Aslan's Rally Grows After Positive Readout From Eczema Drug Study

After soaring 81.25% Wednesday and augmenting the gains by an incremental 65% Friday, ASLAN PHARMACEU/ADR ASLN shares were  accelerating further Monday morning. 

The stock has seen  strong upward momentum since late November.

Atopic Dermatitis Drug Data 

Singapore-based Aslan, which has its ADSs listed on the Nasdaq, announced positive data Monday from the lowest-dose cohort of its ongoing multiple dose study of ASLAN004, which is being evaluated for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.

ASLAN004 is a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds to the IL-13 receptor α1 subunit, which in turn blocks signalling of two pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-4 and IL-14. These two cytokines are responsible for the triggering of symptoms of atopic dermatitis such as redness and itching of skin, according to the company. 

The Eczema Area and Severity Index scores of of three patients who completed one month of dosing were reduced by 85%, 70% and 59% from the baseline, with the EASI score continuing to drop, Aslan said. 

The company said it expects maximum efficacy at six to eight weeks. 

The investigational compound was well-tolerated, with no serious adverse events or treatment discontinuations observed, according to the company. 

Aslan's Target Market 

Atopic dermatitis, a severe form of eczema, affects more than 200 million people worldwide, severely impairing their quality of life.

About one-third of adult atopic dermatitis are characterized as moderate to severe, and there are only limited treatment options, according to Aslan. 

"We are pleased to report encouraging preliminary data from this study of ASLAN004. Whilst the data remains early, we had not anticipated to observe such pronounced improvements in patients enrolled into the lowest dose cohort," said Dr. Mark McHale, the biotech's head of R&D.

The data monitoring committee will meet in late December, after which Aslan said it plans to open the second dose cohort. The company expects to release interim results in early 2020, with the completion of the study expected in the second half of 2020.

The stock was trading 74.87% higher at $6.68 at the time of publication in Monday's premarket session. 

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