Jerusalem, Israel, December 1, 2016
Immunity Pharma, a neurology-focused biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has passed a two-year mark for treating an ALS patient with IPL344 under a companionate treatment protocol. This ALS patient has been treated with intravenous injections of PL344 since December 1 2014. The patient entered the study 1.5 years after diagnosis at an advanced disease stage, suffering from especially rapid disease deterioration. Immediately after staring IPL344 treatment his condition stabilized and has essentially been stable during the two-years of treatment, reporting only minimal change in ALSFRS score. According to a recently published study, the median tracheostomy-free survival of Israeli ALS patients of his age is only 2 years from diagnosis. Namely, this two-year mark, which reflects 3.5 years of tracheostomy-free survival for this patient, represents a significant longer survival than the median survival of Israeli ALS patients of his age. Throughout the treatment period the drug was well tolerated.
"This initial clinical study has contributed significantly to the development of IPL344 as a novel therapy for ALS. First and foremost, it demonstrated for the first-time the feasibility and safety of a long-term IPL344 treatment in ALS patients. We also gained valuable experience with IPL344 treatment and management, an experience that will be implemented in upcoming clinical trials,” said Eran Ovadia, Immunity Pharma's founder and CEO. “We are in debt to this patient for his persistence and collaboration for such a long period of time."
About IPL344
IPL344 is Immunity Pharma lead drug candidate. IPL344 activates the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in a variety of cells, including neurons, inducing pro-survival and anti-inflammatory processes. IPL344 is being developed as an intravenous injection for the treatment of ALS. IPL344 is planned to enter an open-label Phase 1/2a clinical trial in ALS patients.
About Immunity Pharma
Immunity Pharma Ltd. (IPL) is a privately-held clinical-stage neurology-focused biopharmaceutical company that develops therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, with an initial focus on Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. IPL’s drugs are biologically active peptides that stimulate therapeutic cell-signaling processes which are down-regulated in neurodegenerative diseases. These drugs mitigate progression of neurodegenerative diseases by inducing survival-supporting processes, including reduction of inflammation and reduction of programed cell death (apoptosis).
For more information please visit www.immunitypharma.com