Izana Bioscience, a biopharmaceutical company focused on translational medicine, announced the initiation of a phase II proof-of-concept clinical study of namilumab in ankylosing spondylitis, a debilitating arthritic disease of the spine that affects millions of people worldwide.
The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled NAMASTE study (Namilumab in Ankylosing Spondylitis Therapy) will enrol over 40 patients with moderate-to-severe ankylosing spondylitis at 10 specialist centres in the UK. Study results are expected in early 2019.
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"I am delighted to be part of the team developing this innovative new therapy targeting ankylosing spondylitis,” Principal Investigator, Peter Taylor, Norman Collinson Professor of Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, said. “The condition can be devastating, and for many patients with more advanced disease current treatments are often ineffective. With new research indicating namilumab targets a key pathway in ankylosing spondylitis, I am excited at the prospect of exploring its potential to become an effective new therapy for this greatly underserved condition."
Ankylosing spondylitis is a form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine and can lead to severe chronic pain and long-term disability. In advanced cases, new bone can form causing sections of the spine to fuse. Treatment options are limited for more advanced disease, with over half of patients not responding or not achieving remission with mainstay anti-TNFα antibody therapies. The condition is estimated to affect over four million people in major markets worldwide. As a result, the treatment market is predicted to reach over $5 billion by 2020.