IDEC Pharmaceuticals begins Phase II study of humanized monoclonal antibody
In patients with chronic, refractory immune thrombocytopenic purpura
Yesterday, IDEC Pharmaceuticals (San Diego) announced that it has initiated a Phase II clinical trial with IDEC-131, a humanized anti-CD154 (anti-CD40L) monoclonal antibody. The multiple-center, multiple-dose study will evaluate the potential clinical activity and safety of the investigational agent in patients with chronic, refractory immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a blood disorder characterized by low platelet counts which can pose a significant risk of life-threatening bleeding.
"We believe that IDEC-131 has potential benefit as a therapeutic agent for diseases such as ITP that are characterized by the production of autoantibodies," Mark Totoritis, senior director of autoimmmune and inflammatory diseases for IDEC, said in a company release. "In fact, preliminary evidence of improvement in platelet counts has been observed in an ongoing clinical investigation of IDEC-131 in a small number of ITP patients at Weill Medical College of Cornell University."
IDEC-131 targets the CD154-CD40 pathway, a key pathway in the immune system that involves collaboration between T cells and B cells, as well as other antigen-presenting cells. Therefore, this antibody therapeutic may have application in diseases that are caused by overactive T cells and in those that are characterized by excessive autoantibody production by B cells.
IDEC-131 is based on technology that IDEC licensed from Dartmouth University, where researchers have demonstrated the beneficial effects of the anti-CD154 antibody in animal models of autoimmunity.
Eisai Company Ltd. has licensed the commercial rights of IDEC-131 in Europe and Asia. IDEC retains exclusive rights outside of Europe and Asia.
IDEC Pharmaceuticals focuses on the commercialization and development of targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. IDEC's antibody products act chiefly through immune system mechanisms, exerting their effect by binding to specific, readily targeted immune cells in the patient's blood or lymphatic systems.
For more information, contact Vince Reardon of IDEC Pharmaceuticals at 858-431-8656.
With contributions from Jim Pomager
Assistant Editor, Pharmaceutical Online
Source: IDEC Pharmaceuticals