WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--X-Rx, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company focused on applying its innovative drug development capabilities to the generation of novel small molecule therapeutics, today announced that it has completed IND-enabling studies with X-165, a potent orally available inhibitor of autotaxin, for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other fibrotic indications.
X-165 is a small molecule selective inhibitor of autotaxin owned by X-Rx. An initial advanced lead series that led to the identification of X-165 was discovered directly from the initial screen of over 100 billion molecules using X-Chem, Inc.’s DEXTM DNA encoded library technology. The advanced nature of the series led to the identification of X-165 following an accelerated lead optimization campaign of less than 150 analogs. X-165 has demonstrated highly potent inhibition of autotaxin, along with promising results in pre-clinical models for IPF alongside comparator molecules as an orally delivered agent. X-165 recently completed additional IND-enabling studies.
“With X-165, the most advanced asset in our internal portfolio, we have the exciting opportunity to bring forward an anti-fibrotic therapy that could add to current standard of care in a number of conditions, like IPF, where the unmet medical need is high and fibrosis is a key component of the pathophysiology,” said X-Rx’s Chief Scientific Officer, Christelle Huguet, PhD.
About IPF
IPF is a chronic, progressive fibrotic disorder of the lungs that typically affects adults over the age of 40. With approximately 200,000 patients with IPF in the United States and Europe, and 75,000 newly diagnosed patients per year, IPF is considered a rare disease. Currently, no medical therapies have been found to cure IPF and current standard of care aims to slow disease progression and improve the quality of life. While the regulatory approval of current therapies, Esbriet® (pirfenidone) and Ofev® (nintedanib), represent important developments for IPF patients, neither drug improves lung function and the disease continues to progress in the majority of patients despite treatment. As a result, there remains a large unmet medical, as IPF is a major cause of morbidity and mortality.
About X-Rx
X-Rx is a clinical stage biotechnology company that discovers and develops small molecule medicines in inflammation, fibrosis, and oncology. X-Rx was spun out of X-Chem, Inc. in 2012, and since then it has developed a BTK inhibitor in clinical development with an undisclosed partner, along with X-165, an IND-enabled small molecule inhibitor of autotaxin for the treatment of IPF and other fibrotic indications.
