Levicept begins Phase I of fusion protein for chronic pain

Levicept Ltd. (Sandwich, U.K.) began a Phase I trial of its chronic pain candidate IV LEVI-04 (p75NTR-Fc) in healthy volunteers and in patients with pain due to osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. LEVI-04 is a p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75 NTR) fused with an Fc fragment that partially binds nerve growth factor (NGF) and other neurotrophins.

Levicept believes its compound could provide the analgesic effect of NGF inhibition while avoiding the side effect issue that has historically tripped up mAbs that fully bind NGF. Elevated levels of NGF cause pain, but growth factors like NGF are also a key component in beneficial repair mechanisms in the joint. Thus, while complete blockade of NGF may provide an analgesic effect, it also wipes out the repair mechanisms, potentially leading to rapid progression of OA. Levicept's solution is to use a fusion protein that binds NGF with lower affinity than anti-NGF mAbs to dampen, rather than wipe out, levels of NGF and other neurotrophins (see BioCentury, Sept. 15, 2014)...