Immune Pharmaceuticals extends enrollment for BP drug study

Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. will broaden enrollment eligibility criteria for its 10-patient open label study of Bertilimumab in the treatment of Bullous Pemphigoid (BP) after data was compiled from three patients who completed treatment.
BP, a rare autoimmune disease, causes blistering of skin and mainly affects patients older than 60.
"BP patients suffer extremely uncomfortable symptoms and must be treated,” Dr. Neil Korman, professor of Dermatology at Case Western University, said in a statement. “High dose steroids help control the symptoms, however they expose patients of any age, and particularly older populations, to significant medical risks. Dermatologists have limited treatment options other than steroids at this time. Bertilimumab may offer new hope for patients.”
Korman noted that subjects in the study showed promising results, according to early data.
"The early data from the study's subjects have been very encouraging in terms of safety, control of symptoms measured by the BPDAI, a clinically validated disease index, and tapering of steroids to 10 mg daily or less,” Korman said. “The ability to now include BP patients who have previously been diagnosed but cannot be successfully tapered off of steroids together with newly diagnosed patients, will provide further insight into which BP patients might potentially benefit from this treatment, and better inform the design of a future study in this disease."