Press Release
Stockholm, May 23, 2006
Results from Diamyd™ study in 70 children with Autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes to be presented at the European Diabetes Meeting
Stockholm, Sweden - 23 May 2006 - Diamyd Medical AB (publ). Results from studies with the Diamyd™ therapeutic for autoimmune diabetes will be presented at the European diabetes meeting EASD in Copenhagen in September. This oral presentation will be held by professor Johnny Ludvigsson, University Hospital, Linkoping, Sweden, and will review research results from a double-blind Phase II clinical trial encompassing 70 children and juveniles with autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes. Preliminary results from the study will be communicated around August 25.
" It is rewarding to experience how this 64Kd protein, later identified as GAD, has become a key substance in the search for a treatment of autoimmune diabetes", says Professor Johnny Ludvigsson of Linköping University, Principal Investigator of the trial. "The aims of the study are to verify safety and to investigate if two shots of
Diamyd™ can improve the patients´ capacity to produce their own insulin. If two injections with
Diamyd™ can even marginally slow down the destruction of beta cells, I believe this is a breakthrough, as the therapeutic is so easy to administrate and seem to have no side-effects".
The 70 patients are divided into two groups - (1) the treatment group (35 subjects) receives two injections of 20µg Diamyd™ (GAD65 formulated in aluminum hydroxide); and (2) the placebo group (35 subjects) receives the same formulation without GAD65. Previous positive results were obtained in a smaller-scale Phase II clinical trial involving autoimmune Type 2 Diabetes patients (Type 2 Diabetes patients with GAD antibodies, so called LADA patients)
"Despite great optimism we cannot predict the result of this double blinded clinical trial until the code is broken in August", says Anders Essen-Möller, CEO of Diamyd Medical. "This is the first time that the diabetes vaccine is tested in autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes patients and thus it will be very exciting to see the outcome of this trial. This is indicated by EASD´s selection of Ludvigsson´s abstract for an oral presentation".
Upcoming presentations of Diamyd™ are scheduled for June 1st, at Operaterassen Stockholm (Anders Essen-Moller), for June 7 at Handelsbanken Capital Market, Copenhagen (Anders Essen-Moller) and for the American Diabetes Association in Washington in June (Professor Carl-David Agardh, Malmo University Hospital, Sweden.
About Diamyd Medical:
Diamyd Medical´s furthest developed project is Diamyd™ which is currently employed in three ongoing clinical trials of both autoimmune Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. With the acquisition of Nurel Therapeutics in Pittsburgh, USA, several preclinical gene therapy projects for diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage), chronic pain and cancer have been added.
For further information, please contact:
For further information, please contact: Johannes Falk, CIO , Phone: +46 (0) 8-545 654 28 Diamyd Medical AB (publ). Linnégatan 89 B, SE-115 23 Stockholm, Sweden. Tel: 08-661 00 26, fax: 08-661 63 68 or email: info@diamyd.com. Corp. Id: 556530-1420.
This announcement is made as a matter of record only and does not constitute or form any part of any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase to subscribe for, any securities in Diamyd Medical AB. This information includes statements concerning historical, present and forward-looking items and is to the "best of knowledge" of the management of Diamyd Medical and these statements may differ materially from actual facts. The Company assumes no obligation to update these statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting such statements. The Company´s Press Releases, Quarterly Reports and Annual Reports are translations from the Swedish originals. No guarantees are made that the translation is free from errors.