“That’s something we’re seeing with all the drugs that are trying to get DMOAD [disease modifying osteoarthritis drug] licenses at present,“ Dr. Conaghan said at the Congress, sponsored by the Osteoarthritis Research Society International.
Dr. Conaghan, who is professor of musculoskeletal medicine and director of the Leeds (England) Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, noted: “Cathepsin K is a cysteine protease that degrades the collagen matrix and stops bone resorption, so it’s got a number of potential actions,” in the development of OA.
MIV-711 is a potent, selective, and reversible inhibitor of cathepsin K, he added, which has previously been shown to have bone structure–modifying properties in preclinical models. It also has been shown to reduce CTX-I and CTX-II in healthy volunteers.
The current randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2a study included two active treatment (100 mg and 200 mg, once daily) arms and one placebo arm. For inclusion, patients had to have knee pain rated as 4 or higher on an 11-point NRS and Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 or 3 knee OA.