IXICO PLC (LSE:IXI, OTC:PHYOF) this week announced two new clinical trial contracts in its core therapeutic focus areas of Alzheimer’s disease and rare neurodegenerative disorders.
The company said the first agreement is for a phase one international trial in Alzheimer’s disease with a major pharmaceutical company. IXICO told investors this marks further progress in its plan to expand activity in Alzheimer’s programs. It added that, although the project is in the early stages, positive safety and tolerability results could lead to continued involvement in phase two and later phases.
The second agreement is for a phase 1b trial in Friedreich’s Ataxia with a US-based biotechnology company. IXICO said the study will run for six years and involve advanced imaging work, including MRI and DTI reads.
CEO Bram Goorden joined the Proactive studio to tell us more.
Proactive: Bram, very good to speak with you again. Could you tell us more about the two new clinical trial contracts IXICO has secured and why they’re so significant for the company?
Bram Goorden: Glad to be here. Thanks for having me, Stephen. They are actually two very exciting deals for very different reasons, and both are very core to what we do as a company.
The first one is a phase one trial in Alzheimer’s disease for a big pharma company. It’s an international trial. We’ve been saying for a while now that we want to go deeper into Alzheimer’s disease, and this is another testament to that happening. It’s a phase one trial, so there’s some way to go for the client we’re working with, but it could help us go further into phase two and beyond as results are read out.
The second is equally exciting because it’s in Friedreich’s Ataxia, a rare neurodegenerative disease. This is a phase 1b trial, which will include efficacy endpoints in addition to safety and tolerability. It’s with a US biotech and will involve collaboration over the next five to six years.
Proactive: Going back to the first deal, how does the phase one Alzheimer’s trial strengthen IXICO’s position in this core therapeutic area?
Bram Goorden: There are quite a few Alzheimer’s disease programs, but it’s still important for us to win them compared to the competition. This is with a big pharma player, which shows trust in our platform, technology, and team. Starting in phase one, we hope that safety and tolerability results will help us work with the sponsor towards product approval and bringing it to patients.
Proactive: The Friedreich’s Ataxia trial runs for six years. What role is IXICO playing here and how does it support your focus on rare CNS diseases?
Bram Goorden: We’re handling the imaging — sophisticated MRI reads, DTI reads, and bringing our full capability set to the project. We’ll help the sponsor with safety and initial efficacy readouts, which will be decisive for the asset’s progression. With this disease, there are very few options for patients — about one in 50,000 people are affected. For those who are diagnosed, there’s a dire need for solutions, so it’s great to support such a program.
Proactive: You’ve mentioned the innovate, lead, scale strategy. How do these contract wins reflect your progress?
Bram Goorden: Innovate is about bringing capabilities onto the platform to make a difference. In both of these indications, our roadmap and capabilities helped win the contracts. Lead is about being part of the conversation where needed — we’re part of the global Alzheimer’s platform and the Friedreich’s Ataxia ecosystem. Scale is about being present where needed, and we’ve shown two big players that IXICO delivers.
Proactive: Bram, I hope you’ll continue to keep us updated.