Shares of Soligenix Inc rose about 5.2% on Thursday. The move came after the company shared positive results from an early study of its drug SGX945. The treatment is being tested for painful mouth ulcers caused by Behçet’s Disease.
The company said the results were encouraging. Out of 8 patients in the study, 7 showed clear improvement during the 4 week treatment period. What stood out even more was that the benefits did not stop when the treatment ended. The improvement continued for another 4 weeks after the drug was stopped. This suggests the drug may have a lasting effect.
The findings were published in the medical journal Rheumatology. The data showed that SGX945 performed better than a placebo when compared with results from a separate late stage study of apremilast. SGX945 showed a 40% improvement during treatment. Even by Week 8, after treatment had ended at Week 4, the improvement was still around 32%.
Soligenix pointed out that most current treatments for Behçet’s Disease need to be taken continuously. This includes apremilast, which was recently approved. These drugs often stop working once treatment ends. SGX945 appears different because its effects lasted beyond the dosing period.
The company also said SGX945 was well tolerated. No treatment related side effects were reported in the study. This is important because apremilast is known to cause side effects like diarrhea, nausea, and headaches in many patients.
Based on these results, Soligenix plans to improve the drug’s formulation. The goal is to allow patients to use it at home through a simple injection under the skin.
Behçet’s Disease is rare but serious. It affects up to 18,000 people in the US and around 50,000 in Europe. Worldwide, as many as 1 million people may live with the condition. There are limited treatment options, making this a large unmet medical need.
