Shares in Immunic Inc (NASDAQ:IMUX) soared 48% in after-hours trading following the release of encouraging interim data from its phase II CALLIPER trial assessing the potential of its treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS).
Immunic's drug candidate is a nuclear receptor-related 1 (Nurr1) activator and is part of its vidofludimus calcium program.
The study looked at specific proteins in the blood, known as biomarkers, to see how effective the drug is.
The results showed that the drug reduced levels of a biomarker called NfL, which is a good sign that it's effective against MS. This was true for all types of progressive MS, not just one specific kind.
"The clear separation observed in serum NfL for vidofludimus calcium over placebo in the PMS patient population represents another major step forward for, what potentially could be, a first-in-class Nurr1 activator for MS," said Immunic chief executive Daniel Vitt.
"Although no head-to-head data is available, it is encouraging to see that vidofludimus calcium's improvement in NfL over placebo appears at least as good as, and is in fact numerically higher than that observed with historical studies of other therapeutic approaches for PMS."
Top-line data from the phase II evaluation is scheduled to be posted in April 2025.
Immunic shares advanced 77 cents to $2.36 after hours.