Assessing Phase 2 Data on Bepranemab’s Effect on Tau Accumulation and Cognitive Function: Matthew Barton, PhD

WATCH TIME: 3 minutes

“This is the first clinical trial reporting evidence of slowing tau accumulation with an anti-tau antibody, particularly one targeted to the tau mid-region, showing promising cognitive outcomes.”

TOGETHER is a phase 2a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-arm study (NCT04867616) assessing bepranemab, an investigational anti-tau antibody targeting the mid-region of the tau protein, in patients with prodromal to mild Alzheimer disease (AD). A total of 466 patients took part in the study, undergoing treatment in the double-blind phase for a duration of 80 weeks. Most participants transitioned into the 48-week open-label extension phase, where they received bepranemab treatment for 44 weeks. This was followed by a safety follow-up visit scheduled 20 weeks after their final infusion.

New data from the TOGETHER study presented at the recently concluded 2024 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference, held October 29 to November 1, in Madrid, Spain, showed that the treatment displayed no beneficial effect in the in the primary end point, Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) total score, compared with placebo at 80 weeks. Despite these results, bepranemab demonstrated a significant improvement in the change between baseline and week 80 in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale total score, the second end point of the study.^1,2

During the meeting, senior author Matthew Barton, PhD, clinical program lead for the bepranemab Alzheimer's program at UCB, sat down with NeurologyLive^® to further discuss how targeting the mid-region of tau with bepranemab impacted tau accumulation and cognitive outcomes. He also spoke about the patient subgroups that showed greater sensitivity to bepranemab in the study. Furthermore, Barton, who also serves as the head of global clinical development for immunology/bone at the company, talked about the next steps that are required to confirm the findings of this phase 2 trial in larger, more diverse populations.

Click here for more coverage of CTAD 2024.

REFERENCES
1. Citron M, Barton ME, Bateman RJ. Results from TOGETHER, a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study evaluating efficacy, safety and tolerability of bepranemab in prodromal–mild Alzheimer’s disease. Presented at: 2024 CTAD; October 29-November 1; Madrid, Spain. LBS3.
2. UCB Presents Encouraging Data on Bepranemab in Early Alzheimer’s Disease in Phase 2a Study at CTAD 2024. News Release. UCB. Published October 31, 2024. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.ucb.com/stories-media/Press-Releases/article/UCB-Presents-Encouraging-Data-on-Bepranemab-in-Early-Alzheimer-s-Disease-in-Phase-2a-Study-at-CTAD-2024