ALK Abello completes enrolment for new Mitizax trials

ALK Abello has completed enrolment for new clinical trials of Mitizax, its new allergy immunotherapy tablet against house dust mite-induced hay fever and asthma.

More than 1,700 patients have been recruited for the two pivotal phase III studies Merit and Mitra, which will evaluate the efficacy and safety of the drug in addressing allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma respectively.

These form part of the largest development programme for any drug in ALK's history and will see subjects from 13 European nations taking part.

ALK is also working with Merck Sharpe and Dohme and Torii Pharmaceutical to strengthen the promising treatment's commercial capabilities in the US and Japan.

Henrik Jacobi, executive vice-president of research and development at ALK, said: "Mitizax has the potential to become the first-in-class disease-modifying allergy immunotherapy tablet aimed at the most common cause of allergy and allergic asthma in the world."

Earlier this month, a recent landmark trial of the groundbreaking ALK grass allergy treatment Grazax was given an editor's choice award from the American Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology thanks to its significant nature.