MS trial drug MIS416 gets global spotlight- Interim results from phase 2 study of MIS416 in secondary progressive MS - facebook prikbord

MS trial drug MIS416 gets global spotlight(18/06/12)

Research details of a drug that may help people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), developed by New Zealand biopharmaceutical company Innate Immunotherapeutics, is being highlighted at the world’s biggest annual gathering of MS specialists and pharmaceutical companies, ECTRIMS, in Lyon, France today.

Innate’s study co-principal investigator, Dr Alison Luckey, talk about the result of 1B/2A trials of its drug MIS416 in the late breaking news section of ECTRIMS. More than 6,000 people attend the conference.

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.

"For most international clinicians and researchers into MS this will be the first time they will heard about our drug, that it has been in early stage trials and most importantly that early results are encouraging," he says. "We are grateful for the support of the United States National MS Society at ECTRIMS, especially for the credibility and validation of our programme the society’s support provides."

Neurologist Professor Tim Anderson, co-principal investigator for the study, announced in June this year that preliminary data indicate MIS416 is 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.

Innate Immunotherapeutics plans to enroll MS patients 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 country’s greater patient availability," Mr Wilkinson says. "If we can get appropriate local support it would be good to also have trial sites in New Zealand too. Right now we are working hard during the next few months to raise around US$10 million that we need to run that longer phase 2B study. We are certainly hopeful our exposure at ECTRIMS will help us with that."

In addition to the support of the United States-based National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Innate has had financial support from the New Zealand Ministry of Science and Innovation. It is also collaborating with New Zealand and US universities that specialise in oncology research, to conduct preclinical studies of MIS416 in other applications,

including treatment vaccines for a number of different cancers. Source: Voxy.co.nz © Copyright 2012 Digital Advance Limited (12/10/12)

Interim results from phase 2 study of MIS416 in secondary progressive MS(18/06/12)

Innate Immunotherapeutics today announced positive interim data from the company's Phase 1/2 clinical trial of MIS416 in patients with chronic progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).

Results of the open-label, dose-escalation/confirmation trial showed MIS416 to be well tolerated and identified a clinical dose for further evaluation. Moreover, during the dose confirmation portion of the study, 8 of 10 patients with secondary progressive MS who were treated with MIS416 for 12 weeks showed some improvement in their MS-related signs and symptoms.

"The preliminary data indicate that MIS416 was safe and well tolerated, and 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," said neurologist Professor Tim Anderson, M.D., co-principal investigator for the study. "For example, 50% of the study subjects showed some improvement in EDSS scores over the relatively short 12 week duration of the trial. These interim results are encouraging and merit the consideration of a randomized controlled trial in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis."

Study Design

The aim of the study, conducted in New Zealand, was to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacodynamics of intravenously administered MIS416 in patients with chronic progressive MS. During the dose finding phase, Investigators enrolled a total of 19 patients with primary or secondary progressive MS, 16 of whom completed the study. The subsequent dose confirmation phase treated 11 patients with secondary progressive MS over a 12 week period.

Primary endpoints for the study included safety and tolerability, including maximum tolerated dose and recommended Phase 2 dose, of weekly intravenously administered MIS416, as well as the pharmacodynamics of the agent. Secondary endpoints aimed to document any changes in MS clinical status occurring during the 12-week dose confirmation phase of the study. These were determined through a variety of standard MS assessments including the MS Functional Composite (MSFC), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Innate Immunotherapeutics expects to complete the Phase 1/2 study and announce final results in late 2012.

"We are very encouraged in the potential of MIS416 as a treatment for secondary progressive MS based on the results from this trial to date, as well as observations in a small number of patients who have received MIS416 under New Zealand compassionate use protocols," said Simon Wilkinson, Innate Immunotherapeutics chief executive officer. "We intend to investigate the sustainability of the improvements in clinical status seen in this study through a 12 month Phase 2B study, which should begin enrollment in early 2013. We plan to conduct this study in Australia, to take advantage of that country's greater patient availability, the availability of excellent principal investigators and the financial support offered by the Australian government."

"This increasingly coherent research around symptomatic relief, especially for those with secondary progressive forms of Multiple Sclerosis, is an exciting and extremely positive move in the right direction for those with MS and their families," said Rosie Gallagher, National Director, Multiple Sclerosis Society of New Zealand. "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; 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. We therefore welcome and encourage more research into MIS416, which, as well as potentially offering relief to those with this debilitating chronic illness, also gives hope to those with secondary progressive MS in that they may finally have a tangible symptomatic treatment option."

"Fast Forward is pleased to help advance Innate's important research which is designed to speed the development of an effective treatment for secondary progressive MS," said Dr. Timothy Coetzee, Chief Research Officer at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

About MIS416

MIS416 is the lead product from Innate Immunotherapeutics' proprietary immune modulating microparticle technology. The technology is based on the use of a bacterially derived, therapeutic microparticle incorporating multiple naturally occurring ligands, which when administered can activate synergistic innate immune signaling pathways to down regulate chronic inflammation, reduce autoimmune factors and help repair damaged tissue. In addition to its potential use in MS, the company is conducting preclinical studies of MIS416 in other applications, including oncology co-therapy and the treatment of infectious diseases.

Source: MarketWatch Copyright © 2012 MarketWatch, Inc (18/06/12)