Galapagos NV (GLPG, Financial), the Belgian clinical stage biotechnology company that collaborated with AbbVie Inc. (ABBV, Financial) on a treatment for patients with cystic fibrosis, announced Feb. 1 that the first patient received doses during the Phase 2 clinical trial, called Albatross. The study will enroll up to 35 people.
The company aims to assess the safety and tolerability of the corrector GLPG2222  in patients with cystic fibrosis.The patients must have been treated with Kalydeco (ivacaftor), which is produced by Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), for at least 28 days at the time of the visit.Â
Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common rare genetic diseases. It mostly affects the lungs, but can have an effect on other organs. It causes a broad range of gastrointestinal and respiratory problems. Although the degree of involvement differs greatly from person to person, persistent pulmonary infections cause progressive damage to the lung tissue and is a major cause of morbidity in cystic fibrosis patients. A child born with cystic fibrosis has two defective genes inherited from his or her parents, one from each parent, of the CFTR protein. The carrier frequency of these genes in the Western Hemisphere is one out of 25 people.
The company says participants in the Albatross study will receive one of two active doses of GLPG2222 or a placebo every day for 29 days to test its safety and efficacy. Secondary endpoints include assessments of expiratory volume in one second, the concentration of sweat chloride and the impact on the patients' overall health. The results of the study are expected to be released during the final quarter of 2017.
Galapagos is currently trading around $67.42, down 46 cents or -0.68%. The company has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion with 46.17 million outstanding shares.
AbbVie is trading around $60.71, down 18 cents or -0.30% from the previous trading day.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stock mentioned in this article.
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