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news.US biotechnology company Velcura Therapeutics is to collaborate with Japan's Nippon Chemiphar in order to further develop new small-molecule therapies for osteoporosis and other bone diseases.
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Chemiphar will retain commercialization rights in Asia for any new product candidates, while Velcura will have commercialization rights in the US, Europe and all other markets outside Asia.
In working together the companies couple Chemiphar’s expertise in drug discovery with Velcura’s patented process of growing human bone in tissue culture.
The two companies have also recently discovered their first lead compound, and shown it to be effective in animal models of osteoporosis. Velcura plans to begin clinical trials on this drug as a possible therapy for osteoporosis in 2006.
“This is a unique therapy for osteoporosis,” Dr Michael Long, president and CEO of Velcura Therapeutics, explained. “Our new compound is important because it both inhibits bone loss and stimulates bone formation. We also can formulate it into a pill, since it is an orally available small molecule”.
In addition, Velcura’s CEO said he believes that the drug can be formulated into a sustained-release form for treating people with bone fractures. The compound also might be used as a topical application to treat patients with gum disease, who have teeth loosened from the surrounding bone.
According to the World Health Organization, osteoporosis is second only to cardiovascular disease as a world health problem.