(Reuters) -AstraZeneca on Wednesday said that its experimental therapy anselamimab did not meet the main goal of a late-stage study for the treatment of AL amyloidosis, a rare condition that causes a buildup of protein deposits in the body.
The primary outcome of the study was being measured as a combination of how long patients with advanced, heart-related amyloidosis lived and how often they were hospitalised for cardiovascular issues, the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said.
While anselamimab did not achieve statistical significance for the overall population in the study, the therapy showed clinically meaningful improvement in a sub-group of patients when compared with placebo, AstraZeneca said.
“Results from a pre-defined subgroup suggest that anselamimab, by targeting and clearing amyloid deposits, may address a leading cause of organ damage and functional impairment in these patients,” said Ashutosh Wechalekar, lead principal investigator of the trial and a professor at University College London.
AL amyloidosis, also referred to as light chain or primary amyloidosis, leads to deposits of amyloid protein in the body because of defective plasma cells.
If left untreated, the accumulation of these deposits, particularly in the heart and kidneys, can cause organ damage and dysfunction and lead to heart failure.
AstraZeneca said it was evaluating the complete data on anselamimab, which is being developed by its rare diseases Alexion unit, adding that the company plans to share data with health authorities and present them at an upcoming medical conference, without specifying when.
(Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore and Mrigank Dhaniwala)
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