The phase I trial will test the safety and tolerability of single and multiple doses and first results are expected in the fourth quarter of 2007. The trial will also assess the inhibitor’s pharmacokinetics and its capacity to inhibit the renin-angiotensin system.
SPP1148 is part of the SPP1100 series, one of several new series of renin inhibitors invented by Speedel Experimenta, the company’s late-stage research unit, which was established in 2002.
SPP1148 is the second compound developed by Speedel to enter clinical trials, following SPP635 which recently progressed into phase IIa.
“Our strategy is to develop a Speedel family of renin inhibitors as we believe that renin inhibition may be the new gold standard for the treatment of hypertension and related disorders in the next decade,” said Dr Alice Huxley, CEO of Speedel.
Renin is an enzyme produced in the kidneys in response to reduced renal perfusion. Through a cascade of biological events, renin acts to bring about sodium retention, an increase in blood pressure, and restoration of renal perfusion, which shuts off the signal for renin release.