Results from NovaGo Therapeutic's Phase IIb NISCI trial supports need for further investigation of antibodies to Nogo protein in people with motor-incomplete spinal cord injury

Key takeaways from the study:

• The aim of this was to evaluate the efficacy of the antibody drug, NG101, on recovery in patients with acute cervical traumatic spinal cord injury.

• The study included 129 patients, with 80 patients treated with the NG101 drug and 49 in the placebo group.

• Findings showed no evidence of efficacy of the therapy across the entire cohort in relation to the main outcome of the study (i.e. UEMS*)

*The Upper Extremity Motor Score (UEMS) is a clinical assessment tool used to evaluate the motor function and strength of the upper extremities (i.e. hands, arms) in individuals, particularly those with spinal cord injuries (SCI) or other neurological conditions.

• A shift towards a more favourable SCIM* self-care outcome was observed in patients treated with the NG101 drug, which is encouraging.

*SCIM (Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems) Self-Care refers to a set of assessments and tools used to measure a person's ability to perform self-care tasks (e.g. bathing, brushing teeth, dressing, moving around in a wheelchair etc.) after a spinal cord injury (SCI).

• These results support further investigation of antibodies to Nogo protein in people with motor-incomplete spinal cord injury.

Link to the study

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The placebo-controlled study was executed in 13 different clinics across the Europe, including Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic and Spain.

"It is the largest study to date that shows that the spinal cord of paraplegics can regenerate," says Armin Curt from the Balgrist University Hospital in Zurich, who co-initiated and organized the study.

"We are very pleased with the result because these improvements make a big difference for those affected," says Martin Schwab, Swiss neuroscientist at the University of Zurich who led the study.

Source: Tages Anzeiger - DE version / EN version