Affiris AG has started a Phase 1 study of a new vaccine for Parkinson’s disease which it says is aimed at modifying the disease rather than treating symptoms. The programme has received financial support from the Michael J Fox Foundation.
Addex Therapeutics Ltd said that its partner, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc (Johnson & Johnson), is to start a Phase 2 study of an allosteric modulator for major depressive disorder, with anxiety symptoms. The same drug is being studied in schizophrenia.
A Phase 2 trial of gantenerumab, an experimental antibody treatment for early Alzheimer’s disease, is being expanded with a view to preparing for registration, MorphoSys AG announced. The trial is being conducted by Roche.
Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH has reported new data from a Phase 2 study of its experimental vaccine for advanced colorectal cancer which showed that patients survived longer compared with a matched cohort from a larger UK Medical Research Council-supported study (COIN). The data were presented on 1 June at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.