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ARCA biopharma Announces FDA Approval of IND Application for AB201 as a Potential Treatment for COVID-19
Initiation of Phase 2b clinical trial anticipated in Q4 2020Trial to enroll approximately 100 patients hospitalized with COVID-19Topline data anticipated Q2

About this update from Oruka Therapeutics, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Initiation of Phase 2b clinical trial anticipated in Q4 2020Trial to enroll approximately 100 patients hospitalized with COVID-19Topline data anticipated Q2 2021 WESTMINSTER, Colo., Oct. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ARCA biopharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABIO), a biopharmaceutical company applying a precision medicine approach to developing genetically targeted therapies for cardiovascular diseases, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for AB201 (rNAPc2) as a potential treatment for patients hospitalized with COVID-19. ARCA anticipates initiating a Phase 2b/3 sequential clinical trial, ASPEN-COVID-19, of AB201 in approximately 100 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the fourth quarter of this year, with Phase 2b followed by a contiguous Phase 3 study that is dependent on Phase 2 results. The Company anticipates topline data from the trial in the second quarter of 2021.\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr. Michael Bristow, President and CEO, ARCA biopharma, Inc.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n The planned Phase 2b trial is anticipated to be a randomized comparison of two dose regimens of AB201 versus heparin prescribed per local standard of care. The clinical course of some patients with COVID-19 is complicated by a virus-triggered coagulopathy that includes thrombotic events and inflammatory processes, thought to be mediated in part by tissue factor production. AB201 is a potent tissue factor inhibitor anticoagulant with anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. The primary endpoint of the trial will be change in D-dimer level from baseline to Day 8. D-dimer is a biomarker commonly used for assessing coagulation activation, which is elevated in approximately 50% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and is directly associated with adverse clinical outcomes. If Phase 2b indicates a favorable effect on D-dimer levels, following FDA review of the data and identification of the proposed Phase 3 AB201 dose, the Company anticipates that clinical investigative sites will begin enrolling in the planned Phase 3 clinical trial. The primary endpoint of Phase 3 will be clinical recovery as measured by the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT-1) ordinal scale, with secondary endpoints that include D-dimer levels and the number of thrombotic events. Phase 3 will be ...