Pharmalink Initiates a Pivotal Phase IIb Trial with Nefecon® in Patients with Primary IgA Nephropathy

STOCKHOLM, December 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Pharmalink AB, a Swedish specialty pharma company, today announces it has initiated a Phase IIb study with Nefecon® (Nefigan) in patients with primary IgA nephropathy at risk of developing end-stage renal disease. Nefecon is an enteric formulation of a locally acting corticosteroid that down-regulates the inflammatory process in the kidneys through suppression of the gastrointestinal immune system.

The study is a multi-center, randomized, double-blinded placebo controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two different doses of Nefecon in 90 primary IgA nephropathy patients at risk of end-stage renal disease. The first patient was recently enrolled in the clinical trial, which will be conducted at approximately 50 participating centers across 10 European countries. The primary objective will be to investigate whether patients on Nefecon have a larger mean reduction in proteinuria compared to patients on placebo. Pharmalink expects to announce top line results in the first half of 2015.

Nefecon showed positive results in an open-labelled Phase IIa trial evaluating safety and efficacy with 16 patients at trial centers in Sweden. The final results of the study demonstrated a significant and clinically meaningful effect in the primary endpoint: reduction in proteinuria. Significant results were also seen in secondary endpoints: reduction of serum creatinine and increase in glomerular filtration rates. Furthermore, Nefecon was well tolerated with few or no-drug related side effects.

IgA nephropathy is an orphan condition and Nefecon is aimed at providing patients with IgA nephropathy a disease modifying medication.

Alex Mercer, Clinical Development Director at Pharmalink, said: "IgA nephropathy is a disease with a high unmet medical need and no approved treatments available on the market today. Progression to renal failure has a terrible impact on patients' quality of life and is a high burden to health care systems. Pharmalink hopes to bring a new medicine to patients for early treatment, halting disease progression and further loss of renal function. We look forward to confirming the highly promising results we have seen so far with Nefecon and to advancing the product in this pivotal phase IIb trial."

Nefecon^® is a patented invention by Professors Bengt Fellström and Roger Hällgren at Uppsala University (Sweden) and was acquired by Pharmalink in 2004. Nefecon^® is delivered using the proprietary TARGIT® drug delivery technology which enables the localized delivery of drugs to the lower small intestine or colonic regions of the gastrointestinal tract.

About Pharmalink

Pharmalink is a Swedish specialty pharma company developing high value products for niche indications. Pharmalink draws on its extensive experience of pharmaceutical development and marketing and the excellence of medical science in Sweden to identify and progress products that address significant unmet medical needs. With a successful history in pharmaceutical sales and marketing, and highly experienced, dynamic management team, Pharmalink is currently focused on the development of valuable, de-risked projects using a repurposing and reformulation strategy. It has two late-stage clinical phase products under development, Nefecon® and Busulipo™, having successfully divested its Xepol® product in 2010. Pharmalink is actively seeking opportunities to acquire or in-licence product opportunities in niche and hospital care indications. Visit http://www.pharmalink.se for further information.

For further information, please contact:

Pharmalink AB:
Johan Häggblad, Managing Director
+46-(0)70-668-0644
Email: johan.haggblad@pharmalink.se
http://www.pharmalink.se

Citigate Dewe Rogerson:
Chris Gardner/Nina Enegren
+44-(0)207-638-9571