Xoma Shares Rise 6% After-Hours on Encouraging Phase 2 Gevokizumab Results

XOMA Corporation

, a leader in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies, today announced very encouraging results from two Phase 2 clinical studies that are part of the Company's broad gevokizumab proof-of-concept ("POC") program. Erosive Osteoarthritis of the Hand Phase 2 POC Study The Phase 2 POC study in erosive osteoarthritis of the hand ("EOA") patients with elevated C-reactive protein ("CRP") levels greater than or equal to 2.5 mg/L is a double-blind, placebo-controlled study to determine if gevokizumab can improve the pain, stiffness, and physical function associated with EOA after three and six months of treatment, based upon the Australian/Canadian Osteoarthritis Hand Index ("AUSCAN™") scoring scale. AUSCAN is a validated self-administered questionnaire specifically designed to assess the three dimensions of pain, disability, and joint stiffness of osteoarthritis of the hand using a series of 15 questions. XOMA's study enrolled 85 EOA patients who were