Purdue Pharma L.P. And Anabios Collaborate To Advance Research For Non-Opioid, Non-NSAID Treatments For Chronic Pain

Program will Accelerate Purdue’s Nav1.7 Sodium Ion Channel Drug Candidates with AnaBios’ Phase-X® Discovery Platform

STAMFORD, Conn. & SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Purdue Pharma L.P. and AnaBios Corporation announced today a collaboration to advance the research of non-opioid, non-NSAID compounds for the treatment of chronic pain. The goal of the collaboration is to accelerate Purdue’s Nav1.7 sodium ion channel drug candidates utilizing AnaBios’ Phase-X® discovery platform to develop treatments for chronic pain.

“We will utilize our Phase-X technology to optimize the selection of clinical candidates from the advanced leads that Purdue Pharma has generated”

Under the terms of the agreement, Purdue Pharma will license to AnaBios the rights to a suite of patents for Nav1.7 sodium ion channel blockers. AnaBios will employ its Phase-X® technology to de-risk the assets and select a clinical candidate. The two companies will form a joint steering committee to manage pre-clinical as well as clinical development of the lead molecule. In addition, the companies will own any intellectual property (IP) developed jointly.

Purdue Pharma has more than 15 years of research history in the sodium channel field that led to multiple patent applications and numerous lead compounds targeting Nav1.7 as well as other sodium channel isoforms that are potentially useful for the treatment of chronic pain. Purdue Pharma also has extensive clinical development experience in advancing new drugs for treating pain.

AnaBios has a successful record of accomplishment in employing its Phase-X® platform to support target selection and validation, lead optimization, clinical candidate selection and clinical program de-risking for pharmaceutical drug development programs. The company is also conducting internal preclinical drug discovery programs on proprietary chemical entities and has established a unique and unprecedented capability for studying the human peripheral pain pathway in the laboratory, therefore enabling the identification of novel analgesic drugs with potential efficacy in humans.

“The Phase-X® platform enables the discovery of novel drugs directly in normal as well as diseased human tissues, minimizing animal experimentation. This strategy maximizes the chances that preclinical data will successfully translate during clinical development,” said Mark Timney, President and Chief Executive Officer, Purdue Pharma L.P. “This innovative technology can advance this important research and bring value to patients suffering from pain and healthcare providers.”

Phase-X ensures that lead optimization truly enhances drug safety and efficacy profiles in humans, not just in animal models.

“We will utilize our Phase-X technology to optimize the selection of clinical candidates from the advanced leads that Purdue Pharma has generated,” said Andre Ghetti, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, AnaBios Corporation. “Employing human sensory neurons to match the selectivity and properties of sodium channel blockers with specific pain indications, we will maximize the potential success of clinical development of much needed new pain therapeutics.”

“Through this unique collaboration we have a tremendous opportunity to quickly advance new treatments into the clinic and potentially serve the many chronic pain patients that cannot find relief with existing medications. Our ability to select clinical candidates based on experiments performed in native human tissues will provide the greatest chance of success," said Don Kyle, Ph.D., Vice President, Discovery Research, Purdue Pharma L.P.

Chadbourne & Parke LLP served as lead outside counsel for Purdue Pharma. Reid Adler served as lead outside counsel for AnaBios.

About Nav1.7

Nav1.7 is a sodium ion channel that in humans is encoded by the SCN9A gene. It is usually expressed at high levels in two types of neurons, the nociceptive (pain) neurons at dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and trigeminal ganglion, and sympathetic ganglion neurons, which are part of the involuntary nervous system. Nav1.7 plays a critical role in the generation and conduction of action potentials and is thus important for electrical signaling by most excitable cells. Nav1.7 is present at the endings of pain-sensing nerves, the nociceptors, close to the region where the impulse is initiated.

About Phase-X® Technology

Phase-X® is the proprietary technology developed by AnaBios which enables the investigation of human drug responses in the pre-clinical stage of drug discovery. In the past, access to human cells and tissues for research has relied, almost invariably, on samples collected employing inconsistent protocols, variable postmortem intervals, and a lack of adequate reagents for ensuring sample viability. As a result of ischemic damage, most available samples were of poor quality and provided inconsistent results. It has also been difficult, if not impossible, to use human tissue samples for functional biochemical and physiological testing of drug effects. At the foundation of Phase-X drug development platform are proprietary methods and reagents for the consistent and reliable procurement of viable human donor samples, the preservation of human sample viability as well as advanced in vitro interrogation methods for obtaining human-relevant data on drug activity.

About AnaBios Corporation

AnaBios Corporation has developed an extensive battery of assays and technologies, Phase-X®, that enable the study of ex-vivo human responses to drugs and the investigation of the molecular and functional basis of human physiology. AnaBios focuses primarily on ex-vivo human tissue and cell-based studies for safety, pain and neurodegeneration. AnaBios generates highly valuable and predictive human data that ensure the selection of the most effective and safest drugs before investing in expensive and time consuming clinical trials. AnaBios is located in San Diego. For more information, please visit https://www.anabios.com/.

About Purdue Pharma L.P.

Purdue Pharma L.P. is a privately-held pharmaceutical company and is part of a global network of independent associated companies that is known for pioneering research in chronic pain and opioids with abuse deterrent properties. The company’s leadership and employees are committed to providing healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers quality products and educational resources to support their proper use. Purdue Pharma is engaged in the development, production and distribution of both prescription and over-the-counter medicines and hospital products. With Purdue Pharma’s expertise in drug development, commercialization and life-cycle management, the company is diversifying in high-need areas to expand through strategic acquisitions and creative partnerships. For more information, please visit www.purduepharma.com or follow the company on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.