London startup begins NHS trial aimed at preventing cancer immunotherapy side effects

Poolbeg Pharma has begun a UK trial of POLB 001, an oral pre-treatment it hopes will prevent cytokine release syndrome in blood-cancer patients receiving immunotherapy.

The study will run at six NHS hospitals and enroll 30 patients treated with Johnson & Johnson’s teclistamab, sold as Tecvayli. The trial is being led by the University of Manchester and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

Cytokine release syndrome is a potentially serious immune reaction that can follow some cancer immunotherapies. If a preventive drug works, it could make treatment safer and reduce the need for centralized specialist hospital supervision.

Poolbeg says POLB 001 is taken before cancer treatment begins. The company is testing whether that approach can keep patients out of hospital and make blood-cancer therapies easier to deliver.

Interim trial data are expected later this summer, according to Poolbeg. The company has not yet reported results from the study.

Why it matters

The main public-health question is whether preventing cytokine release syndrome could broaden access to some blood-cancer immunotherapies beyond major specialist centers.

For hospitals, a successful preventive option could also reduce the operational burden of monitoring patients for severe side effects after treatment starts.

For now, the trial remains an early test. Its safety and effectiveness are unproven until data are released.