Safety and Bone Health Study of SM04690 for the Treatment of Moderately to Severely Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis

A Phase 2, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study Evaluating the Safety and Bone Health of Multiple Injections of SM04690 Injected in the Target Knee of Moderately to Severely Symptomatic Osteoarthritis Subjects

The primary purpose of this phase 2, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group study was to provide an initial safety evaluation of two intra-articular (IA) injections of SM04690 (each at the dose of 0.07mg per 2mL injection) approximately six months apart into the target knee of moderately to severely symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) subjects. Subjects who completed this 52-week long study were invited to enter the extension phase for an additional 52 weeks of treatment.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Knee Osteoarthritis
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: SM04690; Drug: Placebo

Detailed Description

Study SM04690-OA-06 was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study of a single concentration of 0.07 mg SM04690 per 2 mL injection injected into the target knee joint of moderately to severely symptomatic OA subjects at Day 1 and Week 24 (Phase A). Subjects who completed Phase A were eligible to enter the single-blind extension phase, Phase B, for an additional 52 weeks of study treatment, receiving the randomized Phase A treatment at Week 52 and again at Week 76. The study was primarily designed to assess the safety and tolerability of repeated SM04690 injections, focusing not only on AEs but also several assessments of bone density in the knee.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 101
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arizona
    • Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85018
      • Research Site
    • Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85053
      • Research Site
  • California
    • Canoga Park, California, United States, 91303
      • Research Site
    • Carmichael, California, United States, 95628
      • Research Site
    • La Mesa, California, United States, 91941
      • Research Site
  • Florida
    • Edgewater, Florida, United States, 32132
      • Research Site
    • Miami, Florida, United States, 33143
      • Research Site
  • Georgia
    • Woodstock, Georgia, United States, 30189
      • Research Site
  • Missouri
    • Kansas City, Missouri, United States, 64114
      • Research Site
  • New Mexico
    • Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, 87102
      • Research Site
  • Ohio
    • Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45246
      • Research Site
  • South Carolina
    • Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29406
      • Research Site
  • Texas
    • San Angelo, Texas, United States, 76904
      • Research Site

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 40 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Males and females between 40 and 80 years of age, inclusive, in general good health
2. Ambulatory
3. Diagnosis of femorotibial OA in the target knee by standard American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria at Screening Visit 1 (clinical AND radiographic criteria); OA of the knee is not to be secondary to any rheumatologic conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis)
4. Pain compatible with OA of the knee(s) for at least 26 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1
5. Primary source of pain throughout the body is due to OA in the target knee
6. Daily OA knee pain diary average NRS intensity score ≥ 4 and ≤ 8 in the target knee on the 11-point (0-10) NRS scale for the 7 days immediately preceding Day 1
7. Pain NRS scores recorded for the target knee on at least 4 out of the 7 days immediately preceding Day 1
8. Daily OA knee pain diary average NRS intensity score < 4 in the non-target knee on the 11-point (0-10) NRS scale for the 7 days immediately preceding Day 1
9. Pain NRS scores recorded for the non-target knee on at least 4 out of the 7 days immediately preceding Day 1
10. WOMAC pain subscore of 20-40 (out of 50) and WOMAC physical function subscore of 68-136 (out of 170) for the target knee at baseline, regardless of if the subject is on symptomatic oral treatment (baseline questionnaire completed during the screening period prior to randomization)
11. Widespread Pain Index (WPI) score of ≤ 4 and a Symptom Severity Question 2 (SSQ2) score of ≤ 2 at Screening Visit 1
12. Willingness to use an electronic diary on a daily basis in the evening for the screening period and 104-week study duration
13. Negative drug test for amphetamine, buprenorphine, cocaine, methadone, opiates, phencyclidine (PCP), propoxyphene, barbiturates, benzodiazepine, methaqualone, and tricyclic antidepressants, except if any such drugs are clinically indicated and allowed by the protocol, at Screening Visit 1.
14. Subjects with depression or anxiety must be clinically stable for 12 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1 in the opinion of the Investigator and, if on treatment for depression or anxiety, be on 12 weeks of stable therapy
15. Full understanding of the requirements of the study and willingness to comply with all study visits and assessments
16. Subjects must have read and understood the Informed Consent Form (ICF), and must have signed and dated it prior to any study-related procedure being performed
17. Subject's Screening Visit 1 visit must occur while enrollment into the study is open
18. Subject is able to have a Screening Visit 2 qCT image acquired that does not require a re-scan as determined by the central imaging vendor

