MILL CREEK, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Algomedix Inc., a biotech company developing first-in-class non-opioid pain medicines, today announced the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued US Patent No. 9,951,046 covering the company’s novel, small molecule modulators of TRPA1 as well as compositions and methods for treating pain that include the compounds. The patent has a term extending to nearly 2036.
“The wide scope of the patent reflects the novelty of this new class of drugs and their importance in creating new treatment options for chronic pain patients in need of non-addictive alternatives to opioid medications,” said Algomedix President and CEO Jeffrey Herz, Ph.D. “This patent is an important component of our formidable intellectual property portfolio covering specific drug candidates targeting TRPA1.”
The company has exclusive rights to the technology and has development programs underway in multiple chronic and acute pain indications. It plans to file an Investigational New Drug application in 2019 to begin clinical trials of its lead drug candidate.
The Algomedix pain modulators target a subset of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) ion channels, called TRPA1, which are located on sensory neurons in the peripheral nervous system throughout the body. TRPA1 mediates activation of nociceptive neurons at the site of inflammation and tissue injury, sending pain signals to the brain.
The therapeutic compounds are antagonists with a unique mode of action, blocking the pain signals at their source in the peripheral nervous system, not in the brain, thus eliminating the safety concerns and numerous adverse effects of existing opioid medications.
“Our efforts are aimed at creating a non-opioid medication based on inhibiting TRPA1 activity and providing a safer alternative to opioid medications, which have been responsible for a silent epidemic of prescription opioid related overdoses that claimed the lives of about 20,000 people last year,” Herz added.
Algomedix’s small molecule analgesics are the first TRPA1 allosteric drugs created using a rational pharmacology approach, distinct from the high-throughput screening methods used by many pharmaceutical companies in identifying potential therapeutic compounds.
Each of Algomedix’s TRPA1 drug candidates has a well-defined molecular mechanism of action that has been designed to optimally interact with the critical target. The TRPA1 modulators have the potential of treating pain in a wide range of conditions, including diabetic neuropathy and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, as well as osteoarthritis and visceral pain.
About Algomedix, Inc.
Algomedix Inc., a biotech company located in Mill Creek WA, and San Diego, CA, is developing potential first-in-class non-opioid medicines for chronic and acute pain. The company’s patented TRPA1 modulators, which are small molecule, orally delivered compounds, are designed to provide effective pain relief without any potential for addiction or abuse. In preclinical studies, the drugs produced potent and protective analgesic effects in multiple models of chronic pain.
Forward-Looking Statements
To the extent any statements made in this release contain information that is not historical, these statements are essentially forward-looking and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the difficulty of predicting FDA approvals, acceptance and demand for new pharmaceutical products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development and launch, reliance on key strategic alliances, availability of raw materials, availability of additional intellectual property rights, availability of future financing sources, the regulatory environment and other risks the company may identify from time to time in the future.
