Ablynx, Merck KGaA report encouraging results from psoriasis treatment study

Ablynx and Merck KGaA (Germany) have reported encouraging results from a study in psoriasis patients with the bi-specific Nanobody anti-IL-17A/F (M1095).

The trial included 41 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis with multiple ascending subcutaneous doses ranging from 30mg to 240mg administered on days 1, 15 and 29. The results were published on a clinical research website.

Namely, Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) showed reduction in disease activity and improvement in static Physician Global Assessment (sPGA) was seen for all doses of M1095.

Nanobody was developed as part of a deal signed between Ablynx and Merck KGaA in 2008. Ablynx was responsible for the discovery and some of the pre-clinical work to identify a suitable anti-IL-17A/F clinical candidate and Merck KGaA is now responsible for the clinical development and commercialization of this molecule.

Dr James G Krueger, Director, Milstein Medical Research Program, Senior Attending Phsician, The Rockefeller University, said that the results showed a very rapid onset of clinical benefit for the patients and he believes that M1095 has the potential to become a preferred treatment option for psoriasis patients with potential in multiple additional indications in which the IL-17 pathway is involved.

Dr Edwin Moses, CEO of Ablynx, commented: “These initial data are very encouraging when compared with other psoriasis therapeutics commercially available and in development. We believe that the results for this anti-IL-17A/F Nanobody, which was the first functional bi-specific Nanobody to reach the clinic, are a further validation of the enormous potential of the Nanobody platform to generate therapeutically important multi-specific molecules in a wide range of indications.”