Two UK pharmaceutical companies, Redx, a drug development company, and Quay Pharma have entered into an agreement to manufacture the clinical trial supplies for Redx’s Porcupine inhibitor (RXC004), which has the potential to tackle hard-to-treat cancers, such as pancreatic, triple negative breast and head and neck cancers. As previously reported, first-in-human studies for the Porcupine inhibitor are expected to commence in the first quarter of 2017.
The novel, potent small molecule Porcupine inhibitor targets the Wnt pathway, an embryonic signalling pathway that is implicated in the maintenance of cancer stem cells associated with tumorigenesis, metastasis, recurrence and resistance in several types of cancer. It will have the potential to be taken orally by patients as a once daily dose, the Redx has said in its press release on tuesday.
According to the agreement, Quay Pharma will be formulating the capsules that will be administered in Redx’s trial.
Neil Murray, CEO of Redx, commented:
“We are pleased to confirm that we remain on track to enter the clinical trial phase for our Porcupine program in the first quarter of 2017. Our Porcupine inhibitor is an especially exciting clinical candidate, both scientifically and commercially. This class of drugs has the potential to treat difficult cancer indications, like pancreatic, triple negative breast, and head and neck cancers. Less than 10% of pancreatic cancer patients survive five years from their diagnosis. The potential for this new class of drugs to tackle such difficult cancers could see a significant advance for patients who have few meaningful treatment options today.”
Maireadh Pedersen, CEO of Quay Pharma, commented:
“We are delighted that Redx has selected Quay Pharma based upon our formulation development expertise, unparalleled flexibility and successful track record of delivering clinical trial supplies on time. We look forward to a successful collaboration with the team at Redx on their lead project in this important indication.”