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Company News: SuppreMol Initiates Phase IIa Clinical Trial in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) With Its Lead Candidate SM101

SuppreMol GmbH, a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and allergies, today announced the initiation of a Phase IIa clinical trial with its lead product SM101 in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).

The multi-centric, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group Phase IIa study will enroll 50 SLE patients with or without a history of Lupus Nephritis and a SELENA-SLEDAI score of ≥ 6 and active serological status. Over four weeks, two groups of twenty patients each will intravenously receive 6 or 12 mg/kg/week of SM101, while 10 patients will receive placebo. 30 clinical sites in Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK will participate.

The primary endpoint of the proof-of-concept trial is safety based on the incidence of adverse events according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). Further safety endpoints comprise, among others, vital signs, body temperature, body weight, electrocardiogram, safety laboratory assessments, and the occurrence of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs). Efficacy is determined by overall and renal disease score assessments, proteinuria, urine sediment, a number of biochemical, biological and molecular markers, and use of rescue medication. Results of the trial are expected for 2013.

SM101 already has been shown to have an excellent safety and tolerability profile as well as favorable pharmacokinetics in a Phase Ia trial in 48 healthy volunteers completed in 2009. Subsequently, a Phase Ib/IIa multi-center clinical trial for the treatment of Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) was started in early 2010.