BCN Peptides and DiverDrugs report positive results for cancer pain drug candidate DD04107
Dr. Berta Ponsati, director of BCN Peptides: “It will be an important contribution to the current arsenal of new molecules for pain treatment".
The biopharmaceutical companies BCN Peptides and DiverDrugs, both of which specialize in peptide production and form part of the conglomerate Lipotec Group, have reported positive results from preclinical studies on a peptidic drug candidate indicated for cancer pain, chronic pain, and inflammation-associated pain, DD04107. They are planning to begin Phase I clinical trials of the peptide in the second quarter of 2011.
DD04107 produces a long-term analgesic effect by blocking both the release of proalgesic agents and the exocytotic recruitment of transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) channels induced by inflammatory processes.
According to the two companies, DD04107 differs from the TRPV1 antagonists currently in development, and from botulinum neurotoxins, in that it is non-toxic and does not induce hyperthermia, as demonstrated in animal tests.
According to Dr. Cristina Carreño, director of DiverDrugs, the most interesting part of this research is “that the peptide acts through a molecular mechanism which entails blocking the neuronal exocytosis of pain receptors induced by inflammatory processes, and diminishing the release of proinflammatory peptides.”
Dr. Berta Ponsati, director of BCN Peptides, is glad to advance DD04107 into clinical trials. “This molecule will be the first peptidic drug of a new class of analgesics and an important contribution to the current arsenal of new molecules for pain treatment. Our intention is to license the product and reach regional agreements for marketing it,” she explains.
Since 1990, BCN Peptides has been manufacturing bioactive peptides for pharmaceutical and veterinary applications. It focuses on generic peptides and on synthesizing new peptidic active ingredients developed by biotech companies. Furthermore, the company’s research division develops therapeutically promising peptides up to the preclinical stage. This division has operated at the company’s Sant Quintí de Mediona (Barcelona) plant since 2008.
Founded in Gavà (Barcelona) in 1999, DiverDrugs is a drug discovery company aimed at developing compounds for diverse areas of the medical and cosmetic sectors. Its pharmaceutical activities are geared towards nervous system diseases for which current treatment options are insufficient, such as acute pain and chronic pain. To identify new active compounds, the company employs rapid screening of extensive compound libraries, which it achieves by merging the power of combinatorial chemistry with assay design. DiverDrugs has recently established a functional genomics unit to discover new therapeutic targets in the area of pain signal transduction.