CSPC PHARMA: ALMB-0166 has been approved for clinical trials in China for the treatment of Parkinson's disease

According to the announcement from CSPC PHARMA (01093), the ALMB-0166 developed by the group has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration of China to conduct Phase II clinical trials in China to evaluate the efficacy of ALMB-0166 in patients with Parkinson's disease. ALMB-0166 is a first-in-class humanized monoclonal antibody inhibitor targeting the novel target gap junction protein Connexin 43 (Cx43), independently developed by the company's subsidiary AlaMab Therapeutics Inc., for the treatment of neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease, acute ischemic stroke, and acute spinal cord injury. Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease globally, characterized by the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and the formation of Lewy bodies. The etiology of Parkinson's disease is not yet fully understood, with clinical manifestations prominently featuring motor symptoms such as resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, postural instability, and non-motor symptoms such as sleep disturbances, cognitive, and psychiatric disorders. Both motor and non-motor symptoms gradually worsen with disease progression, severely affecting patients' quality of life and imposing a heavy economic and caregiving burden on families and society. Currently, treatment drugs and methods for Parkinson's disease, including those centered around levodopa, can only alleviate symptoms and cannot reverse disease progression or achieve a cure. Therefore, given the limitations of existing treatment methods, there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutic drugs and therapies in the field of Parkinson's disease to effectively slow disease progression and improve patients' quality of life. ALMB-0166 targets Cx43 gap junctions to inhibit the release and spread of neuroinflammatory factors, thereby maximizing its protective effect on the nervous system. Preclinical studies in subacute and chronic Parkinson's disease animal models have shown that ALMB-0166 can significantly inhibit the reduction of dopamine levels in the brain of animals and significantly restore their behavioral abilities and functions, while also demonstrating a good dose/effect relationship. The group will make every effort to advance the clinical research of ALMB-0166 for different indications, striving for its market launch as soon as possible