CSL Behring Announces Immunoglobulin Research Grant Winners

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., June 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CSL Behring announced today at the Peripheral Nerve Society's Inflammatory Neuropathy Consortium (INC) meeting at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, the winners of its annual Interlaken Leadership Awards.  There are two 2016 recipients of this annual global awards program which provides monetary grants and/or product supply for investigational use to support research focusing on the potential role of immunoglobulin (Ig) therapy in the treatment of neurological/neuromuscular disorders. 

Dr. Anneke van der Kooi, a neuromyologist at the University of Amsterdam, will examine early intravenous Ig treatment in newly diagnosed idiopathic inflammatory myopathies [myositis].  Dr. Lisa Christopher-Stine, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine and Neurology at Johns Hopkins University, will study low dose intravenous and subcutaneous Ig as a maintenance treatment of statin-induced anti-HMGCR-associated myopathy. 

"Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs), or myositis, are associated with a high disease burden for patients. With this study, we hope to show that IVIg is a good candidate for induction treatment in IIMs to realize fast improvement and avoid muscle damage and even permanent disability," says Dr. van der Kooi.

Dr. Christopher-Stine adds, "While no clinical trials have been performed to establish the efficacy of immunosuppressive medications for statin-induced anti-HMGCR-associated myopathy, retrospective studies show the promise of IVIg. The results from this study will aim to contribute to the design of future trials that will further define the role of Ig in the treatment of patients with statin-associated immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy."

"It is well known that those affected by neurological and neuromuscular conditions typically carry a high disease burden.  The Interlaken Leadership Awards were established to help unlock the promise of Ig treatment for these conditions and improve the quality of life for these patients," comments Karen MacPhail, Senior Director, Immunology, CSL Behring.  She adds, "At CSL Behring, we are committed to supporting focused, innovative research like Dr. van der Kooi's and Dr. Christopher-Stine's."

This program has awarded over $5 million in grants and study drug over the past 6 years for researching Ig therapy in a variety of neurological/neuromuscular disorders including neuromyelitis optica (NMO), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), paraneoplastic syndromes, autoimmune peripheral neuropathies, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and neuromuscular junction (NMJ) disorders such as myasthenia gravis and Lambert Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome. 

The global review committee seeks proposals likely to advance innovative medical research and knowledge about the potential role of Ig therapy to improve the lives of patients who have disabling neurological/neuromuscular conditions.  All proposals received for the Interlaken Leadership Awards program are evaluated based on scientific merit, strength of hypothesis, relevance to neuroimmunology and feasibility.

About CSL Behring

CSL Behring is a global biotherapeutics leader which is driven by its promise to save lives. Focused on serving patients' needs by using the latest technologies, we develop and deliver innovative therapies that are used to treat coagulation disorders, primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema, inherited respiratory disease, and neurological disorders. The company's products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn.

CSL Behring operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. The parent company, CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, employs more than 16,000 people with operations in more than 30 countries. For more information visit www.cslbehring.com and follow us on www.Twitter.com/CSLBehring.

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SOURCE CSL Behring