6th Mar 2008 07:00
BTG PLC06 March 2008 BTG Initiates Clinical Study of Novel Multiple Sclerosis Treatment London, UK, 6 March 2008: BTG plc (LSE: BGC), the life sciences company,announces that dosing has commenced in a Phase I clinical study of BGC20-0134, apotential treatment for multiple sclerosis. The randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study will assess thepharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic and safety profiles of single and multiple oraldoses of BGC20-0134 in healthy volunteers. Louise Makin, BTG's chief executive officer, commented: "The effective treatmentof multiple sclerosis remains a significant unmet need. We are pleased to havestarted clinical development of BGC20-0134, which has the potential to addressdifferent forms of the disease and has the advantage of being an oral product." Although the cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown, there is strong evidencethat autoimmune mechanisms are involved in its development. T-cell infiltrationinto the central nervous system and resultant dysregulation of keypro-inflammatory cytokines leads to myelin loss, neuronal damage and the onsetof symptoms and disability. BGC20-0134 is a novel structured lipid designed torestore the balance between pro-inflammatory (e.g. IL-1b and TNFa) andanti-inflammatory (e.g. TGFb1) cytokines. In a pilot study of a prototype compound, patients with the relapsing-remittingform of multiple sclerosis experienced clinical benefits including decreases inboth relapse rates and EDSS scores (a standard measure of disability in multiplesclerosis), together with improvements in pain and cognitive endpoints. Inpreclinical models of multiple sclerosis, the potency of BGC20-0134 was shown tobe three times that of the prototype compound. For further information contact: BTG Financial Dynamics Andy Burrows, Director of Investor Relations Ben Atwell +44 (0)20 7575 1741; mobile: +44 (0)7990 530605 +44 (0)20 7831 3113 Christine Soden, Chief Financial Officer +44 (0)20 7575 1591 About BTG BTG in-licenses, develops and commercialises pharmaceuticals principally in theareas of neuroscience and oncology. The company has a substantial and growingrevenue stream of royalties from out-licensed products and a broad, expandinginternal pipeline of development programmes. BTG operates from offices inLondon, Philadelphia and Osaka. For further information, visit: www.btgplc.com. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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