Corteria Pharmaceuticals announces initiation of Phase 1 study to evaluate CRF2 agonist COR-1167 for treatment of worsening heart failure

Paris, France, March 26, 2024 – Corteria Pharmaceuticals (‘Corteria’), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of transformative therapies for heart failure and obesity, today announces the initiation of its Phase 1 study to evaluate the company’s first-in-class corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2 (CRF2) agonist, COR-1167, for the treatment of Worsening Heart Failure (WHF).

COR-1167 is a once-daily subcutaneous CRF2 agonist that has demonstrated substantial protective effects and functional improvement in the heart, vasculature and kidneys in multiple animal models of heart failure. Its unique mechanism of action offers a novel opportunity for treating WHF with the goal of alleviating cardiac congestion by restoring and maintaining stable cardiovascular and renal function.

The Phase 1 trial is a randomized placebo-controlled study with the primary objective of assessing the safety and tolerability of COR-1167 in both healthy volunteers and patients with chronic heart failure. 

“The advancement of our lead CRF2 agonist into the clinic is a significant milestone in our mission to bring novel treatments to patients experiencing the debilitating effects of worsening heart failure,” said Philip Janiak, founder and CEO of Corteria Pharmaceuticals. “The preclinical data for COR-1167 is very promising and we are excited to determine its therapeutic potential in patients.”

Prof. Adriaan Voors, professor of cardiology at the University Medical Centre Groningen (Netherlands) and principal investigator of the study, emphasized that: “the initiation of this Phase 1 study with COR-1167, a CRF2 agonist, both in healthy volunteers and patients with heart failure is an important step in potentially reducing the burden of heart failure, especially for patients who experience worsening signs and symptoms despite being treated with currently recommended therapies.”

The company anticipates completing the Phase 1 study in the first half of 2025, to be followed by the initiation of a Phase 2 study in this indication.

About Worsening Heart Failure

The clinical course of heart failure is characterized by periods of clinical stability being frequently interrupted by episodes of worsening symptoms and signs, defined as Worsening Heart Failure (WHF). Given the central role of congestion in WHF, loop diuretics are the standard of care treatment. However, while effective acutely, these do not improve rehospitalization rates or patient outcomes. Therefore, WHF remains a critically important unmet medical need that continues to have a major impact on quality of life and imposes a major economic burden on the global healthcare system. 

About Corteria Pharmaceuticals

Corteria Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class medicines for the treatment of heart failure and obesity. In addition to its lead daily CRF2 agonist, COR-1167, the company is advancing a long-acting CRF2 agonist for the chronic treatment of right heart failure and obesity, as well as an Arginine VasoPressin (AVP) neutralizing monoclonal antibody for the treatment of acute heart failure with hyponatremia. Worldwide, more than 60 million people live with heart failure and more than one billion with obesity, resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality.