MedImmune of Gaithersburg, MD, is preparing to ramp up human trials of a new lupus treatment. The drug developer filed an IND application with the FDA and plans to begin human tests next year. The application springs from a collaboration MedImmune struck with Medarex in 2004 on two antibodies. MedImmune believes that it can develop a therapy to prevent flareups of lupus and trials would show if it can cure the ailment. Its work follows a recent announcement from Human Genome Sciences that its experimental lupus drug saw disappointing trial results. HGS added, though, that the data warranted further investigation. No new drug for lupus has been approved in the last 40 years.
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