AL-S Pharma reports positive Phase 2 study at conference in Copenhagen

(CONNECT) AL-S Pharma presented additional Phase 2 data for its antibody AP-101 at the Alzheimer's & Parkinson's Conference in the Danish capital Copenhagen. On the morning of March 19, 2026, Dr. Angela Genge, Medical Director of the Schlieren-based biotech company AL-S Pharma, informed the participants about the encouraging results of this randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study in her presentation, according to a press release. It was conducted in the USA, Canada, the UK, South Korea and the European Union.

AP-101 is directed against the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an incurable degenerative disease of the motor nervous system that is associated with increasing muscle weakness and muscle atrophy. The average survival time is around three to five years.

Specifically, the antibody targets a specific genetic cause of ALS, namely a misfolding in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene. The global Phase 2 study reportedly confirmed the safety and tolerability of AP-101. According to the study, early treatment with the antibody extended the survival time and delayed the need for ventilation. This was accompanied by a stabilization of the disease.

"These data show something we rarely see in ALS - objective evidence of clinically meaningful disease modification that directly correlates with prolonged survival," Dr. Genge said at the conference. "The results of the Phase 2 study with AP-101 confirm the hypothesis that targeted inhibition of misfolded SOD1 is a disease-modifying approach in ALS."

The Phase 3 clinical trial is in preparation and is scheduled to begin at the end of 2026. AP-101 has already been granted orphan drug status for an accelerated approval process by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency and Swissmedic.

AL-S Pharma was founded in 2016 by the biotech company Neurimmune and the Canadian venture capital fund TVM Capital Life Science from Montreal and has since been financed by both to bring AP-101 to market maturity. AL-S Pharma is based at its parent company Neurimmune. The company, which was spun off from the University of Zurich in 2006, is based in the Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zurich. ce/mm