Daclizumab impresses as MS therapy

US biotechnology firms Biogen Idec and PDL BioPharma say that Phase II data shows that adding daclizumab to interferon beta brings about a significant reduction in gadolinum-enhancing lesions in multiple sclerosis patients. The findings, which were presented at this year's meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research of Multiple Sclerosis, demonstrated that sufferers with active relapsing forms of MS provided with a bi-monthly 2mg/kg dose of the drug experienced a 72% drop in the number of new or enlarged lesions in comparison with placebo.

Daclizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody-based immunosuppressant, targets the interleukin-2 receptor on activated T cells, thereby inhibiting the potentially damaging pro-inflammatory cascade. At present, the agent is sold under license by Swiss drug major Roche as Zenapax for the prophylactic treatment of acute organ rejection.

The trial, known as CHOICE, also showed that patients who received 1mg/kg dose of daclizumab plus interferon experienced a 25% reduction in the occurrence of new or enlarged lesions, although this benefit did not reach the level of statistical significance. In addition, both drug regimens demonstrated a trend towards a reduced annualized relapse rate compared with placebo, however this also fell short of statistical significance.