InMed Looks into Treating COPD with Cannabinoids
InMed Adds Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Program to Therapeutic Pipeline
InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“InMed”) (IN:CSE)(IMLFF:OTCQB), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that specializes in developing safer, more effective cannabis-based therapies, announced it has initiated a program to identify and evaluate cannabinoid compounds for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Initial drug discovery and preclinical development is currently underway in collaboration with members of the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia.
Craig Schneider, President & Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We’re excited to explore avenues to further expand InMed’s pipeline with the addition of new program targeting COPD, the third leading cause of death in the United States. Similar to our ongoing program in orofacial pain, we are leveraging our proprietary intelligent drug design platform technology to identify promising therapeutic candidates. In addition to advancing our current product candidates, expansion into respiratory disease marks our fourth major disease focus, highlighting our commitment to building a leading pipeline of cannabinoid-based therapies.”
Dr. Sazzad Hossain, Chief Scientific Officer, stated, “Current treatments for COPD are complex and ineffective and there is currently no cure available. It is well known that cannabinoids exhibit bronchodilatory, immunosuppressive, and anti-inflammatory properties and thus cannabinoid-based therapy may offer safer and more effective treatment options for COPD.”
InMed researcher, Dr. Dmitri Pechkovsky, will conduct the initial discovery work in the laboratory of Dr. Pascal Bernatchez at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Pechkovsky has extensive research experience in pulmonary disorders, specifically, COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and asthma. He earned his Ph.D. in Immunology and Allergy from Minsk State Medical Institute in Belarus and conducted post-doctoral training at the Research Center Borstel-Leibniz Center for Medicine and Biosciences (FZB), Luebeck University, and University of Freiburg in Germany.
About COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic disease of the lower respiratory tract in the lungs that makes it progressively more difficult to breathe. Currently, over 50 million people globally have been diagnosed with COPD. However, studies estimate the actual prevalence of COPD is twice that amount. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States.
The disease typically develops as a result of inhalation of air pollutants including cigarette smoke, air pollution, chemical fumes, and dust. Those who suffer from COPD show symptoms including shortness of breath, increased production of mucus, coughing, and chest tightness, caused by the restricted airflow through airways in the lungs. Currently, there is no definitive cure for COPD, but a variety of treatments do exist.
About Cannabinoid-based Therapy for COPD
Recent studies have indicated that cannabinoid-based therapy may be effective in ameliorating major symptoms of COPD. THC, the major active ingredient in cannabis, has been shown to exhibit bronchodilation for up to two hours after administration. To counteract the heightened COPD-induced immune response in the lungs, THC mobilizes myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), a group of white blood cells, which inhibit T-cell proliferation and activation. Cannabinoids also exhibit anti-inflammatory effects through the inhibition of cyclooxygenases COX-1 and COX-2, enzymes that produce inflammatory compounds.
About InMed
InMed Pharmaceuticals is a publicly-traded clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in developing therapies through research and development into the extensive pharmacology of cannabinoids coupled with innovative drug delivery systems. InMed’s development pipeline includes product candidates for glaucoma, arthritis, and epidermoylsis bullosa (EBS), as well as active discovery programs in orofacial pain, ocular allergies, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). InMed’s proprietary Intelligent Cannabinoid Drug Design Platform (IDP), therapeutic product pipeline, and accelerated development pathway are the fundamental value drivers of the Company.
Corporate Presentation
- Published in Blog, Life Sciences
Sirona Biochem CEO Update: to complete licensing deal by year-end
Sirona Biochem CEO Update: Significant Interest From Top Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Companies for Lead Compounds
Sirona Biochem Corp. (SBM: TSXV) (ZSB: FRANKFURT) today provided a business update.
Dear Shareholders,
I would like to provide an update on our progress and to communicate the corporate strategic priorities that will deliver value to our shareholders in the near and long term.
