Circassia initiates Phase II asthma trial

Circassia has initiated a Phase II clinical study of its ToleroMune technology in allergy patients with asthma.

The trial builds on positive Phase II results that demonstrated the potential clinical benefits of ToleroMune allergy therapy, and extends clinical investigations to those with allergy-associated asthma, the company said.

The latest study, which is underway in Canada, will enroll 48 patients with confirmed cat allergies and cat-allergen induced asthma. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will study the use of a standard dose of ToleroMune administered over a number of weeks. This is in marked contrast to most current immunotherapy treatments, which require carefully escalated weekly dosing over many months, followed by further monthly doses for several years, to reduce the risk of potentially serious adverse reactions, noted Circassia.

During the study, each patient will receive a controlled ‘challenge’ with cat allergens, both before and after treatment, to allow investigators to assess the effect of ToleroMune therapy compared to placebo.

Steve Harris, CEO of Circassia, said: This study marks an important milestone in the development of our ToleroMune anti-allergy technology, as it extends our target patient group to those with more serious allergies that can result in asthma attacks. We believe that Circassia’s allergy therapies will offer patients important clinical benefits.