AB Science SA, a pharmaceutical company specialized in research, development and marketing of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), today announced the successful completion of a futility analysis related to the masitinib phase 3 trial for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
Today, between 5 and 10 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease in the USA and Europe. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia among western countries, corresponding to about 60% of cases. Worldwide, it is thought that there are more than 15 million people affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
Founded in 2001, AB Science has developed a proprietary portfolio of molecules and the Company’s lead compound, masitinib, has already been registered for veterinary medicine in Europe and in the USA.
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. The potential therapeutic benefit of masitinib in Alzheimer’s disease is linked to two possible mechanisms of action: the role of mast cells in neuroinflammation and regulation of the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) permeability; and the inhibition of the protein kinase Fyn, which is involved in Aβ signaling and Tau phosphorylation.
Proof of concept for the evaluation of masitinib in Alzheimer’s disease was established through a 35 patient double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 study. The ongoing phase 3 trial is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study designed to assess the safety and efficacy of masitinib in patients with confirmed mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The study successfully passed all safety data reviews by the Independent Data Safety Monitoring Committee (IDMC), indicating that there is no major or unexpected safety concern with masitinib in this patient population.
Based on these results, provided by the IDMC, AB Science SA stock share prices increased by more than 16% around 9:00am February 10th. Definitely a promising sign for the future of the company 😉