Rigel commences early stage trial of allergy drug

Allergic rhinitis causes chronic congestion and general inflammation of the upper respiratory tract in more than 59 million people in the US.

The trial will compare R112 to placebo, and also to GlaxoSmithKline’s nasal steroid Beconase AQ. By making the comparison between R112 and the nasal steroid, the company hopes to augment suggestions from earlier tests that R112 will work more quickly and effectively than currently available treatments in improving allergy symptoms.

R112 works by inhibiting the mast cell activation and thereby blocks the major pathways triggered in an allergic attack.

“The purpose of this trial is to verify the safety and efficacy of R112. We want to confirm that R112 is significantly superior to placebo for the treatment of allergic rhinitis and compare it with a nasal steroid,” stated Dr Elliott Grossbard, senior vice president of Medical Development at Rigel. “We are hopeful that this next study will also show that R112 could be a significant addition to current therapies.”