Oxford Biomedica partner delays Parkinson's disease treatment trial

Gene and cell therapy group Oxford Biomedica said on Friday that partner Axovant Gene Therapies had pushed out the start date for its trial into a Parkinson's disease treatment.

Oxford stated patient-level data from Axovant Gene Therapies' second cohort study into SUNRISE-PD had demonstrated "consistent, clinically meaningful outcomes" and evidence of dose-response.

However, Oxford Biomedica said the development of a suspension-based manufacturing process would take longer than initially anticipated as a result of data and finishing issues.

Axovant now anticipates that a randomised, sham-controlled trial would likely be unable to enrol patients before the end of 2021.

In June 2018, Oxford Biomedica out-licensed OXB-102, later renamed AXO-Lenti-PD, to Axovant through an $842.5m worldwide licence agreement, with a three-year clinical supply agreement later being signed in July 2020.

As of 0845 GMT, Oxford shares were down 0.47% at 812.18p.