Pharmaceutical Companies Latest Drug RepoMore Patents and Trials Continue with MBP8298
BioMS Medical, based in Edmonton, Alberta, has recently received 17 additional patents for MBP8298 in conjunction with the University of Alberta. In total, 50 patents have been granted to the University of Alberta for MBP8298 in 29 countries worldwide, including three patents issued in the United States. MBP8298 stands for Myelin Basic Protein Peptide and is comprised of 17 amino acids. The drug, which has been in research for 26 years, is going to phase III of clinical trials, with successful results in the pre-clinical, phase I and phase II human clinical trials in Canada.
Background on MBP8298
MBP8298 works by reducing the disease-associated production of a group of anti-MBP
antibodies that are reactive with the central nervous system. The four-year
phase II trial enrolled 32 patients with either primary or secondary-progressive
MS. The study had two phases, a two-year randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled
phase, followed by a two-year open label phase. During the double-blinded
phase patients were given 500mg of the MBP8298 peptide intravenously every
six months. Data from the trial was analyzed both in terms of overall results,
and in terms of patients who carried either HLA-DR2 or HLA-DR4 immune response
genes ("DR2/4"). These genes are associated with helper T-cells
involved in the production of anti-MBP antibodies targeted by the MBP8298
peptide.
In the normal population, the DR2/4 gene is relatively low. In the MS population, however, individuals with either the DR2 or DR4 genes account for approximately 75 percent of the estimated two million MS patients worldwide. Of the 32 participants enrolled in the double-blinded phase of the trial, there was a representative sample of 20 patients that carried either the DR2 or DR4 genes, which were evenly divided between patients dosed with MBP8298 and placebo.
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The 19th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) was held in Milan, Italy in September. This prompted pharmaceutical companies to send out press releases with the latest information on their drugs and studies with MS. The following summarizes some of the reports from the pharmaceutical companies.
