Altair Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held, biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for respiratory diseases, announced the commencement of its IL-4 receptor alpha inhibitor bronchoprovocation trial. Study AIR645-CS2 is a phase 2, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of inhaled AIR645 in suppressing the asthmatic response in subjects with mild asthma. Results are expected in the third quarter of 2010.

"The data from preclinical and phase I studies of AIR645 have been very promising, showing that AIR645 has good safety and pharmacokinetic profiles," said Michael Hodges, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Altair Therapeutics. "The favorable biomarker data and target (IL-4 receptor alpha mRNA) reduction demonstrated in the phase 1 study suggest that AIR645 will show good efficacy in this next study…