BioXell acquires novel compound from Roche
BXL746 to enter Phase II trials for post-surgical adhesions
BioXell S.p.A. announced its decision to exercise the option rights it acquired from Roche for BXL746, a novel vitamin D3 analogue. Based on promising preclinical data, BXL746 will be moved into Phase II clinical development for the treatment of post-surgical adhesions. Financial terms of this exclusive license agreement were already disclosed in the offering memorandum, and include an upfront payment as well as milestone payments and royalties.
Adhesions are bands of scar tissue that connect anatomic sites not normally connected. They develop through an inflammatory process when the body's repair mechanisms respond to tissue disturbances, as the result for example of surgery, infection, trauma or radiation. A third of surgical patients and 60-90% of patients undergoing major gynecological surgery experience post-surgical abdominal adhesions, which account for 40% of all cases of intestinal obstruction and increase operating times and post-operative complications. In the US alone, more than 2 million adults are affected annually.
BXL746, which belongs to a novel family of VD3 super-agonists called "Gemini", has completed Phase I clinical studies at Roche for another, non-surgical indication. Data generated by BioXell in animal models of post-surgical adhesions have demonstrated a significant reduction in adhesion scores as well as an extremely favourable safety profile. According to the company, the pharmaco-dynamic profile of BXL746 was superior to that of other analogues tested.
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