In the studies, reduction in clinical scores and pathology with PRTX-100 were equivalent to the suppression seen in mice treated with etanercept. Etanercept is co-marketed by Amgen and Wyeth under the trade name Enbrel and is an FDA-approved treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. PRTX-100 was also able to delay onset and decrease severity of symptoms
The pre-clinical studies involved administering PRTX-100 into collagen-induced arthritis mouse models, which mirror many of the disease symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, including polyarthritis, synovitis and caritage/bone erosions.
“We are encouraged by the results of the study, particularly because PRTX-100 demonstrated efficacy in the gold-standard model for evaluating rheumatoid arthritis therapies,” said Steven Kane, president and CEO of Protalex.