Corvidia Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company, has started patient screening for a Phase 2b dose-finding study of Ziltivekimab, earlier called COR-001, it was reported on Friday.

This product is a proprietary anti-interleukin-6 ligand monoclonal antibody (anti-IL6 mAb), aimed at residual inflammatory cardiovascular risk in patients living with advanced chronic kidney disease. In two previous early phase clinical trials in chronic kidney disease patients with evidence of inflammation, the product has indicated that it decreased C-reactive protein, an inflammation marker.

The trial is called RESCUE and is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled dose-finding study of ziltivekimab. The trial explores three doses of ziltivekimab administered monthly. It will enrol 240 patients living with chronic kidney disease stages three to five with evidence of inflammation, with the primary endpoint being inflammation decrease at six months. The company will enrol patients across 50 centres in the US and it is likely to report data results from the RESCUE study in the second half of 2020.