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnant and breastfeeding women, and women who are not post-menopausal (defined as 12 months with no menses without an alternative medical cause) or permanently surgically sterile (includes hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy, and bilateral oophorectomy) and have a positive or indeterminate pregnancy result at Screening Visit 2 or Day 1
2. Women who are not post-menopausal or permanently surgically sterile, who are sexually active, and who are not willing to use birth control (as outlined in Section 5.3.1) during the study period
3. Males who are sexually active and have a partner who is capable of becoming pregnant, neither of whom have had surgery to become sterilized or who are not using birth control as outlined in Section 5.3.1
4. Body mass index (BMI) > 35
5. Partial or complete joint replacement in either knee

6. Currently requires:

   1. regular use (in the opinion of the Investigator) of ambulatory assistive devices (e.g., wheelchair, parallel bars, walker, canes, or crutches), or
   2. use of a lower extremity prosthesis, and/or a structural knee brace (i.e., a knee brace that contains hardware)
7. Radiographic disease Stage 0, 1, or 4 in the target knee at Screening Visit 1 according to the Kellgren-Lawrence grading of knee OA as assessed by independent central readers
8. Previous enrollment in a Samumed clinical trial investigating SM04690
9. Any surgery (e.g., arthroscopy) in either knee within 26 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1
10. Any bone fracture(s) within 26 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1
11. Any surgery scheduled during the study period. Non-surgical invasive procedures conducted for a diagnostic or therapeutic purpose scheduled during the study period are not prohibited.(refer to section 7.6)
12. Significant and clinically evident misalignment of either knee that would impact subject function, as determined by the Investigator
13. History of malignancy within the last 5 years; however, subjects with prior history of in situ basal or squamous cell skin cancer are eligible if completely excised. Subjects with other malignancies are eligible if they have been continuously disease free for at least 5 years prior to Screening Visit 1
14. Clinically significant abnormal screening hematology values, blood chemistry values, or urinalysis values as determined by the Investigator
15. Any condition, including laboratory findings not included in the Screening Visit 2 laboratory tests and findings in the medical history or in the pre-study assessments, that, in the opinion of the Investigator, constitutes a risk or contraindication for participation in the study or that could interfere with the study objectives, conduct, or evaluation
16. Comorbid conditions that could affect study endpoint assessments of the target knee, including, but not limited to, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, gout or pseudogout, and fibromyalgia
17. Other conditions that, in the opinion of the Investigator, could affect study endpoint assessments of either knee, including, but not limited to, peripheral neuropathy (e.g., diabetic neuropathy), symptomatic hip osteoarthritis, symptomatic degenerative disc disease, and patellofemoral syndrome
18. History of mania, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, major depressive disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder
19. Participation in a clinical research trial that included the receipt of an investigational product (IP) or any experimental therapeutic procedure within 26 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1, or planned participation in any such trial
20. Treatment of the target knee with intra-articular glucocorticoids (e.g., methylprednisolone) within 12 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1
21. Any intra-articular injection into the target knee with a therapeutic aim including, but not limited to, viscosupplementation (e.g., hyaluronic acid), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and stem cell therapies within 24 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1; treatment of the target knee with intra-articular glucocorticoids greater than 12 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1 is allowed
22. Treatment with systemic (oral, intramuscular, or intravenous) glucocorticoids greater than 10 mg prednisone or the equivalent per day within 4 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1
23. Effusion of the target knee clinically requiring aspiration within 12 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1
24. Use of electrotherapy, acupuncture, and/or chiropractic treatments for knee OA within 4 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1 (refer to Appendix 1)
25. Any known active infections, including urinary tract infection, upper respiratory tract infection, sinusitis, suspicion of intra-articular infection, hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection, and/or infections that may compromise the immune system such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at Day 1
26. Subjects requiring the chronic use (i.e., regular and consistent use for ≥ 12 weeks) of centrally acting analgesics (e.g., duloxetine) (refer to Appendix 1) within 12 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1
27. Subjects requiring the chronic use (i.e., regular and consistent use for ≥ 12 weeks) of anticonvulsants (not listed in Appendix 1) within 12 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1, unless used for seizure or migraine prophylaxis
28. Subjects requiring the usage of opioids >1x per week within 12 weeks prior to Screening Visit 1
29. Topical local anesthetic agents (gels, creams, or patches such as the Lidoderm patch) used for the treatment of knee OA within 7 days of Screening Visit 1
30. Any chronic condition that has not been well controlled or subjects with a chronic condition who have not maintained a stable therapeutic regimen of a prescription therapy in the opinion of the Investigator. In addition, subjects with an HbA1c >9 at Screening Visit 2 will be excluded.
31. If on NSAIDs for the treatment of OA pain, subjects who have not maintained a stable regimen in the opinion of the Investigator at Screening Visit 1

