Sparrow Pharmaceuticals today presented data from an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of HSD-1 inhibitor clofutriben (SPI-62) and prednisolone in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) at the 2024 Annual European Alliance for Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR 2024; June 12 – 15 in Vienna, Austria) that suggest HSD-1 inhibition can allow for effective treatment with glucocorticoid medicines with fewer side effects.

A highlighted session, “75^th Anniversary of Glucocorticoids – what have we learnt?” discussed recent clinical developments and key learnings from the use of glucocorticoids over the past 75 years. David Katz, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Sparrow, presented findings on the impact that co-administration of an HSD-1 inhibitor (clofutriben) with a glucocorticoid medicine (prednisolone) has on efficacy and glucocorticoid toxicity in patients with PMR. The findings highlight:

• Prednisolone 10mg combined with clofutriben 6mg demonstrated less efficacy compared to prednisolone 10mg administered with placebo, but with improvement on prednisolone toxicities (bone formation and resorption biomarkers, lipidemia, and insulin resistance.)
• Prednisolone 20mg combined with clofutriben 6mg demonstrated similar efficacy as determined by symptoms, physical function, and systemic inflammation, while maintaining improvement on markers of prednisolone toxicity, compared to prednisolone 10mg administered with placebo.

“These new results suggest that glucocorticoids formed by HSD-1 have a large role in tissues where glucocorticoid excess causes morbidity, and a lesser role in the immune system where glucocorticoid medicines have efficacy,” said Dr. Katz. “We hope future clinical trials will demonstrate that prednisolone combined with clofutriben can be the effective and safe glucocorticoid medicine for which patients have waited over 75 years.”

To learn more about Sparrow Pharmaceuticals and clofutriben (SPI-62), visit www.sparrowpharma.com.

About Sparrow Pharmaceuticals

Sparrow Pharmaceuticals was founded to spare patients the ravages of steroids. Leveraging underappreciated scientific insights into glucocorticoid biology, the company is working to provide better treatment options for serious disorders of hypercortisolism, and to revolutionize the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Its lead product, clofutriben (SPI-62), is an oral, small molecule, novel therapeutic treatment designed to target a source of active intracellular glucocorticoids in key tissues.

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