Phase IIa trial results of panobacumab released

Kenta Biotech has presented positive Phase IIa results of its lead drug candidate, panobacumab (KBPA101), showing it is safe and well tolerated in patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The compound, a fully human IgM monoclonal antibody, has the potential to reduce mortality rates. The Phase IIa data were presented yesterday in a poster session at the 49th annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in San Francisco.

The open-label Phase IIa study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics and potential efficacy of three separate infusions of panobacumab every third day in high-risk patients with ventilator-associated and hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype O11. A total of 18-patients were treated. Thirteen patients received three doses of panobacumab and five patients received one dose. In addition to the positive safety and tolerability data, panobacumab also showed a better than expected survival rate. All patients receiving the full treatment cycle survived despite a predicted mortality of 24% according to the severity of disease classification (APACHE II).

Kenta’s CEO Violetta Georgescu-Kyburz commented on the data: “We are extremely pleased with these results. They indicate that panobacumab is safe and well tolerated in critically ill patients, as well as showing efficacy with a direct impact on patient survival. With this approach Kenta Biotech is pioneering the use of fully human IgM antibodies to develop treatments that are desperately needed for severe hospital-acquired infections.”

Lead study investigator Professor Doctor Michael Tamm of University Hospital Basel in Switzerland said: “This study shows that panobacumab is paving the way for the development of innovative treatments in the fight against life-threatening nosocomial pneumonia in intensive care, an area of high unmet medical need."

Kenta’s proprietary MabIgX^® technology generates fully human antibodies that have been optimised by the human immune system. Fully human monoclonal antibodies, rather than antibodies partially derived from other species (e.g. rodents), provide a highly effective, clinically relevant response and reduce dramatically the risk of immunogenicity. Kenta’s MabIgX^® antibodies effectively target bacterial pathogens independently of resistance to antimicrobial agents.

Kenta is seeking a licensing partner for panobacumab and three complementary antibodies in earlier stages of development.

http://www.kentabiotech.com/