What happened
Biotech investors like it when one of their companies reports gains in a developmental program, and that was the dynamic behind Tuesday's rise in the share price of Aclaris Therapeutics (ACRS 0.84%). The company's stock gained 2.5% in value on the day, a figure that trumped the 0.7% increase of the S&P 500 index.
So what
That morning, Aclaris announced that it has completed enrollment for a phase 2b clinical trial of its rheumatoid arthritis (RA) drug zunsemetinib. This targets moderate to severe cases of the affliction, which is a chronic inflammatory disorder that affects the body's joints and can spread to other parts.
The trial will take the form of a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study to test the efficacy and safety of zunsemetinib, which is administered orally. All told, 251 patients have been enrolled and will be tested at more than 20 trial sites in the U.S. and Europe.
In the press release announcing its news, Aclaris pointed out that zunsemetinib testing has gone quite smoothly so far. It quoted chief medical officer Gail Cawkwell as saying that "I am particularly encouraged by the low rate of discontinuations in this trial to date, as well as the fact that our data safety monitoring committee, which meets regularly, has not raised any concerns through this point in the trial."
The biotech said it would report the top-line results of the trial in the fourth quarter of this year.
Now what
Any advancement in investigational drug testing is cause for optimism in the biotech world. That being said, zunsemetinib still has many paces to be put through before it can be considered a viable candidate for regulatory authorization or approval. Its development is certainly worth watching regardless.
