deCODE Launches Phase II Clinical Trial in Asthma
Wednesday May 18, 8:46 am ET
REYKJAVIK, Iceland, May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- deCODE genetics (Nasdaq: DCGN - News) today announced that it has begun dosing of patients in a Phase II clinical trial in asthma. deCODE has isolated a gene which plays an important role in the development of asthma. The gene encodes a kinase which is the target of the compound that will be tested in the trial. The compound was developed by third party for the treatment of a different indication.
The trial is randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled, and will enroll approximately 160 asthma patients with the at-risk variants of the gene. The study cohort will be divided evenly into four groups, three receiving various doses of active drug and one receiving placebo. The study will examine safety and tolerability, as well as the effectiveness of the various dose levels on improving lung function and reducing airway inflammation, as measured by spirometry tests, exhaled nitric oxide levels, biomarkers in sputum, as well as bronchial provocation tests. Patients will be on drug for eight weeks, and deCODE expects to announce the results of the trial in the fall. Neither the name of the partner company nor the compound has been disclosed.
"This is the third compound we have entered into clinical trials based upon our discoveries in the genetics of common diseases. Asthma is the most common chronic disease in the industrialized world and its prevalence is increasing. We are excited by the opportunity to develop a novel, non-steroidal means of controlling the inflammatory cascade that is the root cause of asthma attacks. Our approach to clinical development provides us an efficient means of examining the biological effect of the compound as well as its ability to improve lung function and reduce the number and severity of attacks," said Kari Stefansson, CEO of deCODE... |
