Inolimomab for acute Graft versus Host Disease


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Therapeutic Areas: Immunology
Year: 2021

Inolimomab is being developed for the treatment of grade II to IV steroid-refractory acute Graft versus Host Disease (aGvHD) in adult patients after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT). GvHD is characterised as a frequent complication of bone marrow transplantation and involves a reaction between the donor cells and the recipient's native tissues, leading to injury of the recipient's tissues. GvHD occurs in acute and chronic form. The organs most commonly affected in aGvHD are the stomach and the intestines, the skin, and the liver. Up to 50% of aGvHD patients do not respond to initial steroid treatment and are left with few therapeutic options.
Inolimomab, administered intravenously, is an artificially produced antibody that specifically recognises a protein, the CD25 antibody, found on those cells of the immune system that are activated, thereby causing the GvHD. Inolimomab is expected to bind to these cells and stop their multiplication. Cells which are not involved in the GvHD immune reaction and, therefore, not activated at the time of the administration of the product, would be preserved. If licensed, inolimomab would offer an additional treatment option for adult patients with grade II to IV steroid-refractory aGvHD after aHSCT.