An open letter to the Australian Huntington’s community following the 29 March 2021 press release from Wave Life Sciences:
On March 29, 2021, Wave Life Sciences issued a press release regarding their PRECISION-HD clinical trials, which are ongoing in Australia and several other countries globally. The key information from the press release is that for both of these trials (PRECISION-HD1 and PRECISION-HD2), the treatments appear not to be working effectively.
As a result of these findings, Wave will discontinue the treatment aspect of these two trials. Study visits will continue to gather important final data, and then Wave will end any further development of these two treatments. Although this is most disappointing, these trials have provided essential knowledge that will help to guide next steps in developing treatments for HD.
We as a community are grateful to the participants, their families and to the Australian site staff who have all worked so hard and given up so much of their time and effort to these two Wave trials. Australia has made key contributions to these trials, with sites in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, and two in Melbourne.
Wave has developed a third treatment which has some key advantages over the first two. The good news is that Australia will be one of the countries participating in this third trial. Australian sites have yet to be determined.
For people with HD and their families, we share the disappointment in the news from both Wave and Roche. However, several additional treatments are in the works, and a broad array of life sciences companies are working to rapidly start more potential treatment trials.
As more news comes to light about the Wave and Roche trials, we will organise an accessible way to communicate this important information to you, our community.
From your Australian HD medical clinicians, State-based HD Associations and Huntington’s researchers.