AlzeCure Selects Drug Candidate and Enters Next Phase of Development with TrkA-NAM ACD137 against Severe Pain

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN / ACCESSWIRE / January 29, 2024 / AlzeCure Pharma (STO:ALZCUR)(FRA:AC6) AlzeCure Pharma AB (publ) (FN STO: ALZCUR, a pharmaceutical company that develops a broad portfolio of small molecule candidate drugs for diseases affecting the central nervous system, with projects in both Alzheimer’s disease and pain, today announced that the company has selected a TrkA-NAM drug candidate, ACD137, and started the preclinical development phase with the compound.

“AlzeCure’s unique TrkA-NAM substances have extremely selective effects so that optimal pain-relieving effect is achievable without inducing side effects. As the TrkA-NAM substances are small molecules, they can be taken in tablet form, which makes it easier for the patient but also contributes to a more cost-effective treatment,” said Pontus Forsell, Head of Discovery and Research at AlzeCure.

ACD137 is being developed within the TrkA-NAM project in AlzeCure’s Painless platform, with the aim of developing a new pain-relieving drug for the treatment of osteoarthritis and other severe pain conditions. In the project, a drug candidate has now been selected to proceed into the preclinical development program, which includes safety and tolerability studies, as well as formulation work and stability testing.

ACD137 blocks NGF-mediated signaling via TrkA receptors, a biological mechanism with strong genetic, preclinical and clinical validation for its role in pain. AlzeCure has already demonstrated that TrkA-NAM substances have a potent analgesic effect in preclinical pain models. Studies also show that they have a substantial anti-inflammatory effect, something that can enhance the analgesic effects in clinical contexts and open up further areas of use. Furthermore, effects have been seen on relevant biomarkers for inflammation and pain.

“We are very pleased to have now selected a promising drug candidate and started the preclinical development phase with ACD137. There is great interest from the pharmaceutical industry in this target mechanism, and the fact that we have such a potent and selective substance is a decisive advantage, as several big pharma companies have tried to develop TrkA-NAM assets. In indications such as knee osteoarthritis, there are also large medical needs and a growing patient group,” said Martin Jönsson, CEO of AlzeCure.

For more information, please contact

Martin Jönsson, CEO
Tel: +46 707 86 94 43
martin.jonsson@alzecurepharma.com

About AlzeCure Pharma AB (publ)

AlzeCure® is a Swedish pharmaceutical company that develops new innovative drug therapies for the treatment of severe diseases and conditions that affect the central nervous system, such as Alzheimer’s disease and pain – indications for which currently available treatment is very limited. The company is listed on Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market and is developing several parallel drug candidates based on three research platforms: NeuroRestore®, Alzstatin® and Painless.

NeuroRestore consists of two symptomatic drug candidates where the unique mechanism of action allows for multiple indications, including Alzheimer’s disease, as well as cognitive disorders associated with traumatic brain injury, sleep apnea and Parkinson’s disease, as well as for depression treatment. The Alzstatin platform focuses on developing disease-modifying and preventive drug candidates for early treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and comprises two drug candidates. Painless is the company’s research platform in the field of pain and contains two projects: ACD440, which is a drug candidate in the clinical development phase for the treatment of neuropathic pain, and TrkA-NAM, which targets severe pain in conditions such as osteoarthritis. AlzeCure aims to pursue its own projects through preclinical research and development through an early clinical phase, and is continually working on business development to find suitable outlicensing solutions, alternatively partnership, with other pharmaceutical companies.

FNCA Sweden AB is the company’s Certified Adviser. For more information, please visit www.alzecurepharma.se.

About TrkA-NAM
The TrkA-NAM project, which is in research phase, is focused on the treatment of pain. The target mechanism, NGF / TrkA signaling, is well-validated both preclinically and clinically and provides a promising alternative to new analgesics without the side effects and addiction problems observed with opioids.

For the TrkA-NAM drug project, we have leveraged our knowledge concerning the underlying biology for the NeuroRestore platform in order to develop new compounds that focus on providing pain relief in conditions associated with severe pain.

The goal of the project is to develop a small-molecule TrkA-negative allosteric modulator for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain and other severe pain disorders. The global osteoarthritis market is expected to reach USD 11.0 billion by 2025, from USD 7.3 billion in 2020. Growth in this market is driven by factors such as the increasing occurrence of osteoarthritis, the growing aging population, and an increase in the number of sports injuries. Over 240 million people worldwide suffer from painful and activity-limiting osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. Many patients experience insufficient pain relief or side effects with current treatment, which today usually consist of NSAIDs or opiates and there is a great need for more effective and better tolerated drugs in this field.

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Martin Jönsson CEO And Pontus Forsell Head Of D&R AlzeCure Pharma

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AlzeCure selects drug candidate and enters next phase of development with TrkA-NAM ACD137 against severe pain

SOURCE: AlzeCure Pharma

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