Kent biotech Levicept makes major pain treatment breakthrough

Levicept, a biotech based at Kent’s Discovery Park, has announced promising results from its Phase II trial of LEVI-04 – a treatment for osteoarthritis and other pain indications.

The multi-centre, double-blind trial involved more than 510 participants with pain and disability due to osteoarthritis of the knee, across both Europe and Hong Kong.

At week 17, the mean reduction in WOMAC pain score from baseline was greater than 50 per cent for all three doses of LEVI-04 and all statistically different to placebo.

Levicept intends to submit full results for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Professor Philip Conaghan MD, director at NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre and principal investigator, said: “These results are truly exceptional and clinically meaningful in their extent.

“Safe and effective pain management is of critical importance in arthritis, with existing treatments limited by adverse effects, addiction liabilities and poor efficacy.

“In this trial, LEVI-04 has demonstrated the potential to safely harness the analgesic properties of neurotrophin-3 inhibition and offer a vital new treatment option to millions of patients in huge need.

“If Phase III trials replicate these results, LEVI-04 would represent a major break-through for osteoarthritis treatment, and with substantial potential in other pain indications.”

Globally, 595 million people had osteoarthritis (OA) in 2020, affecting 7.6 per cent of the population.

The market opportunity for drugs that treat OA is estimated to be worth more than $10 billion.

Kevin Johnson, chairman of Levicept and partner at founding investor Medicxi, added: “The results from this robust and large-scale Phase II fully validate the belief of Levicept’s founders and investors that LEVI-04 could be a genuine breakthrough in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

“They also leave Levicept exceptionally well-positioned to consider the next strategic options to advance LEVI-04’s development.”