A Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating AB Science’s masitinib as a treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis can continue without having to add patients, an independent review board has decided.
The decision indicates that the therapy has been effective enough that its population base does not need to be expanded, the company said.
Although AB Science has been conducting the trial for U.S. regulators, those taking part are from the Barcelona area.
The AB07002 trial (NCT01433497) has been looking at the safety and effectiveness of masitinib as a treatment for people with primary progressive MS (PPMS) and relapse-free secondary progressive MS (SPMS).
Around 60 percent of MS patients have a progressive form of the disease. It accounts for about 400,000 patients in the United States and the European Union combined.
Masitinib is an oral therapy that inhibits enzymes called tyrosine kinases. They play an important role in cell growth, differentiation into other cells, energy conversion and death. The drug targets immune system components known as mast cells and macrophages.
Masitinib’s unique mechanism of action makes it a possible treatment for cancer and inflammatory diseases as well as central nervous system disorders.
It immunotherapy properties mean it has the potential to counter cancer, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Its ability to marshal immune cells against invaders and its anti-inflammatory properties make it a possible therapy for neurological and inflammatory disorders.