Antibe Therapeutics adds ATB-340 to product pipeline

2015-07-20 13:34 ET - News Release

Mr. Dan Legault reports
ANTIBE THERAPEUTICS ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF ASPIRIN DERIVATIVE TO ITS PRODUCT PIPELINE AND PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON VALIDATION STUDIES
Antibe Therapeutics Inc. has added ATB-340, a hydrogen-sulphide-releasing derivative of aspirin, to its product pipeline.

After more than 100 years on the market, aspirin remains among the most widely used drugs, with annual sales of approximately $2-billion and over 6-per-cent growth. Originally marketed as a treatment for pain and fever, the uses of aspirin have grown to include prevention of blood clotting in patients at risk of heart attacks and strokes, as well as prevention of certain types of cancer. The major side effect of aspirin is gastrointestinal bleeding, which can be life threatening. Aspirin produces its beneficial cardiovascular effects by blocking the activity of an enzyme (called cyclooxygenase (COX)) that produces substances that promote blood platelets to aggregate (an important part of blood clotting). This effect can be achieved by taking low doses of aspirin on a daily basis. However, even at these low doses, the adverse effects of aspirin in the stomach and intestines are still evident and potentially serious. ATB-340 is being developed with the objective of eliminating these adverse effects.

In preclinical studies, ATB-340 has been shown to be at least as potent as aspirin in blocking the COX enzyme and reducing blood clotting. However, while aspirin produced significant stomach and intestinal ulceration and bleeding in rats, ATB-340 did not. In human blood, ATB-340 inhibited platelet aggregation as effectively as aspirin.

Antibe would also like to advise the market that the previously announced validation studies on its lead drug, ATB-346, remain on schedule. These studies, which involve use of radioactively labelled ATB-346, track the metabolism and excretion of the drug. Antibe anticipates results from these studies during the fourth quarter. In parallel, Antibe continues to investigate additional partnering and growth opportunities.