BI's baminercept enters Ph IIb trials

US drugmaker Biogen Idec presented strong results from a Phase IIa trial of baminercept (LT(beta)R-Ig or BG9924), the first dual-mechanism, lymphotoxin-(beta) (LT-(beta)) and LIGHT pathway inhibitor in development for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, held in Boston.

According to the firm, ACR score improvements persisted for up to eight weeks following the final study dose and were seen in patients given 1.0mg/kg or 3.0mg/kg once a week subcutaneously for four weeks, the two highest dose groups in the study. The most common adverse event was headache and no serious side effects attributed to the compound were reported during the study period. Safety results support the continued development of baminercept.

Based on the results of this Phase IIa study, Biogen Idec has initiated two Phase IIb trials to evaluate the agent in combination with methotrexate in moderate-to-severe RA patients who had an inadequate response to treatment with a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug or a tumor necrosis inhibitor.