SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Alkahest, Inc. (“Alkahest”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapies to treat age-related diseases, today announced an upcoming oral presentation at the 10th Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference. The Principal Investigator, Sharon Sha, M.D., will present clinical results from the PLasma for Alzheimer SymptoM Amelioration (PLASMA) Study in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Alkahest sponsored the study which was conducted at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
“We are pleased to present these results from the PLASMA study, which demonstrate the safety of plasma-derived products and suggest their potential efficacy in Alzheimer’s disease,” said Karoly Nikolich, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Alkahest. “These data add to the growing body of evidence supporting the ability of plasma compositions to counteract the biological processes underlying neurodegeneration, and reaffirm our confidence in our pipeline of first-in-class products targeting the pathways implicated in age-related disease. We look forward to advancing our lead clinical candidate, a proprietary plasma fraction, as a potential treatment for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.”
The PLasma for Alzheimer SymptoM Amelioration (PLASMA) Study
Presenter: Sharon Sha, MD, MS, Clinical Associate Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford University
Date: Saturday, November 4th, 2017
Time: 3:45 pm Eastern Time
Location: Boston Park Plaza Hotel
The primary objective of the PLASMA study was to evaluate the safety, tolerability and feasibility of repeated infusions of plasma from 18-30 year-old donors in patients with mild to moderate AD. Secondary objectives included evaluating the effect of plasma infusions on multiple clinical assessments, including assessments of functional activity. Nine subjects were enrolled, randomized and treated under the double-blind crossover protocol, and an additional nine subjects were enrolled and treated under an open-label amendment. Results indicate that the plasma infusions were generally well-tolerated, with no treatment-related serious adverse events. The results also demonstrated statistically-significant improvement in clinical assessments of functional activity.
Based on the robust safety profile and signals of efficacy seen in the PLASMA study, Alkahest plans to advance the clinical development of a proprietary next-generation plasma-derived product for the treatment of mild-moderate AD.
About Alkahest
Alkahest is a privately-held company based in San Carlos, CA developing treatments for age-related diseases, with an emphasis on cognitive dysfunction and neurodegeneration — key medical challenges of our generation. The Company’s breakthrough research has demonstrated that healthy blood plasma is able to reverse brain deficits in normal aging and disease models in animals. Alkahest is developing a pipeline of first-in-class products, including novel plasma-based products in collaboration with Grifols, a global healthcare company and leading producer of plasma therapies. Alkahest’s lead clinical candidate is a proprietary plasma-derived product that has been demonstrated to enhance cognition in preclinical studies and is well-tolerated in humans. It is currently in clinical development for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and will be produced by Grifols. For further information, see www.alkahest.com.
Contact Information
Joe McCracken
Vice President Business Development
Alkahest, Inc.
650-245-2973
jmccracken@alkahest.com
Matthew Shinseki
Stern Investor Relations, Inc.
212-362-1200
matthew@sternir.com