AB Science to present results from its Phase 2B/3 AB07002 study in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis at MSVirtual2020: 8th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting
Paris, September 07, 2020, 7.30am
AB Science to present results from its Phase 2B/3 AB07002 study in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis at MSVirtual2020: 8th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting
AB Science SA (Euronext - FR0010557264 - AB) today announced that an abstract reporting results from its Phase 2B/3 AB07002 study in primary progressive (PPMS) and non-active secondary progressive (nSPMS) multiple sclerosis, has been selected for a platform presentation during the 8th Joint Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) - European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) Meeting, taking place September 11-13, 2020. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting will move to a virtual format this year – MSVirtual2020.
Patrick Vermersch, Professor of Neurology at Lille University in France and coordinating investigator of study AB07002, will present key data from the positive Phase 2B/3 study as part of the Free Communications oral presentation session. This abstract is accessible online from the MSVirtual2020 site:
Details for the presentation are as follows:
Presentation Title: Masitinib in primary progressive (PPMS) and non-active secondary progressive (nSPMS) multiple sclerosis: Results from phase 3 study AB07002
Session: FC04 - Free Communications
Date/Time: Sunday September 13, 2020; 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM (Eastern Standard Time)
The Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting is the world’s largest international conference devoted to basic and clinical research in multiple sclerosis. This meeting regularly attracts up to 10,000 participants from across the globe and is well-attended by key opinion leaders and decision-makers in MS research and healthcare policy.
Patrick Vermersch, Professor of Neurology at Lille University in France and coordinating investigator of study AB07002 said, “These results are important because it is the first time that a drug targeting innate immune cells, such as mast cells and microglia, as opposed to the usual strategy of targeting adaptative immune cells, such as B-cells and T-cells, has demonstrated a beneficial impact on the course of primary progressive and non-active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. Indeed, selection for a platform presentation at this prestigious meeting is a clear indication of the level of interest being generated by this innovative approach and masitinib’s potential impact on treating progressive forms of multiple sclerosis”.
Olivier Hermine (President of the Scientific Committee of AB Science and member of the Académie des Sciences in France), commented, “Masitinib is a first-in-class oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, capable of slowing functional decline in progressive MS without any apparent negative impact on B-cell or T-cell activity. These positive clinical findings also represent important supportive evidence implicating mast cells and macrophage/microglia to the pathophysiology of truly progressive MS”.
Phase 2B/3 study AB07002, evaluated oral masitinib in primary progressive (PPMS) and non-active secondary progressive (nSPMS) multiple sclerosis.
There are two main forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), relapsing remitting (RRMS) and progressive (PMS). While significant progress has been made in the relapsing form of MS, with 17 approved drugs, there is still a very high unmet medical need for treating patients with primary progressive MS (PPMS) and non-active secondary progressive MS (nSPMS), with no approved drugs for nSPMS and only one for PPMS.
Considering that PPMS and nSPMS accounts for 50% of all MS patients (i.e. around 500,000 patients in Europe and North America), there is great urgency to develop treating this large population.
Relapsing forms of MS are predominantly driven by peripheral, adaptive immunity (e.g. B cell and T cell lymphocytes). Most drugs registered in RRMS target T cells and/or B cells, but failed in progressive forms of MS or had inconclusive results. In contrast, PPMS and nSPMS are predominantly driven by other mechanisms, notably the innate immune system.
Masitinib is a first-in-class oral drug designed for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis, which targets the innate immune system, specifically mast cells and microglia.
About masitinib
Masitinib is a new orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets mast cells and macrophages, important cells for immunity, through inhibiting a limited number of kinases. Based on its unique mechanism of action, masitinib can be developed in a large number of conditions in oncology, in inflammatory diseases, and in certain diseases of the central nervous system. In oncology due to its immunotherapy effect, masitinib can have an effect on survival, alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Through its activity on mast cells and microglia and consequently the inhibition of the activation of the inflammatory process, masitinib can have an effect on the symptoms associated with some inflammatory and central nervous system diseases and the degeneration of these diseases.
About AB Science
Founded in 2001, AB Science is a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), a class of targeted proteins whose action are key in signaling pathways within cells. Our programs target only diseases with high unmet medical needs, often lethal with short term survival or rare or refractory to previous line of treatment.
AB Science has developed a proprietary portfolio of molecules and the Company’s lead compound, masitinib, has already been registered for veterinary medicine and is developed in human medicine in oncology, neurological diseases, and inflammatory diseases. The company is headquartered in Paris, France, and listed on Euronext Paris (ticker: AB).
Further information is available on AB Science’s website: .
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