32. Any contraindications for performing DXA scans of the hips or spine including but not limited to:

    1. other radiological investigations using contrast media or radionuclides within 7 days of Screening Visit 2
    2. weight that precludes scanning at these sites
33. Subjects who have had a single or bilateral hip replacement
34. Subjects who have a current or pending disability claim, workers' compensation, or litigation(s) that may compromise response to treatment
35. Subjects who are immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, or sibling; biological or legally adopted) of personnel directly affiliated with the study at any investigative site, or are directly affiliated with the study at any investigative site
36. Subjects employed by Samumed, LLC, or any of its affiliates or development partners (that is, an employee, temporary contract worker, or designee) responsible for the conduct of the study, or who are immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, or sibling; biological or legally adopted) of said employees responsible for the conduct of the study
37. Subject has non-evaluable DXA scans of the hips or spine (i.e., pins, screws, any surgical implant, fracture, or severe degenerative changes in the region of interest), as assessed by the central imaging vendor at the time of screening

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 0.07 mg SM04690; Intra-articular injections of 0.07 mg SM04690 in 2 mL vehicle	Drug: SM04690; Healthcare professional-administered intra-articular injections; first performed on Day 1 and second at Week 24. (In the extension phase, healthcare professional-administered intra-articular injections; first performed at Week 52 and second at Week 76.); Other Names: lorecivivint
Placebo Comparator: Vehicle; Intra-articular injections of 0 mg SM04690 in 2 mL vehicle	Drug: Placebo; Healthcare professional-administered intra-articular injections; first performed on Day 1 and second at Week 24. (In the extension phase, healthcare professional-administered intra-articular injections; first performed at Week 52 and second at Week 76.); Other Names: vehicle

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Total BMD From Baseline in the Treated Knee Compared to Placebo by qCT	Evaluate change in total bone mineral density (BMD) from baseline in the treated knee compared to placebo by quantitative computed tomography (qCT)	Baseline and Week 52

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Total BMD From Baseline in the Treated Knee Compared to Placebo by qCT	Evaluate change in total BMD from baseline in the treated knee compared to placebo by qCT	Baseline and Weeks 12
Change in Total BMD From Baseline in the Treated Knee Compared to Placebo by qCT	Evaluate change in total BMD from baseline in the treated knee compared to placebo by qCT	Baseline and Week 24
Change in Total BMD From Baseline in the Treated Knee Compared to Placebo by qCT	Evaluate change in total BMD from baseline in the treated knee compared to placebo by qCT	Baseline and Week 36
Change in Total BMD From Baseline in the Treated Knee Compared to Placebo by qCT	Evaluate change in total bone mineral density (BMD) from baseline in the treated knee compared to placebo by quantitative computed tomography (qCT)	Baseline and Week 64
Change in Total BMD From Baseline in the Treated Knee Compared to Placebo by qCT	Evaluate change in total BMD from baseline in the treated knee compared to placebo by qCT	Baseline and Week 76
Change in Total BMD From Baseline in the Treated Knee Compared to Placebo by qCT	Evaluate change in total BMD from baseline in the treated knee compared to placebo by qCT	Baseline and Week 88
Change in Total BMD From Baseline in the Treated Knee Compared to Placebo by qCT	Evaluate change in total BMD from baseline in the treated knee compared to placebo by qCT	Baseline and Week 104

