Protalex Inc. announced that following a planned interim data review by its independent Safety Monitoring Committee, the company is continuing enrollment and increasing the dose for subjects in its European Phase 1b study of PRTX-100 in adults with persistent/chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia (PRTX-100-203 Study). The dose of PRTX-100 for subjects in the next treatment group (6.0 micrograms/kg) will be twice that of the initial starting dosage (3.0 micrograms/kg). PRTX-100, the company’s lead drug candidate, is a highly purified form of Staphylococcal protein A (SpA) and has been the subject of ongoing clinical development in both ITP and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). PRTX-100 was recently granted Orphan Drug Designation in the U.S. and in Europe for the treatment of ITP and is currently the subject of clinical studies in both the U.S. and Europe. The 203 Study is an open-label, dose escalating study that can enroll up to 30 patients in as many as five cohorts. Each patient will receive four weekly intravenous doses of PRTX-100 and will be monitored for up to 48 weeks thereafter. The primary study endpoint of the 203 Study is safety. Secondary endpoints include safety, platelet response, immunogenicity, and pharmacokinetics. Enrollment in the 203 Study is currently taking place at several study sites in France.