I&I indications as a potential best-in-class C5aR inhibitor and pipeline-in-a-product.
Prof. Niels C. Riedemann, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of InflaRx, commented: “In an effort to enable the long-term success of InflaRx we have made the decision to increase our capital efficiency and tightly focus the Company. Our goal with this realignment is to prioritize resources toward izicopan in hidradenitis suppurativa and additional areas in inflammation and immunology, allowing us to maximize its value as a significantly differentiated oral inhibitor of C5aR and pipeline-in-a-product. We are very optimistic about our strategy and the sizable potential of izicopan, and look forward to reporting additional progress during the year.”
As part of its strategic focusing, InflaRx is streamlining its organizational structure and largely discontinuing non-essential activities outside the development of izicopan. These actions are designed to sharpen the Company’s strategic execution, concentrate resources on its highest-value asset, and materially improve capital efficiency.
InflaRx has initiated a workforce reduction of approximately 30% and substantial spending reductions, including significant reductions in Gohibic (vilobelimab) commercial spending and related functions. The Company estimates these activities will result in a one-time charge of approximately $7 million. The majority of this charge will be a non-cash charge related to the write-off of vilobelimab inventory, with a smaller portion associated with the restructuring, including personnel-related costs and the termination or modification of certain third-party contracts. Upon completion, InflaRx expects a significantly leaner cost structure, enabling substantial and sustained reductions in operating expenses and a meaningful extension of its cash runway to mid-2027.
InflaRx will maintain the operational capability needed to support the ongoing BARDA “Just Breathe” Phase 2 clinical platform study in ARDS and does not expect these actions to negatively impact the trial. InflaRx will keep Gohibic (vilobelimab) available for ordering inside the US under its emergency use authorization and maintain the ability to satisfy Gohibic (vilobelimab) demand in the US on a reactive basis.
InflaRx will continue to review partnering opportunities for Gohibic in the US and Europe. In addition, as previously disclosed, the Company anticipates meeting with the FDA to determine a potential development path forward for vilobelimab in pyoderma gangrenosum, which it anticipates would only be conducted in collaboration with a partner.
Given data demonstrating its advantageous PK/PD profile, meaningful differentiation as an inhibitor of the C5a/C5aR axis, and potential to address HS, chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and other I&I indications, the Company will prioritize resource allocation and clinical development toward izicopan while continuing active dialog with potential partners across all geographies to expedite and maximize value.
In HS InflaRx continues to make progress toward Phase 2b readiness. InflaRx is in active dialogue with the FDA related to the Phase 2b study design and potential endpoints. The aim is to align on a development path and endpoints expected to meaningfully differentiate izicopan from existing therapies, while also addressing variability inherent in some HS trial outcomes. InflaRx is moving as quickly as is feasible in this effort and intends to provide an update on its HS Phase 2b planning and readiness in due course.
InflaRx sees significant potential for izicopan to address unmet needs in multiple I&I indications beyond HS, including CSU, where InflaRx continues data analysis and active dialog with thought leaders to determine next steps. Given the supportive nature of the Phase 2a data collected to-date from the two main CSU (all-comer) dosing cohorts, and low enrollment trends in the third (anti-IgE refractory) dosing cohort, InflaRx has decided to close the third treatment cohort. InflaRx will utilize the existing data set to determine next steps for izicopan in CSU, which the Company expects to communicate later this year.
InflaRx intends to submit the izicopan Phase 2a datasets in HS and CSU for presentation at medical conferences later this year.
Toward the goal of generating proof of concept data in additional I&I indications as efficiently as possible, InflaRx intends to conduct a PK bridging study with izicopan in China this year in order to expedite subsequent proof of concept studies in China and elsewhere. The Company intends to provide an update on these efforts, and on efforts in additional potential I&I indications, later this year.
InflaRx expects to host a virtual capital markets day this spring. During this event the Company plans to highlight the clinical utility of izicopan in HS and I&I more broadly, including izicopan’s role in respective I&I treatment algorithms, and its emerging commercial potential.
Izicopan (INF904) is an orally administered, small molecule inhibitor of the C5a receptor Ca5R1 that has shown anti-inflammatory therapeutic effects in several pre-clinical disease models and in human studies. Further, in contrast to the marketed C5aR inhibitor, in vitro experiments demonstrated that izicopan has minimal inhibition of the cytochrome P450 3A4/5 (CYP3A4/5) enzymes, which play an important role in the metabolism of a variety of metabolites and drugs, including glucocorticoids. Reported results from a first-in-human study demonstrated that izicopan was well tolerated in treated subjects and exhibited no safety signals of concern in single doses ranging from 3 mg to 240 mg or multiple doses ranging from 30 mg once per day to 90 mg twice per day for 14 days. Pharmacokinetic / pharmacodynamic data support the best-in-class potential of izicopan, with a ≥90% blockade of C5a-induced neutrophil activation achieved over the 14-day dosing period. Topline Phase 2a data further support the safety profile of izicopan, with no reported safety signals of concern. In patients with hidradenitis suppurativa, over 4 weeks of therapy, izicopan provided rapid and clinically meaningful reductions in abscesses and nodules (ANs) and draining tunnels (dTs), robust HiSCR responses that continued to deepen four weeks after the treatment period, and substantial reductions in patient-reported pain scores, overall demonstrating the potential for biologic-like efficacy. In chronic spontaneous urticaria, InflaRx observed substantial reductions in the 7-day Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7) broadly across patients and particularly in those with severe disease, as well as improved disease control as measured by the Urticaria Control Test (UCT7).
InflaRx (Nasdaq: IFRX) is a biopharmaceutical company pioneering anti-inflammatory therapeutics by applying its proprietary anti-C5a and anti-C5aR technologies to discover, develop and commercialize highly potent and specific inhibitors of the complement activation factor C5a and its receptor, C5aR. C5a is a powerful inflammatory mediator involved in the progression of a wide variety of inflammatory diseases. InflaRx‘s lead program is izicopan (INF904), an orally administered small molecule inhibitor of C5a-induced signaling via the C5a receptor, which has shown promising PK/PD characteristics as well as therapeutic potential in Phase 1 and Phase 2a clinical studies. The company is developing izicopan for the treatment of several inflammatory diseases, including hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). The Company has also developed vilobelimab, a novel, intravenously delivered, first-in-class, anti-C5a monoclonal antibody that selectively binds to free C5a and has demonstrated disease-modifying clinical activity and tolerability in multiple clinical studies.
InflaRx was founded in 2007, and the group has offices and subsidiaries in Jena and Munich, Germany, as well as Ann Arbor, MI, USA. For further information, please visit www.inflarx.de. InflaRx GmbH (Germany) and InflaRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (USA) are wholly owned subsidiaries of InflaRx N.V. (together, InflaRx).
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