The trial part enrolled 32 healthy volunteers who received ZP9830 for four weeks. The drug was well tolerated, with no serious or severe adverse events and no dose-limiting safety findings. All treatment-emergent adverse events in participants receiving ZP9830 were mild, and the pharmacokinetics support trials of longer duration.

Kv1.3 is a potassium channel that is selectively upregulated on effector memory T cells, which drive inflammation in many autoimmune diseases. Blocking it is intended to dampen these cells while preserving the protective functions of the wider immune system.

Zealand has already started a Phase 1b trial with efficacy endpoints in plaque psoriasis and plans to begin a Phase 2 trial in an additional autoimmune disease in the first half of 2027.

“This brings us one step closer to our goal of delivering a novel immunological treatment to patients,” says David Kendall, Chief Medical Officer of Zealand Pharma.