Sep 14 2009
Kenta Biotech has presented positive Phase IIa results of its lead drug candidate, panobacumab (KBPA101), showing it is safe and well tolerated in patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The compound, a fully human IgM monoclonal antibody, has the potential to reduce mortality rates. The Phase IIa data were presented yesterday in a poster session at the 49th annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in San Francisco.
The open-label Phase IIa study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics and potential efficacy of three separate infusions of panobacumab every third day in high-risk patients with ventilator-associated and hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype O11. A total of 18-patients were treated. Thirteen patients received three doses of panobacumab and five patients received one dose. In addition to the positive safety and tolerability data, panobacumab also showed a better than expected survival rate. All patients receiving the full treatment cycle survived despite a predicted mortality of 24% according to the severity of disease classification (APACHE II).
Kenta’s CEO Violetta Georgescu-Kyburz commented on the data: “We are extremely pleased with these results. They indicate that panobacumab is safe and well tolerated in critically ill patients, as well as showing efficacy with a direct impact on patient survival. With this approach Kenta Biotech is pioneering the use of fully human IgM antibodies to develop treatments that are desperately needed for severe hospital-acquired infections.”
Lead study investigator Professor Doctor Michael Tamm of University Hospital Basel in Switzerland said: “This study shows that panobacumab is paving the way for the development of innovative treatments in the fight against life-threatening nosocomial pneumonia in intensive care, an area of high unmet medical need."
Kenta’s proprietary MabIgX® technology generates fully human antibodies that have been optimised by the human immune system. Fully human monoclonal antibodies, rather than antibodies partially derived from other species (e.g. rodents), provide a highly effective, clinically relevant response and reduce dramatically the risk of immunogenicity. Kenta’s MabIgX® antibodies effectively target bacterial pathogens independently of resistance to antimicrobial agents.
Kenta is seeking a licensing partner for panobacumab and three complementary antibodies in earlier stages of development.
http://www.kentabiotech.com/
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