The inflammatory cytokine IL-1β has an essential role in the innate immune 
response. High levels of IL-1β have been implicated in the development of many 
diseases, including type 1 and 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D), rheumatoid arthritis 
(RA) and cardiovascular disease. XOMA is developing gevokizumab (XOMA-052), an 
IgG2 humanized mAb against human IL-1β, for the potential treatment of these 
diseases. Gevokizumab has a high affinity for IL-1β and a long t1/2, which would 
allow for once-monthly dosing and offer a considerable advantage for patients 
over agents requiring more frequent dosing. Data from preclinical studies and 
clinical trials suggest that gevokizumab is a potentially effective and 
well-tolerated treatment for the indicated diseases. At the time of publication, 
phase II clinical trials were ongoing in patients with T1D, T2D and RA, with the 
T2D trials assessing key cardiovascular markers. Following promising data from a 
recent pilot trial, XOMA was also planning a phase I/II trial of gevokizumab for 
the potential treatment of uveitis in patients with the vasculitic inflammatory 
disorder Behçet's disease and the autoinflammatory conditions familial cold 
autoinflammatory syndrome and Muckle-Wells syndrome.