The Phase I study will be a double-blind, placebo controlled, randomized, escalating intravenous single dose safety and tolerability study in healthy volunteers and takes place in the US.
Zealand’s preclinical studies have demonstrated that ZP1846 inhibits chemotherapy-induced injury in the small intestine, and consequently, it also reduces the incidence of chemotherapy-induced diarrhea. It is anticipated that the use of ZP1846 in patients undergoing chemotherapy may ameliorate the destructive effects of the chemotherapy on the small intestine and reduce the severity of diarrhea.
Today, serious gastrointestinal side effects are observed in up to 50% of patients undergoing certain forms of chemotherapy, which in turn may require dose modification or cessation of cancer chemotherapy
Eva Steiness, CEO, said: “Advancing ZP1846 into clinical trials further strengthens our development pipeline. Zealand Pharma has applied its knowledge of peptide optimization and its proprietary SIP technology to develop a series of novel peptides that specifically enhance the growth and function of the lining of the small intestine.”