Gevokizumab receives orphan drug designation

Berkeley, CA-Gevokizumab, an interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta)-modulating antibody from XOMA Corp., has been granted orphan drug designation by the FDA for the treatment of non-infectious intermediate, posterior, or pan-uveitis, or chronic non-infectious anterior uveitis.

Gevokizumab is a monoclonal antibody with allosteric modulating properties and the potential to treat patients who have a wide variety of inflammatory and other diseases. Gevokizumab binds strongly to IL-1 beta, a pro-inflammatory cytokine that has been shown to be involved in Behcet's and other forms of non-infectious uveitis, cardiovascular disease, and other auto-inflammatory diseases. In binding to IL-1 beta, gevokizumab inhibits the activation of the IL-1 receptor, thereby modulating the cellular signaling events that produce inflammation.

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