Actimed Therapeutics Licenses Additional European Patent Rights to S-oxprenolol in ALS from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
LONDON, Nov. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Actimed Therapeutics, the clinical stage company focused on bringing innovation to the treatment of muscle wasting disorders, with a focus on cachexia, today announces that it has licensed additional European patent rights to S-oxprenolol in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité). This gives Actimed global rights in this indication. The licensing of this intellectual property covers patent rights in all major European markets including Germany, France, UK, Italy and Spain for the treatment of ALS.
ALS is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders characterized by progressive muscular paralysis reflecting degeneration of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. ALS is a disease of mature adults, with median age of onset of 55 years and its frequency increases with age. Half of patients die within three years of the first clinical manifestation of the condition. There is currently no cure for ALS, and the efficacy of current treatment options remains limited.
In pre-clinical work, treatment of ALS-mice with S-oxprenolol was shown to promote a prolongation of survival. Furthermore, muscle wasting, loss of lean body mass, loss of daily fat mass and overall body mass lost were reduced. Moreover, S-oxprenolol treated ALS-mice survived significantly longer than those given higher dosed ALS-compound Riluzole, one of only two drugs currently approved to treat ALS.
Robin Bhattacherjee, Actimed CEO, commented, "S-oxprenolol is an S-enantiomer enriched beta blocker which has shown promising early data in animal models of ALS and cachexia, and we are delighted to sign this additional licensing agreement with Charité. This now gives us global rights to S-oxprenolol in both potential indications. This extensive IP position will significantly enhance our options to develop this molecule in cachexia and now ALS, including potential licensing agreements with partners."
Dr Bettina Büttner, Technology Manager at BIH Innovations, the joint technology transfer office of Charité and the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), said, "We are very pleased to conclude this licensing deal with Actimed. Given the world-leading expertise in muscle wasting disorders available to the company, we believe it is an ideal partner to further the development of S-oxprenolol in ALS, where there remains a high unmet medical need for novel drug candidates to improve survival and reduce wasting of muscle and body weight."
About Actimed Therapeutics
Actimed Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on bringing innovation to the treatment of muscle wasting disorders to transform the care of an underserved and vulnerable patient population. Actimed was founded in 2017 by Stefan Anker and Andrew Coats, two world leading physicians in muscle wasting research.
The lead area of focus for Actimed is specifically in cachexia. Cachexia is a wasting disease that accompanies cancer and other serious chronic illnesses and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite its prevalence and devastating clinical effects, there is no approved drug for the treatment or prevention of cancer-related cachexia.
It has been estimated that cachexia affects 50–80% of cancer patients and accounts for up to 20% of cancer deaths. Treating cancer cachexia successfully may increase both the length and quality of life for cancer patients.
The lead product of Actimed, ACM-001 (S-pindolol), formerly known as MT-102, targets multiple pathways that drive cachexia and has generated promising proof of concept Phase II clinical data in cachexia patients. Actimed is currently preparing for further clinical studies in cachexia in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and Colorectal Cancer (CRC).
Actimed has a second, pre-clinical product for cancer cachexia, S-oxprenolol. With the acquisition of the global rights for S-oxprenolol in ALS, Actimed now has the opportunity to expand the development focus of the Company to include this additional indication where loss of body mass and muscle wasting can impact survival.
About Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin is one of the largest university hospitals in Europe, offering 3,001 beds and boasting approximately 100 departments and institutes spread across 4 separate campuses. With a total of 18,700 members of staff employed across its group of companies (15,000 of which at Charité), the organization is one of the largest employers in Berlin. At Charité, the areas of research, teaching and medical care are closely interlinked. 4,553 of its employees work in the field of nursing, with a further 4,454 in research and medical care. Last year, Charité treated 154,261 in- and day-case patients, in addition to 692,900 outpatients. In 2019, Charité recorded a turnover of approximately € 2.0 billion (including external funding and investment grants) and set a new record by securing more than € 179.1 million in external funding. Charité's Medical Faculty is one of the largest in Germany, educating and training more than 8,000 medical, dentistry and health sciences students. Charité also offers 644 training positions across 9 different health care professions. www.charite.de
About BIH Innovations
BIH Innovations is the joint technology transfer office of the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. BIH Innovations supports scientists and clinicians at BIH and Charité in the discovery, development, patenting and commercialization of inventions, technologies, products and services. BIH Innovations drives translational medicine through industry collaboration, licensing and spin-offs, and supports innovative projects through grants and mentoring.
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