SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Theron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Dr. Xiaoming Zhang, CEO, will present at the BIO-Europe Spring 2011 Conference on March 16, 2011 at 9:45 AM at the Milano Convention Center. Dr. Zhang will provide a company overview and highlight Theron’s lead COPD/asthma candidate, TRN-157, for which the company is actively seeking Biopharma partners on a global or regional basis to maximize its broad therapeutic potential in these debilitating diseases.
About Theron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Theron Pharmaceuticals is a preclinical stage company developing a best-in-class long acting M3 muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) targeting the multi-billion dollar chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma markets. COPD is a slow progressive disease comprised of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and characterized by airflow limitation and decreased lung function. COPD is a major and growing health concern worldwide emphasized by high prevalence rates, particularly in the emerging markets (e.g. 3-8% in China), and is expected to be the third leading cause of mortality by 2020. The disease is managed with inhaled bronchodilators (i.e. Spiriva, the only LAMA on the market and long-acting β2-agonists) and corticosteroids.
In patients with severe asthma who remain symptomatic despite treatment with low dose inhaled corticosteroids in accordance with guidelines, there is also strong support for adding LAMA (Peters et. al. NEJM, 2010) as a potential new therapeutic option to improve symptoms and lung functions. The combination of TRN-157’s pharmacological potency and long duration of action together with its versatile device/drug compatibility positions it as a best-in-class, once-a-day LAMA that could provide the foundation for a broad range of combination products for COPD/asthma (i.e. LAMA/beta-agonists /inhaled corticosteroids or LAMA plus new drugs with novel mechanism of action) well into the future.