BioCentury
ARTICLE | Emerging Company Profile

Complementary ALS play

Why Alsonex is targeting the complement system at C5a to treat ALS

July 11, 2017 11:20 PM UTC

Alsonex Pty. Ltd. is targeting a central component of the complement cascade to quell neuroinflammation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis without excessively dampening the immune system. That mechanism could slow disease progression and improve life expectancy on top of marketed and investigational therapies.

CEO and Managing Director Alan Robertson noted approved ALS therapies provide only modest efficacy. Rilutek riluzole may prolong life by 3-5 months but does not improve physical functioning. And in an efficacy study, Radicava edaravone slowed loss of function vs. placebo over six months by 2.49 on the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R); survival data have not yet been reported...