Memo Therapeutics launches pivotal trial in the USA

Memo Therapeutics AG(MTx), a company specializing in the field of antibody research based in the canton of Zurich, has launched a pivotal Phase II/III clinical trial in the USA with AntiBKV. The first patient has now been enrolled in the study, which will be crucial for authorizing the drug, further details of which can be found in a press release. According to Memo Therapeutics, the antibody therapeutic AntiBKV targets BK polyomavirus (BKV) infections, which are a common side effect in the wake of  kidney transplants. In the study, 60 renal transplant patients with BK viraemia are to be evaluated.

“The start of this U.S. pivotal Phase II/III clinical trial with AntiBKV is a significant milestone for us”, comments Dr. Jürgen Beck, Chief Medical Officer of Memo Therapeutics AG, in the press release. “We believe that AntiBKV, with its 100x more potent neutralization capacity than benchmark antibodies, has great potential to help renal transplant patients”, he adds. Interim results are expected in the course of 2023.

“This is the first time that a pivotal trial treating this devastating infection has been started. Therefore, AntiBKV could be a first and best-in-class therapeutic addressing the desperate need of kidney transplant patients affected by BKV”, as Dr. Karsten Fischer, Chief Executive Officer of Memo Therapeutics AG, explains in the press release.

MTx recently attained fast track status for AntiBKV from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The fast track process is designed to facilitate the development and accelerate the testing of drugs to treat serious diseases and to cover unmet medical needs.

Memo Therapeutics is a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) with its headquarters at the Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zürich. ce/gba