Kineta announces positive phase 1b clinical results for dalazatide treatment for psoriasis

Kineta recently announced positive safety and clinical results from a proof-of-concept phase 1b clinical trial of dalazatide in patients with active plaque psoriasis.

Dalazatide, formerly ShK-186, is a first-in-class drug candidate that is an inhibitor of the voltage-gated Kv1.3 potassium channel, a key channel in the activation of effector-memory T cells, according to a press release. Dalazatide has the potential to selectively target autoimmune disease-causing cells while leaving a patients’ immune response unaffected, the release stated.

Twenty-four patients with active plaque psoriasis and 3% or more body surface area involvement were randomly assigned to receive placebo or 30-µg or 60-µg doses of dalazatide twice weekly by subcutaneous injection for 4 weeks, followed by 4 weeks of follow-up. All patients who completed scheduled doses reportedly tolerated treatment well, according to the release.

Improvements in the target lesion score relative to baseline were shown by one of 10 patients in the 30-µg treatment group and five of 10 patients in the 60-µg treatment group, whereas no patients in the placebo cohort showed similar improvement. Improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score was experienced by nine of 10 patients in the 60-µg treatment group, with the mean PASI score in the cohort reaching statistical significance, according to the release.

Kineta reported biomarker analysis of blood and skin biopsies are expected later in the second quarter of 2015.

“These clinical results in psoriasis are encouraging, not only as a validation of a potential role for dalazatide in these patients, but also as an indicator of a broader role for dalazatide in other autoimmune diseases where Kv1.3 is implicated,” Alice Gottlieb, MD, PhD, dermatologist in chief at Tufts Medical Center, said in the release.

Nonclinical studies involving dalazatide have shown promise involving a number of autoimmune diseases including psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriatic arthritis, type 1 diabetes, atopic dermatitis, asthma, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody vasculitis and autoimmune uveitis, the release stated.

Reference: www.kinetabio.com.