The Huntington Study Group hosted a virtual conference from October 29th – 31st, covering clinical trial updates, education, and training for HD doctors and researchers. The first two days of the event were geared towards academics and clinicians, but HDBuzz has provided lay summaries of Day 1 and Day 2 that will bring you up to date with the latest news from companies developing treatments for HD. Highlights included an announcement from Novartis of plans to initiate a clinical trial of branaplam, a drug that could be taken by mouth to achieve huntingtin-lowering, and other therapeutic approaches from Annexon and Prilenia that are entering clinical trials.
Prilenia Initiates PROOF-HD Study of Pridopidine
Prilenia issued a press release last week stating that their drug pridopidine has entered a large Phase 3 clinical trial for HD. This study builds on a previous study of pridopidine in HD, which did not meet its key clinical goals. However, because the drug showed some promise for helping people with HD to maintain their daily functions, pridopidine will now be tested for longer in a larger group of people. According to the press release and a presentation at last week’s HSG conference, the study will enroll 480 participants aged 25 or older who have been diagnosed with HD. Participants will take pridopidine for up to 78 weeks (about a year and a half) and there will be an optional open-label extension, meaning that participants can opt to continue receiving the drug following the trial. Further details can be found here. There will be around 60 study centers in the U.S., Canada and Europe. As they begin recruiting, US and Canadian sites will be listed at www.hdtrialfinder.org and at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04556656.
TODAY: Ask the Doc Webinar
HDSA and Me is an ongoing weekly series that presents unique programming ranging from talking through social distancing and its effects on HD caregivers to using adaptive yoga, music and dance to brighten your day. Today, November 5th, at 2PM Eastern, HDSA has invited two HD expert neurologists to answer your questions live. Dr. Morgan Faeder and Dr. Valerie Suski are the directors of the HDSA Center of Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh. Please register here to join.
