UCB, Biogen admit defeat in PhII lupus trial, adding to a string of late-stage failures in the field
A late-stage lupus program at UCB and Biogen has followed several rivals into a wall.
Without providing details, the partners reported that their drug, dapirolizumab pegol (DZP), had failed to meet the primary endpoint, as measured by dose response at 24 weeks on a scale called the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group-based Composite Lupus Assessment (BICLA). The phase IIb trial involved 182 patients suffering from moderately-to-severely active systemic lupus erythematosus, despite standard-of-care treatment. Patients in the study were either given the drug or a placebo, and although investigators cited consistent improvements in patients on the drug, the experimental treatment did not achieve a statistically significant (p-value of 0.06) effect.
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