IQ Therapeutics Starts Phase I Clinical Trial for Antibody Against Anthrax

GRONINGEN, The Netherlands, February 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With the dosing of the first volunteers, Dutch pharmaceutical IQ Therapeutics announced today the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial for IQ-DAA (a combination of two monoclonal human antibodies), a medicine directed against anthrax.

IQ-DAA has been developed by IQ Therapeutics for the treatment of inhalation anthrax. Pre-clinical experiments have indicated high efficacy of IQ-DAA, even in advanced stage of disease. Inhalation anthrax is a potentially deadly infectious disease with limited treatment options, in particular for the advanced stage of infection after the initial appearance of symptoms.

"IQ Therapeutics is pleased to initiate this clinical trial. It will provide valuable information regarding the safety and kinetics of IQ-DAA in humans, including an initial perspective of its potential to reach efficacious levels in humans," said Dr. Roland Lageveen, Chief Executive Officer of IQ Therapeutics. "It illustrates IQ Therapeutics' commitment to and advancements in developing fully human antibodies addressing life-threatening infections and other diseases. IQ-DAA contains two unique antibodies to neutralize Anthrax lethal toxin and it has been demonstrated to be very efficacious in animal models. It has the potential to become an important addition to the arsenal of medical countermeasures."

The Phase I clinical trial, a randomized, placebo controlled, double blind, single dose-escalating study, will focus initially on the safety and tolerability of IQNLF, one component of IQ-DAA. The study is being conducted by QPS Netherlands BV, and will initially involve 32 healthy volunteers.

About Anthrax

Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Inhalation anthrax is often fatal if not treated immediately with the proper medication, before symptoms have appeared. IQ Therapeutics is focusing on treatment of patients who have become symptomatic and could otherwise not be saved with antibiotics. IQ developed IQ-DAA, the "Dual Antibody Approach", using a combination of two monoclonal antibodies neutralizing the lethal toxin produced by Bacillus anthracis, by targeting the PA and LF components of the toxin.

About IQ Therapeutics

IQ Therapeutics BV is a human antibody technology company based in Groningen, The Netherlands. Its mission is to develop treatments with Instant Immunity(TM) against healthcare threats, in particular in biodefense, infectious diseases and oncology. The company is applying its Cloning the Human Response(TM) technology to generate and develop fully human antibodies from immunized donors. These novel antibodies populate the pipeline of IQ Therapeutics and are also generated to support the portfolios of third parties. IQ Therapeutics is a spin-off of the life science company IQ Corporation BV. DSM is a strategic partner through a venturing investment as well as supplying the manufacturing capacity for monoclonal antibodies.

For more information about IQ Therapeutics, please visit http://www.iqtherapeutics.nl

SOURCE IQ Therapeutics BV