Biotech company AdvanceCor reports that it has successfully completed the first phase-II clinical trial of Revacept. The overall outcome of the trial was positive. The Revacept group showed a significantly lower incidence of stroke (cerebral infarction) compared to the placebo group. This double-blind randomised trial included 158 patients with symptomatic narrowed carotid arteries who are therefore at significantly increased risk of stroke. The positive outcome of the trial raises hope that the drug can soon be widely used.

Revacept is the flagship product of Munich-based AdvanceCor GmbH. The active pharmaceutical ingredient it contains is a human Fc fusion protein that acts locally and prevents blood platelets (thrombocytes) being activated. In simplified terms, the drug covers small lesions in arteries, similar to an adhesive patch, and prevents local blood clotting. Unlike conventional blood thinners, Revacept does not affect hemostasis in general, which creates a risk of potentially life-threatening bleeding. All this has been successfully demonstrated in a controlled phase-I trial in humans AdvanceCor conducted earlier.

A larger phase-II clinical trial of Revacept in patients with coronary heart disease is currently underway. AdvanceCor is running this trial in collaboration with the team of Prof. Adnan Kastrati of Deutsches Herzzentrum Munich and the team of Prof. Steffen Massberg of the Grosshadern Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

The purpose of the trial is to explore the possible use of Revacept for another indication. AdvanceCor is now faced with high expectations. The company has its roots in Corimmun GmbH, a biotech firm that was taken over by Janssen-CILAG of Neuss for USD100 million in 2012. Co-founder Götz Münch invested part of the proceeds into the new company AdvanceCor which now continues many former Corimmun projects. The BMBF supported the foundation of Corimmun with funding under its GO-Bio programme.