Antisense Therapeutics Receives Approval to Restart Phase IIa Trial of ATL1102 for Patients with MS: Antisense Therapeutics Limited has received approval from the Ethics Committee of the University of Essen in Germany to restart the Phase IIa trial of its antisense compound, ATL1102, for patients with relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis. The University of Essen is the primary trial site for the Phase IIa clinical trial. Patient enrollment and dosing are expected to commence at this center in the February/March timeframe.

This multi-center, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled Phase IIa clinical trial is designed to assess the activity and safety of ATL1102 in 80 MS patients. The drug will be delivered by subcutaneous injection on a twice-a-week dosing schedule at a dose of 400 mg per week. The goal of the Phase IIa trial is to obtain preliminary evidence of the drug's effectiveness, which will be evaluated using MRI indices. MRI's will be conducted at monthly intervals over the eight-week dosing period and at monthly intervals during the eight-week period following completion of dosing....more