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Safety of SM04690 treatment: adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs)	Evaluate the safety of SM04690 treatment by the occurrence of AEs and SAEs.	Baseline through Week 104
Change in BMD from baseline in the treated knee compared to placebo by qCT	Evaluate change in bone mineral density (BMD) from baseline in the treated knee compared to placebo by quantitative computed tomography (qCT)	Baseline through Week 104
Difference in the change in BMD from baseline between the treated and untreated knee by qCT	Evaluate difference in the change in BMD from baseline between the treated and untreated knee by qCT	Baseline through Week 104
Change in BMD from baseline by DXA of the spine and hips	Evaluate change in BMD from baseline by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the spine and hips	Baseline through Week 104
Change in serum bone biomarker PINP from baseline	Evaluate change in serum bone biomarker PINP from baseline	Baseline through Week 104
Change in serum bone biomarker β-CTX from baseline	Evaluate change in serum bone biomarker β-CTX from baseline	Baseline through Week 104
Change in a serum cartilage biomarker COMP from baseline	Evaluate change in a serum cartilage biomarker COMP from baseline	Baseline through Week 104
Change from baseline OA pain in the target knee (NRS)	Evaluate change from baseline OA pain in the target knee at each week as assessed by the weekly averages of subject-reported daily pain NRS. The pain NRS is an 11-point scale [0-10] for subject self-reporting of average knee pain in the last 24 hours; 0 indicates no pain, and 10 represents the worst possible pain.	Baseline through Week 104
Change from baseline over time for OA pain in the target knee as assessed by WOMAC pain subscore	Evaluate change from baseline over time for OA pain in the target knee as assessed by WOMAC pain subscore. The WOMAC is a widely-used, proprietary outcome measurement tool used to evaluate the condition of subjects with OA of the knee and hip, including pain (5 questions), stiffness (2 questions), and physical functioning (17 questions) of the joints. Each question is measured on a scale from 0 (lowest pain/lowest stiffness/highest function) to 4 (highest pain/highest stiffness/lowest function). The WOMAC Pain subscore ranges from 0 to 20.	Baseline through Week 104
Change from baseline over time in mJSW as documented by radiograph of the target knee	Evaluate change from baseline over time in mJSW as documented by radiograph of the target knee	Baseline through Week 104
Change from baseline over time for OA function in the target knee as assessed by WOMAC physical function subscore	Evaluate change from baseline over time for OA function in the target knee as assessed by WOMAC physical function subscore (WOMAC Function). The WOMAC is a widely-used, proprietary outcome measurement tool used to evaluate the condition of subjects with OA of the knee and hip, including pain (5 questions), stiffness (2 questions), and physical functioning (17 questions) of the joints. Each question is measured on a scale from 0 (lowest pain/lowest stiffness/highest function) to 4 (highest pain/highest stiffness/lowest function). The WOMAC Function subscore ranges from 0 to 68.	Baseline through Week 104
Change from baseline over time for OA disease activity	Evaluate change from baseline over time OA disease activity as assessed by Patient Global Assessment. The Patient Global Assessment is an 11-point [0-10] Numeric Rating Scale [NRS] on which the subjects will rate how they feel their target knee OA is doing, considering all the ways in which their target knee OA may affect them. The NRS is anchored by descriptors at each end ("Very Good" on the left and "Very Bad" on the right).	Baseline through Week 104
Number of subjects who required a TKR	Evaluate number subjects who required a total knee replacement (TKR) in the previously injected knee and the time elapsed between injection and TKR	Baseline through Week 104

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Biosplice Therapeutics, Inc.
• Investigators: Study Director: Yusuf Yazici, M.D., Biosplice Therapeutics, Inc.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 28, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 18, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): August 18, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 30, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 30, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): November 1, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): January 12, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 8, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: osteoarthritis; Samumed; SM04690; lorecivivint; DYRK1a; CLK2
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Musculoskeletal Diseases; Arthritis; Joint Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis, Knee; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; lorecivivint
• Other Study ID Numbers: SM04690-OA-06

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No