Positive Phase I results from ChemoCentryx CCX354 study for RA presented at EULAR

Jun 17 2010

ChemoCentryx, Inc., today announced that it reported positive Phase I results for its novel drug candidate CCX354 at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR).  CCX354 is the Company's orally-active small molecule drug candidate designed to specifically target the CCR1 chemokine receptor for the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).  Data demonstrating that CCX354 was safe and well tolerated with a clear pharmacokinetic to pharmacodynamic relationship were presented today by Daniel Dairaghi, Ph.D., Director, Molecular Pharmacology of ChemoCentryx, in a poster presentation entitled "A Novel CCR1 Antagonist CCX354-C for Rheumatoid Arthritis" in Rome, Italy.  CCX354 is currently in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of patients with RA.

Study results showed that CCX354 was well tolerated and displayed a linear dose-exposure profile in single-dose and multiple-dose Phase I studies in healthy volunteers.  Plasma levels far exceeded those required for adequate receptor blockade.  High levels of receptor coverage (>90%) at the 12-hour time point were achieved after a single dose of 100 mg of CCX354.

"Our data and the reports of other labs now show that a high degree of CCR1 receptor coverage is essential to achieve a therapeutic effect in inflammatory diseases such as RA," stated Thomas J. Schall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of ChemoCentryx.  "We are very pleased that this study demonstrated the unique ability of CCX354 to selectively and sufficiently block the CCR1 receptor – objectives that other molecules in this class have been unable to achieve to date.   As such, we believe our CCR1 antagonist is best-in-class, with the potential to offer an effective drug for the treatment of patients with RA."

CCX354 is a highly potent and selective antagonist of CCR1, a chemokine receptor that drives the recruitment of inflammatory monocytes and macrophages into the joints of patients with RA. By selectively blocking the CCR1 receptor, CCX354 is designed to reduce the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the joints of RA patients and inhibiting the inflammation, swelling, pain, and associated joint destruction while minimizing the potential for off-target effects, thus providing a wider therapeutic window than currently approved therapies.