Safety and Efficacy of HU-014 in the Treatment of Post-Stroke Upper Limb Spasticity: A Phase I Pilot Study

Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) is widely used for treating post-stroke upper limb spasticity. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of HU-014 in treating post-stroke upper limb spasticity. Thirteen patients were administered with HU-014. The primary outcome was safety, including adverse events, vital signs, physical examination, laboratory tests, and antibody formation test. The secondary outcomes were changes in the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) score for wrist, elbow, and finger flexor; Disability Assessment Scale (DAS); Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) and Subject’s Global Assessment (SGA); Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS); and Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) at weeks 4, 8, and 12 from baseline. No notable safety-related issues were reported. MAS and DAS scores were significantly decreased from those at baseline at 4, 8, and 12 weeks (p < 0.05). At weeks 4, 8, and 12, the IGA and SGA scores were 5.85 ± 0.55, 5.69 ± 0.48, and 5.62 ± 0.65 and 5.46 ± 1.20, 5.85 ± 0.38, and 5.77 ± 0.73, respectively. CBS scores decreased at all timepoints and those for cutting fingernails significantly decreased at 8 and 12 weeks compared with baseline (p < 0.05). C-SSRS scores showed that suicidal ideation in all patients was “low” at all timepoints. HU-014 is a safe treatment that can improve post-stroke upper limb spasticity.