Nippon Chemiphar and SOM Biotech to Cooperate on New, Orphan Disease Indications for Bevantolol (Calvan®)

BARCELONA, Spain, October 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

SOM Biotech (SOM), a leading drug repurposing company based in Barcelona, Spain, has determined and validated an entirely new usage for Nippon Chemiphar's marketed hypertension therapy bevantolol (Calvan®). SOM, after using a proprietary ligand analysis computational algorithm and completing the preclinical assays, determined that bevantolol (coded SOM3355 by SOM) is a highly effective Vesicular Monoamine Transporter Type 2 (VMAT2) inhibitor, a class of compounds that has demonstrated to have success in treating Central Nervous System movement disorders such as Huntington's Chorea, Tardive Dyskinesia, and Tourette's syndrome.

SOM has conducted numerous validating studies which thus far indicate that bevantolol (SOM3355) has the potential to have promising clinical efficacy as well as properties that are likely to avoid the side effects of other members of the VMAT2 inhibitor class that have led to restricted prescribing.

Nippon Chemiphar will provide extensive preclinical and clinical data that will enable SOM to initiate a Phase II Proof of Concept study of 30 patients at 3 centers in Europe beginning in December 2017. Additionally, Nippon Chemiphar will provide formulated ingredients for clinical trials.

SOM retains worldwide rights to the usage of bevantolol (SOM3355) in these disorders with Nippon Chemiphar having a priority option to develop in numerous Asian countries.

Raul Insa, CEO of SOM Biotech states, "We have a close, multi-year relationship with Nippon Chemiphar and are excited to prove a new use of their drug that will help many people with these difficult to treat orphan diseases."

Masao Yamamoto, Head of Development Planning Department of Nippon Chemiphar states, "We are pleased to learn that SOM opened up the new possibility of our drug to provide new treatment options for highly unmet orphan diseases.  We sincerely admire SOM for their unprecedented ability of drug repurposing."

The development of this product by SOM closely follows the successful repurposing, proof of clinical concept, and out-licensing of SOM0226 for the indication of TTR amyloidosis, another CNS related rare disease.  

About SOM Biotech

SOM Biotech SL.(http://www.sombiotech.com) - established in 2009 - is a med-tech biopharmaceutical company based in Barcelona, Spain, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. SOM has an extensive portfolio of products that includes drugs for rare diseases including Huntington's disease, Adrenoleukodystrophy, Glioblastoma and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, as well other drugs. The company engages in repurposing partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies.

About Nippon Chemiphar

Nippon Chemiphar - established in 1950 - has concentrated its resources on generics business since 2000, in addition to the manufacture and marketing of original formulations with distinctive characteristics. As a manufacturer of both new and generic drugs, Nippon Chemiphar is one of the few pharmaceutical companies in Japan to cover the full generic drug value chain, from development through to manufacturing and marketing.

Focused on its specialties of hyperuricemia and algia, Nippon Chemiphar is also aggressively pursuing drug discovery themes that have the potential to lead to groundbreaking new drugs in response to unmet medical needs.

Contact:

SOM Biotech - Santiago Esteva, Operations Manager, [email protected]  +34-934-020-150

SOURCE SOM Biotech