Poolbeg Pharma (AIM:POLB) has dosed the first patient in its POLB 001 TOPICAL clinical trial.
The AIM-listed clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company is testing POLB 001 as a potential preventative therapy for cytokine release syndrome, a common and sometimes serious side effect in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who receive the approved bispecific antibody teclistamab.
Johnson & Johnson is supplying teclistamab for the trial at no cost to Poolbeg.
University College London Hospital has been activated as a second clinical trial site, with patient recruitment underway there.
Poolbeg expects additional sites to open imminently, and said the trial has drawn unsolicited interest from haematology investigators wanting to participate.
Interim data remains on track for late summer 2026, a point the company describes as a significant value inflection for the programme.
Poolbeg is also progressing partnering discussions with multiple companies, which it expects to accelerate as more clinical data emerges.
A recent US Food and Drug Administration pre-IND meeting has clarified the regulatory pathway, and independent US payer research has supported premium pricing assumptions for POLB 001, reinforcing what the company describes as multi-billion-dollar peak sales potential.
"As recruitment progresses and additional clinical sites become active, we anticipate a steady stream of operational updates ahead of interim data later this summer," said Jeremy Skillington, chief executive of Poolbeg Pharma.
