Bridge Biotherapeutics, which is developing a new drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a rare disease that causes the lungs to stiffen, announced on the 14th that it did not detect significant improvement in the results of its global phase 2 clinical trial for the candidate substance 'BBT-877.'
According to the company, there was no significant improvement in the change in forced vital capacity (FVC) at 24 weeks, the primary endpoint. The phase 2 trial of BBT-877 was conducted across five countries including South Korea, the United States, Australia, Poland, and Israel, involving a total of 129 patients to evaluate the drug's efficacy, safety, and tolerability in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
In this result, changes in forced vital capacity at 24 weeks, the primary endpoint, were observed in both the BBT-877 treatment group and the placebo group. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two patient groups.
The company plans to review individual patient data through subgroup analysis, biomarker results, and high-resolution computed tomography (CT) analysis after receiving the final clinical trial report, and to re-establish its clinical development and business strategies in the future.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a rare, intractable disease that stiffens the lungs, leading to decreased function and, in severe cases, death. The survival period after diagnosis is only 3 to 5 years. According to Bridge Biotherapeutics, the global number of patients is approximately 3 million, and the market for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis therapies is projected to reach about 10 trillion won by 2030.
BBT-877, a substance introduced from LigaChem Biosciences, works by selectively inhibiting autotaxin, a protein that causes pulmonary fibrosis, and is being developed as a first-in-class treatment that alleviates inflammation and fibrosis.