Bayhill doses in Ph II MS trial, raises $15.8M

California, USA-based Bayhill Therapeutics says it has begun dosing patients with BHT-3009, its experimental drug candidate, in a Phase II company-sponsored trial for multiple sclerosis. The study is a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation with a magnetic raesonance imaging endpoint.

In a related development, the company notes that current investors indicated strong support for Bayhill's antigen-specific tolerance platform by raising an additional $15.8 million in private equity and it has now closed its Series B round totaling $51.2 million.

"In a Phase I/II trial evaluating BHT-3009 in patients with multiple sclerosis, we observed a good safety profile and, in a small number of patients, evidence of a long-lasting antigen-specific immunosuppression effect," said Mark Schwartz, chief executive of Bayhill.