Poolbeg Pharma (AIM:POLB) said recruitment for its POLB 001 TOPICAL trial is progressing well, with eight participants dosed out of a planned cohort of about 30.
The AIM-listed, Dublin-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company is testing POLB 001, an oral p38 MAPK inhibitor, as a preventative therapy for cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma patients treated with the bispecific antibody teclistamab.
Dosing has advanced from a six-patient safety cohort disclosed previously, and further clinical sites have expressed interest in joining the study, which Poolbeg said supports potential site expansion in the coming months.
"With eight participants dosed since mid-July and continued patient and investigator interest in the study, the trial continues to advance positively," said Jeremy Skillington, chief executive of Poolbeg Pharma.
The first patient was dosed in July, when University College London Hospital was activated as a second trial site alongside The Christie NHS Foundation Trust; Johnson & Johnson supplies teclistamab for the trial at no cost.
Poolbeg has built out POLB 001's patent estate in parallel, securing grants or allowances in Australia, Canada, Europe, South Africa and, most recently, Israel.
Interim TOPICAL trial data remains on track for late summer 2026, a readout management has described as a significant value inflection point for the programme.