Gemacbio has announced the successful conclusion of a Phase IIa clinical trial on patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS).
Gemacbio, a biopharmaceutical company that's specialises in the development of molecules for the treatment of chronic central nervous system and auto-immune diseases, has announced the successful conclusion of a Phase IIa clinical trial on patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS).
Understanding MS as a multi-factorial disease lies at the heart of this advance.
Gemacbio scientists realised they needed to design a molecule that targeted all aspects of MS pathology.
To achieve this, they grafted together several molecules occurring in the human body using a patented process.
The resulting molecule applies this approach in acting against a multi-factorial pathology through a number of targets.
The molecule is active in three areas: anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulating, and neuro-protecting.
Compared with existing MS therapies, this molecule has the enormous additional advantage of oral (sub-lingual) administration.
This patient-friendly, convenient route of administration allows improvement of the quality of life for patients who, until now, have had to receive frequent injections.
"We are delighted that a number of eminent clinical experts have expressed their support and a high level of interest in these positive Phase IIa results," said Thibault de la Riviere, CEO of Gemacbio.
"These encouraging results should reassure existing and future investors as we begin the quest for additional financial resources to enable us to carry out Phase IIb studies and move our molecules further in development and closer to the patient".
The Phase IIa trials took place in three sites in France for periods of between six and 18 months on 22 patients suffering from indications of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.
The trials showed 100 per cent tolerance and a very high safety profile for Gemacbio's product.
"Our treatment has two major advantages," said Dr Michel Geffard, chief scientific officer at GemacBio.
"The first is the absence of side effects because of the product's low toxicity, an essential characteristic for the long-term treatment of chronic diseases, and the second is the maximisation of the therapeutic effect via the triple anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulating and neuro-protecting action of our combinations of therapeutic molecules".
