Innate Immunotherapeutics’ MS drug to go to second trial

Innate Immunotherapeutics MS drug to go to second trial

Auckland, NZ, June 19 2012: New Zealand biopharmaceutical company Innate Immunotherapeutics says trials of its drug to help people with chronic, progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) are showing positive results.

Simon Wilkinson, chief executive of Innate Immunotherapeutics, says results of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial have shown MIS416 to be well tolerated and identified a clinical dose for further evaluation.

MIS416 is the lead product from the Auckland-based biopharmas proprietary immune modulating microparticle technology.

Neurologist Professor Tim Anderson, co-principal investigator for the study, says the preliminary data indicate that MIS416 was safe and well tolerated. The MS-related clinical status assessment tools used during the study also indicate that the trial agent may have had some positive effect for many of the treated patients.

During the dose confirmation portion of the study, eight of 10 patients with secondary progressive MS treated with MIS416 for 12 weeks showed some improvement in their MS-related signs and symptoms.

For example, 50% of the study subjects showed some improvement in EDSS scores over the relatively short 12 week duration of the trial, Professor Anderson says. These interim results are encouraging and merit the consideration of a randomised, controlled trial in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis."

Innate Immunotherapeutics expects to complete the current Phase 1/2 study and announce final results in late 2012. It then plans to enroll MS suffers in 2013 for a 12 month Phase 2B study to investigate the sustainability of the improvements in seen in the first study.

We plan to conduct most of the next study in Australia, to take advantage of that countrys greater patient availability and the financial support offered by the Australian government, Mr Wilkinson says. If we can get appropriate local support it would be good to also have trial sites in New Zealand. Rosie Gallagher, National Director, Multiple Sclerosis Society of New Zealand, says the research is an exciting and extremely positive move.

Disease modifying therapies for those with MS tend to be of the immune-suppressant variety and are specifically for those with the relapsing-remitting form of the disease, she says. However, these treatments have little to no effect on secondary progressive MS patients. This is a worry for the future, as around 75% of those with the relapsing-remitting form of the disease will eventually move into being classified as secondary progressive.

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Innate Immunotherapeutics’ MS drug to go to second trial