Hutchison China MediTech launches trial for autoimmune disorder treatment

Hutchison China MediTech has launched a clinical trial of HMPL-523, a novel spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in patients with immune thrombocytopenia, an autoimmune disorder that can lead to increased risk of bleeding.

The AIM -listed company said the first patient was dosed on 12 August in China and said approximately 50 to 60 patients would be enrolled in the placebo-controlled Phase Ib clinical trial.

The trial is primarily investigating the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and preliminary efficacy of HMPL-523.

The primary endpoint is the number of patients with any adverse event, while the secondary endpoints are maximum plasma concentration, area under the concentration-time curve in a selected time interval, and rate of clinical remission at week 8.

Preliminary results of the dose escalation stage in a Phase I study in China of use of the drug in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphomas were presented in 2018, while a now complete Phase I dose escalation study in Australia in healthy volunteers showed that HMPL-523 was generally well tolerated.

Hutchison China Meditech shares were up 1.35% at 339.00p at 1054 BST.