Apitope has built up an impressive pipeline of potential therapeutic product candidates and diagnostics.

Multiple Sclerosis

Apitope’s lead product candidate is ATX-MS-1467, a potentially disease-modifying therapy for the treatment of MS.

ATX-MS-1467 is a novel peptide-based therapeutic derived from Apitope’s proprietary technology platform. It is designed to target up to 70% of MS patients who have a specific genetic profile.

It consists of four short peptides that are derived from myelin basic protein, a key autoantigen in MS. It is designed to induce immunological tolerance of the body’s T cells to key autoantigens thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of MS. This peptide therapeutic has completed an initial clinical study in six patients with secondary progressive MS.

The figure below illustrates the powerful effect of the Apitopes™ approach in a pre-clinical relapsing-remitting disease model of MS to almost completely abolish relapses.

In January 2009, Apitope signed an agreement with Merck Serono valued up to EUR154 million for the development and commercialisation of ATX-MS-1467.

Under the terms of the agreement, Apitope will initially be responsible for the further development of ATX-MS-1467, for which Merck Serono will fund the costs. Merck Serono will be responsible for all development activities from the beginning of Phase II clinical trials. Merck Serono will also provide funding to Apitope for research on other novel therapeutic peptides for the treatment of MS.

Factor VIII inhibitor

The ATX-F8 discovery programme identifying Apitopes™ to prevent Factor VIII inhibitor formation. A Product Candidate is expected to be nominated in the next 12 months.

Pipeline