Levicept to Present Data Suggesting LEVI-04 May Modify Disease in Osteoarthritis at EULAR 2026

Further clinical efficacy and pharmacology data also to be presented

SANDWICH, United Kingdom, June 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Levicept Ltd, a biotechnology company focused on the development of LEVI-04, a first-in-class treatment for osteoarthritis (OA), will present key data from its Phase II study of LEVI-04 in patients with pain and disability due to OA of the knee at the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) conference being held in London from 3 – 6 June.

This will include analysis suggesting LEVI-04 may be acting to modify disease in OA. Bone marrow lesions, detectable on MRI and representing areas of increased bone turnover, oedema, and fibrosis, are a common feature of OA and associated with greater disease burden. Significant, dose-dependent reductions in BML presence and area were observed for LEVI-04 versus placebo. BML area was also associated with patient-reported symptom outcome scores.

In addition, Professor Philip Conaghan MBBS PhD, Director NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, Chief Investigator of the study, will present a comparison of joint safety outcomes, compared to an anti-NGF phase 2 study of comparable duration (fasinumab), further differentiating LEVI-04’s mechanism of action (NT-3 inhibition) from that of the anti-NGFs.

Further poster presentations will demonstrate LEVI-04’s clinically meaningful improvements in pain and function across a range of outcomes and effect sizes at or above those for NSAIDs and describe LEVI-04’s pharmacology as a novel neurotrophin-3 inhibitor.

Simon Westbrook, Founder and CSO of Levicept, said: “We welcome the opportunity to present key data from our Phase II trial at EULAR. In addition to our efficacy results which have recently been published in The Lancetⁱ, we will share detail of LEVI-04’s potential to directly address the OA disease process alongside its analgesic effect and differentiated safety profile. We believe LEVI-04 is the only molecule to demonstrate this potential for disease modification and analgesia in a clinical study of patients with OA.”

Levicept’s LEVI-04 trial was a multi-arm, International, multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase II study which enrolled 518 participants with pain and disability due to OA of the knee (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05618782).

Presentation details:

Oral presentation #OP06 – 3 June, 17:40 Comparing Joint Safety Outcomes from Phase 2 RCTs of Two Different Neurotrophin Modulators: LEVI-04 (P75NTR-FC, NT-3 Inhibitor) and Fasinumab (Anti-NGF)

Presenter: Prof Philip Conaghan MD, Chief Investigator, University of Leeds

Posters:

POS0057 - 4 June, 09:48

Title: Mechanism of Action of the Neurotrophin-3 Inhibitor, LEVI-04, a Novel Osteoarthritis Treatment: in vitro Pharmacology and Efficacy in Animal Models

Presenter: Simon Westbrook PhD, Founder and CSO, Levicept

POS0234 – 5 June, 09:36

Title: Reduction in Knee Osteoarthritis Bone Marrow Lesions Using the Novel Neurotrophin Modulator LEVI-04 in a Phase 2 RCT

Presenter: Simon Westbrook PhD, Founder and CSO, Levicept

POS0915 - 5 June, 09:30

Title: Clinically Meaningful Improvements in Pain and Physical Function Across a Range of OA Outcomes, Including the OMERACT-OARSI Responder Criteria, with LEVI-04, a Novel Neurotrophin-3 Inhibitor

Presenter: Prof Philip Conaghan MD, Chief Investigator, University of Leeds

Levicept
Eliot Forster, CEO - eliot@levicept.com

Media Enquiries
Charles Consultants
Sue Charles - Sue@charles-consultants.com +44 (0)7968 726585
Chris Gardner - Chris@CGComms.onmicrosoft.com +44 (0)7956 031077

About Levicept – www.levicept.com

Levicept Ltd is a UK-based biotechnology company developing the first in a new class of novel, safe and efficacious biological therapies, LEVI-04 [p75NTR-Fc], for the treatment of osteoarthritis and chronic pain. LEVI-04 inhibits NT-3, one of the neurotrophin family of proteins. LEVI-04 has completed a Phase II clinical trial in more than 500 patients with osteoarthritis. It is estimated that the market opportunity for drugs that treat osteoarthritis is worth in excess of $10 billion. LEVI-04 was discovered by Levicept’s founder, Simon Westbrook. Levicept’s investors include Medicxi, Advent Life Sciences, Gilde Healthcare and Pfizer Ventures.

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ⁱ Conaghan P, et al. LANCET Volume 407, Issue 10535, 28 March–3 April 2026, Pages 1237-1248

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