AlzeCure presents new data on the anti-inflammatory effects of its TrkA-NAM pain project at IASP 2022

AlzeCure presents new data on the anti-inflammatory effects of its TrkA-NAM pain project at IASP 2022

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's presentation from the pain conference IASP 2022 is now available in its entirety on the company's website. The abstract includes new results from the company’s preclinical project TrkA-NAM, which is developed with a focus on osteoarthritis pain and other severe pain conditions.

The presentation, titled Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Small Molecule Negative Allosteric Modulators of TrkA, was held by the project manager Dr. Pontus Forsell and contains new results from the ongoing preclinical studies with a substance in the TrkA-NAM project. They include effect studies in a pain model, but also studies on inflammation and relevant biomarkers.

The results show that the substance, AC-0027838, has a potent analgesic effect in a model of nociceptive pain. The substance blocks NGF-mediated signaling via TrkA receptors, a biological mechanism with strong genetic, preclinical and clinical validation regarding its role in pain. The data also show that AC-0027838 has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect, something that may potentiate its analgesic effects in clinical contexts. Analysis of the inflamed tissue also demonstrated significant effects on CGRP, which is a relevant biomarker of inflammation and pain.

”The project is based on a mechanism with strong preclinical and clinical validation. We have now been able to show that our potent and selective TrkA-NAM molecules exhibit both analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in a relevant preclinical model, which are promising results for their further development,” said Dr. Forsell.
 
”These positive data further strengthen the project and contribute to increased commercial interest. That this is also a mechanism that is not linked to the side effects and addiction problems observed with opioids is important in the context as the medical need for alternative treatments is very great," said Martin Jönsson, CEO of AlzeCure Pharma.

The presentation and abstract are available on AlzeCure's website: https://www.alzecurepharma.se/en/presentations-and-interviews

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 small molecule 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. 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 other types of 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 solutions for license agreements 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. Substances developed in the project have recently been shown to also have anti-inflammatory properties.

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.