Recently we announced the development of the safest, most effective skin lightener in the world, with SBM-TFC-1067. Our main focus is to license this asset to a major corporation with a global commercial and R&D infrastructure in Japan and Asia-Pacific. These regions represent the vast majority of the $20 billion skin lightening market.
SBM-TFC-1067 has attracted significant interest up to the level of material transfer agreements from nine of the top cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies that dominate the skin care market. The growing problem with current treatments is that they are either hydroquinone based, or release hydroquinone. Hydroquinone has known safety risks associated with its use, and there is evidence that it may be a potential carcinogen. It has been banned in Japan, the European Union, Australia, Korea, and also found on Canada’s toxic substances list.
Sirona has developed a solution for the problem, since there is zero hydroquinone released with SBM-TFC-1067. A major corporation could establish a large share of the skin lightening market through a licensing agreement with Sirona. Furthermore, this asset does not directly compete with SBM-TFC-849, which has been licensed to Valeant/Obagi, with a focus on the physician-dispensed channel in the US.
Our anti-aging and regenerative medicine lead candidate, SBM-TFC-837, has delivered breakthrough scientific results demonstrating significant protection in fibroblasts against the stressed conditions of nutrient deprivation, UV irradiation and most recently, oxidative stress. There is ongoing development of this asset to further characterize the multiple mechanisms by which this glycoprotein exerts its positive effects. There are eight major corporations that have expressed interest in this asset and, most importantly, we have obtained the commitment from a major corporation to execute a material transfer agreement to test our compound in their own facility.
The anti-inflammatory project is undergoing compound optimization to ensure maximum commercial viability. In 2016, the project will be transferred to our partner, Bloom Burton, to be further developed as a pharmaceutical.
For our ongoing collaborations, we continue to provide tech transfer consultations to both Valeant/Obagi and Fosun/Wanbang Biopharmaceuticals as they continue the development of SBM-TFC-849 for skin lightening in the physician dispensed channel in the US and SBM-TFC-039 for type 2 diabetes in China.
The company continues to maintain a healthy balance sheet despite being over a year since the last private placement. We recently generated an additional $400,000 as a result of shareholders exercising approximately 2.8 million warrants and our investor base was expanded through a successful European road show.
Moving forward, we anticipate at least one successful licensing agreement by the end of the year, which would be structured to include upfront, milestone and approval payments at each stage of clinical testing, scale-up and formulation, followed by a royalty stream.
In the near term, we will be presenting and participating at BIO International in Philadelphia, attending the World Congress of Dermatology in Vancouver, attending Cosmetics 360 in Paris and BIO Europe in Munich.
Looking back, over the last 6 months, Sirona Biochem has completed the following:
- Tests completed on our third skin lightener and creation of a comprehensive non-confidential slide deck which is being actively reviewed by leading global pharma organizations.
- Advanced the anti-aging and cell preservation projects into cell studies, which are also being reviewed by global pharma organizations.
- Entered into several partnering discussions with leading cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies for testing of both the skin lightener and anti-aging compound.
- Presented at 5 pharma/biotech conferences, increasing the awareness of the assets within our pipeline.
- Secured funding from the French organization BPI and region Haute Normandie for the anti-aging project.
We remain committed to our goal of becoming a global leader in commercializing carbohydrate chemistry by providing leading cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies with innovative products.
With your continued support and our ongoing efforts, together we can realize this goal.
Sincerely,
Dr. Howard Verrico, CEO
About Sirona Biochem Corp.
Sirona Biochem is a cosmetic ingredient and drug discovery company with a proprietary platform technology. Sirona specializes in stabilizing carbohydrate molecules with the goal of improving efficacy and safety. New compounds are patented for maximum revenue potential.
Sirona’s compounds are licensed to leading companies around the world in return for licensing fees, milestone fees and ongoing royalty payments. Sirona’s laboratory, TFChem, is located in France and is the recipient of multiple French national scientific awards and European Union and French government grants. For more information visit www.sironabiochem.com.
Corporate Presentation
- Published in Blog, Medical Marijuana
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