Summit reports positive results from Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment

Summit Therapeutics reported positive interim findings on Wednesday, from a recent Phase 1 trial of a new oral formulation of its SMT C1100 therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The AIM-traded drug discovery and development company focuses on advancing therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Clostridium difficile infection.

In the dose-escalating clinical trial’s initial dosing period, it said all patients achieved plasma drug levels within the range thought to be required for a potential therapeutic benefit.

The initial dose of the new formulation was one tenth of that required with the current SMT C1100 to achieve similar concentration levels in the recent Phase 1b modified diet clinical trial.

"These initial data are encouraging regarding the potential development of an improved formulation that could achieve blood levels of SMT C1100 that are above those observed with our current formulation," said Dr Ralf Rosskamp, chief medical officer of Summit.

"We have seen in a prior Phase 1 clinical trial how a balanced diet enables our current formulation to reach blood levels that we believe could provide therapeutic benefit, and our ongoing new formulation development work could provide more insight into the potential benefits of SMT C1100 on utrophin modulation in patients with DMD."

Summit said the new formulation Phase 1 clinical trial was now proceeding to evaluate a higher dose of the new formulation, with firm decisions on future development to follow full data from the trial.