AbbVie updates Phase 2 elezanumab study in acute cervical spinal cord injury

AbbVie updated its Phase 2 study of elezanumab in acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury, and the trial is now listed as completed. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study assessed the safety and efficacy of elezanumab in a small but high-need group of patients with serious neck spinal cord injuries.

The study, titled “A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Proof of Concept Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Elezanumab in Acute Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury,” tests whether elezanumab can safely improve arm and hand movement after serious neck spinal cord injuries. Elezanumab is a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting repulsive guidance molecule A (RGMa) for spinal cord injury.

The treatment is elezanumab, an experimental antibody given by IV. It is compared with an IV placebo, with patients randomly assigned to either elezanumab or placebo in parallel groups. The trial is double-blind with masking of patients, doctors, and assessors.

Participants received their first infusion within 24 hours of injury and continued dosing every four weeks up to 48 weeks, for a total of 13 doses. The study began in March 2020, and the last update was posted on February 9, 2026, signaling that key data had been locked and the public record updated.

The spinal cord injury pipeline includes monoclonal antibodies targeting axonal growth inhibitors, including MT-3921 and elezanumab, as part of a broader group of therapies in development for neuroprotection, axonal regeneration, neuropathic pain relief, and nervous system repair. These therapies are progressing through various stages of clinical development, with some already receiving regulatory designations like Orphan Drug and Fast Track status.