Adhera Therapeutics Expands Relationship with Melior Pharmaceuticals I, Adds Nash and Pulmonary Inflammation to Portfolio of Target Indications
October 20, 2021 at 02:35 pm
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Adhera Therapeutics, Inc., announces that the Company has extended its relationship with Melior Pharmaceuticals I, Inc. (?Melior Pharma 1?) through the addition of exclusive development rights for two more indications to the existing licensing agreement covering MLR-1023 (tolimidone), one of the world?s only potent and specific lyn kinase activators. As disclosed on August 24, 2021, Adhera executed an exclusive license agreement with Melior Pharma 1 granting Adhera sole rights to develop MLR-1023 as a novel Phase 2-ready therapeutic for Type 1 diabetes. Per the extended agreement, Adhera has been granted exclusive rights to advance development of MLR-1023 completed by Melior Pharma 1 for Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and pulmonary inflammation. The Company intends to explore abbreviated clinical trial opportunities for these indications based upon completed clinical trials including more than 700 patients treated with MLR-1023 defining strong safety and tolerability profiles. Per the extended agreement, Adhera has been granted exclusive rights to advance development of MLR-1023 completed by Melior Pharma 1 for Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and pulmonary inflammation. The Company intends to explore abbreviated clinical trial opportunities for these indications based upon completed clinical trials including more than 700 patients treated with MLR-1023 defining strong safety and tolerability profiles. NASH is an advanced form of liver disease caused by buildup of fat in the liver of patients that consume little or no alcohol. The fat buildup causes inflammation that can lead to scarring of the liver and progress to cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer and death. It is a leading cause of liver transplants in the US afflicting more than 6 million adults1. There are currently no drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating NASH. Relative to MLR-1023, there is a growing body of promising work published on the relation of lyn kinase in liver regeneration. Allied Market Research forecasts the global NASH market to surge at a 58.4% compound annual growth rate to reach $21.48 billion by 2025.
Adhera Therapeutics, Inc. is a specialty biotech company. The Company is focused on the drug development and commercialization of small molecule drugs to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) and Type 1 diabetes. The Company's advanced development programs are MLR-1019, a small molecule drug candidate being developed for PD, and MLR-1023, being developed to treat Type 1 diabetes. MLR-1019 is a highly selective dopamine re-uptake inhibitor for treating the dyskinesias associated with chronic dopamine precursor levodopa (L-DOPA) treatment in PD patients. MLR-1019 is a highly selective dopamine reuptake transporter (DAT) inhibitor used for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and pulmonary inflammation. It utilizes a virtual drug development model, where contract research organizations (CROs) are employed to undertake certain drug discovery and development services on the Companyâs behalf and under its direct supervision.