BioTuesdays

Axovant reports six-month data from Phase 2 Parkinson’s disease trial

Axovant Gene Therapies (NASDAQ:AXGT) reported six-month data from its Phase 2 trial of AXO-Lenti-PD, a gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD).

AXO-Lenti-PD uses a single lentiviral vector to deliver three genes encoding enzymes required for dopamine synthesis. The therapy is designed to provide benefit to patients for years following a single administration.

At a six-month follow-up, patients in the first dose cohort experienced an average improvement in motor score, based on the unified PD rating scale (UPDRS), of 29%. Improvements were also observed in patients’ UPDRS activities of daily living, and complications of therapy, scores.

“Our patient-focused goal of improving motor function, reducing dyskinesia, lowering the requirement for oral levodopa, and improving quality of life is made possible by the continuous dopamine replacement strategy of AXO-Lenti-PD gene therapy,” Dr. Gavin Corcoran, Axovant’s chief research and development officer, said in a statement.

“These data at six months highlight the potential for a clinically meaningful improvement over the currently available standard of care for those patients with moderate to advanced Parkinson’s disease,” he added.

Axovant expects to report initial three-month data from the second dose cohort of this trial in the fourth quarter of 2019.