PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a therapeutic antibody company, announced today that it has begun treating patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial of its experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug, KB002, an engineered human monoclonal antibody. The drug targets and neutralizes the activity of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, (GM-CSF), which is an important activator of macrophages. These cells are a major source of inflammatory cytokines and joint-degrading enzymes and are thought to play a key role in the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. KaloBios has initiated the clinical trial of its novel antibody drug candidate in Australia in rheumatoid arthritis patients with active disease.
