The speciality pharmaceutical company Tikomed has announced that the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has granted the company permission to go ahead with a Phase 2 clinical study. The planned trial will investigate the effects of the experimental drug ILB in patients who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. For more detailed information, you can view the source press release here, at Tikomed’s website.
About Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition. According to the ALS Association, ALS damages nerve cells called motor neurones that link the brain, spinal cord, and muscles. Motor neurones are involved in relaying information between the brain and muscles, and voluntary movement. As these nerve cells are progressively damaged, voluntary movement can become more difficult, and as the condition progresses, people with ALS may become unable to speak, eat, breath, and move.
Tikomed’s Planned UK Study
The Phase 2 clinical trial, approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, will study the safety and tolerability of the investigational drug ILB in fifteen patients who ALS. The study will be located at, and be conducted in collaboration with, Birmingham University Hospital in the UK. Dr Srinivasan has been announced to be the principal investigator for the study. Patients who take part in this clinical trial will be given ILB for ten weeks. A spokesperson for Tikomed said that they hope ILB will “present new possibilities for both patients and caregivers.”
Tikomed’s Swedish Study
In addition to this UK-based study, Tikomed plans to carry out another Phase 2 clinical trial of ILB in patients with ALS in Sweden. The trial is expected to involve fifteen patients who will be treated for four weeks.
