--- title: 'Clinical Daily Summary: What Happened on October 20, 2026' headline: Disc’s bitopertin meets both Phase 3 endpoints in rare blood disorder description: A large observational study links early antipsychotic treatment to metabolic changes, while Amphista has begun a first-in-human trial in blood cancers. url: https://thebench.bio/news/clinical/2026-10-20 topic: clinical date: '2026-10-20' covers: - '2026-10-20' date_published: '2026-10-20T12:02:26Z' date_modified: '2026-10-20T12:02:26Z' tags: - Clinical - Industry - Regulatory sources: 3 publisher: TheBench.Bio --- # Clinical Daily Summary: What Happened on October 20, 2026 **Disc’s bitopertin meets both Phase 3 endpoints in rare blood disorder** A large observational study links early antipsychotic treatment to metabolic changes, while Amphista has begun a first-in-human trial in blood cancers. ## Today in brief Disc Medicine said its Phase 3 trial of bitopertin succeeded on both primary measures in erythropoietic protoporphyria. [1] A UCL-led analysis of nearly 97,000 health records found faster rises in blood sugar and weight during the first 90 days of antipsychotic treatment. [2] ## Bitopertin meets both Phase 3 endpoints in erythropoietic protoporphyria Disc Medicine said bitopertin met both co-primary endpoints in its Phase 3 APOLLO study in erythropoietic protoporphyria. [1] Compared with placebo, treatment lowered whole-blood protoporphyrin IX by 41.4% and added 12.2 hours of average monthly pain-free time in light during month six. [1] The findings helped answer questions about bitopertin’s efficacy, and Disc’s shares rose nearly 40% after the results became public. [1] ## Metabolic changes accelerated in the first months of antipsychotic treatment A UCL-led observational study of nearly 97,000 adults found that HbA1c, a measure of average blood glucose, rose about 14 times faster during the first 90 days after starting antipsychotics than before treatment. [2] Weight rose about nine times faster over the same period, based on NHS primary-care records for people who began one of four medicines between 2000 and 2023. [2] Olanzapine had the largest early changes among the four drugs, with HbA1c rising about 50 times faster and weight about 10 times faster than before treatment. [2] Within two years, type 2 diabetes developed in 19% of participants who had prediabetes when treatment began, compared with 3% of those with normal blood glucose. [2] Blood glucose and weight changes did not always occur together, and women had larger early HbA1c increases than men. [2] The researchers recommended checking both measures before treatment and again in the first few months. [2] Because the analysis used existing records and was observational, it cannot establish that antipsychotics alone caused the changes. It also could not account for diet, exercise, or other medications. [2] ## Amphista starts Phase 1 trial of protein degrader in blood cancers Amphista Therapeutics has dosed the first participant in BRAMLIE, a Phase 1 trial of AMX-883 for acute myeloid leukemia and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes. [3] The study is expected to enroll about 54 participants and assess safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy with AMX-883 alone. [3] AMX-883 is an oral targeted protein degrader designed to recruit DCAF16 and break down its target, BRD9. [3] The FDA authorized the study in June 2026, and Amphista said it plans to test the drug with existing therapies in relapsed or refractory leukemia. [3] ## The day in numbers - **41.4%**: Reduction in whole-blood protoporphyrin IX versus placebo in Disc’s Phase 3 trial. [1] - **12.2 hours**: Additional average monthly pain-free time in light with bitopertin versus placebo in month six. [1] - **19% vs. 3%**: Share developing type 2 diabetes within two years among participants who started with prediabetes versus normal blood glucose. [2] - **54**: Approximate planned enrollment in Amphista’s Phase 1 BRAMLIE trial. [3] ## Also published - [Evaxion reports durable responses; Novartis halts kidney trial; AstraZeneca signs AI deal](), European Biotechnology ## Sources 1. [Disc’s Phase III win addresses FDA’s concerns about bitopertin’s efficacy ](), BioCentury, 2026-10-20 2. [First 90 days of antipsychotic treatment linked to rapid metabolic changes](), Pharmafile, 2026-10-20 3. [Amphista doses first patient in AML trial of protein degrader](), Pharmafile, 2026-10-20 --- TheBench.Bio wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: [2]: [3]: