Unity Biotech Arthritis Drug Flunks Phase 2, Spelling Program’s End
Summary
Unity Biotechnology’s ambition to develop drugs that treat diseases of aging has failed its first test as its lead candidate, an osteoarthritis treatment, could not beat a placebo in a mid-stage clinical trial. The company says that as people grow older, these cells accumulate and drive age-related diseases of the eyes, heart, brain, and joints. By blocking the interaction of two proteins, p53 and MDM2, the small molecule drug was hoped to trigger the elimination of senescent cells that contribute to the condition. Unity tested its drug in a Phase 2 study enrolling 183 patients with moderate-to-severe osteoarthritis knee pain. None of the three doses of the test drug was able to distance itself from the sham injection, and the company said it would not advance UBX0101 to a Phase 3 clinical trial.
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