BL-7040 has dual activity on both the nervous and immune systems which makes it suitable for treating both neurological diseases and immune system related conditions such as inflammatory or autoimmune diseases.
BL-7040 was previously developed for myasthenia gravis (MG), a neuromuscular disease, where it showed efficacy in Phase Ib and IIa clinical trials.
Life Sciences Alexander Silberman Institute professor Hermona Soreq said this new drug acts to suppress inflammatory responses by directly activating an anti-inflammatory agent, namely TLR-9, an innate immune system protein, and concomitantly by increasing the activity of the cholinergic, anti-inflammatory, pathway.
BioLineRx CEO Kinneret Savitsky said BL-7040 has already demonstrated safety as well as its pharmacokinetic profile in earlier clinical trials, so they expect an accelerated development program as they plan to begin Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of IBD.
"With this new addition, we now have five clinical-stage therapeutic products, BL-1020 for the treatment of schizophrenia is about to begin a Phase II/III clinical trial; BL-1040 for treating patients following a myocardial infarction is about to begin two pivotal trials; BL-5010 for non-surgical removal of skin lesions has successfully completed a Phase I/II study, and BL-1021 for neuropathic pain is currently in Phase I studies," Savitsky said.