Further clinical efficacy and pharmacology data also to be presented
SANDWICH, United Kingdom, June 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Levicept
Ltd, a biotechnology company focused on the development of LEVI-04, a first-in-class treatment for osteoarthritis (OA), will present key data from its Phase II study of LEVI-04 in patients with pain and disability due to OA of the knee at the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) conference being held in London from 3 – 6 June.
This will include analysis suggesting LEVI-04 may be acting to modify disease in OA. Bone marrow lesions, detectable on MRI and representing areas of increased bone turnover, oedema, and fibrosis, are a common feature of OA and associated with greater disease burden. Significant, dose-dependent reductions in BML presence and area were observed for LEVI-04 versus placebo. BML area was also associated with patient-reported symptom outcome scores.
In addition, Professor Philip Conaghan MBBS PhD, Director NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, Chief Investigator of the study, will present a comparison of joint safety outcomes, compared to an anti-NGF phase 2 study of comparable duration (fasinumab), further differentiating LEVI-04’s mechanism of action (NT-3 inhibition) from that of the anti-NGFs.
Further poster presentations will demonstrate LEVI-04’s clinically meaningful improvements in pain and function across a range of outcomes and effect sizes at or above those for NSAIDs and describe LEVI-04’s pharmacology as a novel neurotrophin-3 inhibitor.
Simon Westbrook, Founder and CSO of Levicept, said:
“We welcome the opportunity to present key data from our Phase II trial at EULAR. In addition to our efficacy results which have recently been published in The Lancet
i
, we will share detail of LEVI-04’s potential to directly address the OA disease process alongside its analgesic effect and differentiated safety profile. We believe LEVI-04 is the only molecule to demonstrate this potential for disease modification and analgesia in a clinical study of patients with OA.”
Levicept’s LEVI-04 trial was a multi-arm, International, multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase II study which enrolled 518 participants with pain and disability due to OA of the knee (ClinicalTrials.gov ID:
NCT05618782
).
Presentation details:
Oral presentation #OP06 – 3 June, 17:40
Comparing Joint Safety Outcomes from Phase 2 RCTs of Two Different Neurotrophin Modulators: LEVI-04 (P75NTR-FC, NT-3 Inhibitor) and Fasinumab (Anti-NGF)
Presenter: Prof Philip Conaghan MD, Chief Investigator, University of Leeds
Posters:
POS0057 - 4 June, 09:48
Title:
Mechanism of Action of the Neurotrophin-3 Inhibitor, LEVI-04, a Novel Osteoarthritis Treatment: in vitro Pharmacology and Efficacy in Animal Models
Presenter: Simon Westbrook PhD, Founder and CSO, Levicept
POS0234 – 5 June, 09:36
Title:
Reduction in Knee Osteoarthritis Bone Marrow Lesions Using the Novel Neurotrophin Modulator LEVI-04 in a Phase 2 RCT
Presenter: Simon Westbrook PhD, Founder and CSO, Levicept
POS0915 - 5 June, 09:30
Title:
Clinically Meaningful Improvements in Pain and Physical Function Across a Range of OA Outcomes, Including the OMERACT-OARSI Responder Criteria, with LEVI-04, a Novel Neurotrophin-3 Inhibitor
Presenter: Prof Philip Conaghan MD, Chief Investigator, University of Leeds
Levicept
Eliot Forster, CEO -
eliot@levicept.com
Media Enquiries
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About Levicept –
Levicept Ltd is a UK-based biotechnology company developing the first in a new class of novel, safe and efficacious biological therapies, LEVI-04 [p75NTR-Fc], for the treatment of osteoarthritis and chronic pain. LEVI-04 inhibits NT-3, one of the neurotrophin family of proteins. LEVI-04 has completed a Phase II clinical trial in more than 500 patients with osteoarthritis. It is estimated that the market opportunity for drugs that treat osteoarthritis is worth in excess of $10 billion. LEVI-04 was discovered by Levicept’s founder, Simon Westbrook. Levicept’s investors include Medicxi, Advent Life Sciences, Gilde Healthcare and Pfizer Ventures.
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Conaghan P, et al. LANCET
Volume 407, Issue 10535
, 28 March–3 April 2026, Pages 1237-1248