The CTA authorization for DB-OTO provides approval for the Company to expand its planned Phase 1/2 clinical trial to the U.K. in patients two years of age and younger

One-time administration of DB-OTO has resulted in production of otoferlin protein and durable auditory brainstem responses to sound in a congenitally deaf rodent disease model

Decibel intends to initiate the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of DB-OTO in the first half of 2023

BOSTON, Jan. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Decibel Therapeutics (Nasdaq: DBTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to discovering and developing transformative treatments to restore and improve hearing and balance, today announced authorization of its Clinical Trial Application (CTA) by the United Kingdom (U.K.) Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in pediatric patients of DB-OTO, its lead gene therapy product candidate. DB-OTO is being developed in collaboration with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and is a cell-selective adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy designed to provide durable hearing in individuals with profound, congenital hearing loss caused by mutations of the otoferlin gene.

The U.K. CTA is part of an international regulatory strategy for clinical development of DB-OTO, which also includes a regulatory clearance in October 2022 for an Investigational New Drug (IND) application in the United States and a CTA submitted to the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices.

“This CTA marks the second regulatory clearance for DB-OTO and what we believe to be the first in Europe for any gene therapy targeting otoferlin. This is an important milestone as we execute our international clinical development strategy, which addresses pediatric patients of diverse ages, including infants two years of age and younger,” said Laurence Reid, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Decibel. “We believe DB-OTO has transformative potential for individuals with otoferlin-related hearing loss, and we intend to initiate the clinical trial in the first half of 2023. We expect to share initial data from the first cohort of patients in the first quarter of 2024.”

DB-OTO received Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2021. Currently, there are no approved pharmacologic treatment options for individuals with otoferlin-related hearing loss.

The Phase 1/2 dose escalation clinical trial is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of DB-OTO in pediatric patients with congenital hearing loss due to an otoferlin deficiency. In addition to safety and tolerability endpoints, the auditory brainstem response (ABR), an objective, clinically accepted, physiologic measure of hearing sensitivity, will be used as an efficacy endpoint in the clinical trial. The ABR, which was used to characterize dose-response of DB-OTO after intra-cochlear delivery in translational studies in animal models, provides an opportunity to rapidly assess hearing functionality and sensitivity.

The Company intends to provide an update on the design of the clinical trial in mid-2023.

About Decibel Therapeutics
Decibel Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to discovering and developing transformative treatments to restore and improve hearing and balance, one of the largest areas of unmet need in medicine. Decibel has built a proprietary platform that integrates single-cell genomics and bioinformatic analyses, precision gene therapy technologies and expertise in inner ear biology. Decibel is leveraging its platform to advance gene therapies designed to selectively replace genes for the treatment of congenital, monogenic hearing loss and to regenerate inner ear hair cells for the treatment of acquired hearing and balance disorders. Decibel’s pipeline, including its lead gene therapy product candidate, DB-OTO, to treat congenital, monogenic hearing loss, is designed to deliver on our vision of creating a world of connection for people with hearing and balance disorders. For more information about Decibel Therapeutics, please visit www.decibeltx.com or follow us on Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this press release, including statements regarding Decibel’s strategy, future operations, prospects, plans, objectives of management, the therapeutic potential for Decibel’s product candidates and preclinical programs, the potential benefits of cell-selective expression, the design of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of DB-OTO and the expected timelines for initiating a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of DB-OTO and announcing data from the trial constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “objective,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “should,” or “would,” or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Decibel may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: uncertainties inherent in the identification and development of product candidates, including the timing of and Decibel’s ability to obtain approval to initiate clinical development of its program candidates, whether results from preclinical studies will be predictive of the results of later preclinical studies and clinical trials, whether Decibel’s cash resources are sufficient to fund its foreseeable and unforeseeable operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements, uncertainties related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Decibel’s business and operations, as well as the risks and uncertainties identified in Decibel’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including those risks detailed under the caption “Risk Factors” in Decibel’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022 and in other filings Decibel may make with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent Decibel’s views as of the date of this press release. Decibel anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its views to change. However, while Decibel may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Decibel’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

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