Lynk Pharmaceuticals has dosed the first patient with its drug LNK01001 in a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory disorder.
Developed by Lynk, LNK01001 is a Janus Kinase 1 (JAK1) selective inhibitor indicated to treat autoimmune diseases.
The double-blind, randomised Phase II study, which is also placebo-controlled, will evaluate the efficacy as well as safety of the capsules in active ankylosing spondylitis patients.
Lynk Pharmaceuticals chief medical officer Dr Sherry Weigand said: “Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disease for which there is no cure, and the clinical demands for an optimal therapy for the disease management are far from being satisfied.
“The results of LNK01001 Phase I clinical research have shown that it is safe and well tolerated, we will accelerate the clinical development of this innovative drug in the hope of bringing a new option to patients with ankylosing spondylitis.”
LNK01001 completed Phase I trials in healthy subjects last year. Phase II clinical trials of the drug are currently underway for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Department of Rheumatology and Immunology director professor Xiaofeng Zeng said: “The preclinical data of LNK01001 shows its therapeutic potential, and we have seen good safety and tolerability in the Phase I studies. I am looking forward to the excellent performance of LNK01001 in the Phase II clinical trial.”
Zeng is also the principal investigator of the study.
