The goal of the collaboration is to accelerate Purdue’s Nav1.7 sodium ion channel drug candidates utilizing AnaBios’ Phase-X discovery platform to develop treatments for chronic pain.
Under the terms of the agreement, Purdue Pharma will license to AnaBios the rights to a suite of patents for Nav1.7 sodium ion channel blockers.
AnaBios will employ its Phase-X technology to de-risk the assets and select a clinical candidate. The two companies will form a joint steering committee to manage pre-clinical as well as clinical development of the lead molecule. In addition, the companies will own any intellectual property (IP) developed jointly.
Purdue Pharma has more than 15 years of research history in the sodium channel field that led to multiple patent applications and numerous lead compounds targeting Nav1.7 as well as other sodium channel isoforms that are potentially useful for the treatment of chronic pain.
Purdue Pharma also has extensive clinical development experience in advancing new drugs for treating pain.
AnaBios has a successful record of accomplishment in employing its Phase-X® platform to support target selection and validation, lead optimization, clinical candidate selection and clinical program de-risking for pharmaceutical drug development programs.
The company is also conducting internal preclinical drug discovery programs on proprietary chemical entities and has established a unique and unprecedented capability for studying the human peripheral pain pathway in the laboratory, therefore enabling the identification of novel analgesic drugs with potential efficacy in humans.
Mark Timney, President and Chief Executive Officer, Purdue Pharma, said: “The Phase-X® platform enables the discovery of novel drugs directly in normal as well as diseased human tissues, minimizing animal experimentation. This strategy maximizes the chances that preclinical data will successfully translate during clinical development.
“This innovative technology can advance this important research and bring value to patients suffering from pain and healthcare providers.”
Phase-X ensures that lead optimization truly enhances drug safety and efficacy profiles in humans, not just in animal models.
Andre Ghetti, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, AnaBios, said: “We will utilize our Phase-X technology to optimize the selection of clinical candidates from the advanced leads that Purdue Pharma has generated.
“Employing human sensory neurons to match the selectivity and properties of sodium channel blockers with specific pain indications, we will maximize the potential success of clinical development of much needed new pain therapeutics.”
“Through this unique collaboration we have a tremendous opportunity to quickly advance new treatments into the clinic and potentially serve the many chronic pain patients that cannot find relief with existing medications. Our ability to select clinical candidates based on experiments performed in native human tissues will provide the greatest chance of success,” said Don Kyle, Ph.D., Vice President, Discovery Research, Purdue Pharma L.P.
Chadbourne & Parke LLP served as lead outside counsel for Purdue Pharma. Reid Adler served as lead outside counsel for AnaBios.