NEMUS Bioscience Advances Lead Candidate Through Formulation Testing Prior to IND-Enabling Studies
COSTA MESA, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/14/15 -- NEMUS Bioscience, Inc. (OTCQB: NMUS) has entered into a research agreement with the Company's scientific collaborator, the University of Mississippi (UM), to advance NEMUS' lead proprietary cannabinoid-based therapy developed for the treatment and management of glaucoma into an optimized once-daily treatment formulation.
"Medical marijuana has been used since the 1970's to help lower intra-ocular pressure (IOP) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or POAG," states Dr. Brian Murphy, who serves as both NEMUS CEO and CMO. "However, systemic exposure to cannabinoids can have unwanted side effects that threaten the viability of the optic nerve, the site of primary pathology in POAG. With a novel delivery system specific to our pro-drug technology, our goal is to develop a convenient topical dosing regimen for the treatment of glaucoma leveraging the ability of cannabinoids to lower IOP and provide a measure of neuroprotection to the optic nerve."
"Previous experiments conducted at the University using a recognized rabbit model of glaucoma revealed that the topical prodrug formulation of THC lowered IOP 45%-50% in test animals and the drug was able to penetrate all chambers of the eye. We are now embarking on a new set of experiments to demonstrate that delivering the prodrug in a specialized pharmacologic vehicle will allow a longer duration of IOP lowering activity and the need for less frequent dosing with the goal to enhance patient compliance with therapy," reported Dr. Murphy.
"The anterior and posterior chambers of the human eye possess a significant concentration of cannabinoid receptors, especially the ciliary body and trabecular meshwork implicated in IOP regulation as well as the retina in the posterior compartment of the eye," stated Dr. Soumyajit Majumdar, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery and Associate Dean for Research in the School of Pharmacy at the university. "Given the regulatory nature of these receptors in modulating IOP and neural apoptosis, cannabinoid-based therapy could prove useful in treating elevated IOP in glaucoma and potentially slowing or preventing the death of retinal ganglion cells of the optic nerve. It is an exciting time to participate in this area of research."
"Historically, systemic exposure to cannabinoids has yielded a mixed picture of risks and benefits based upon the first-pass liver metabolism of these drugs. Our work at the University is focused on developing proprietary cannabinoid prodrugs that avoid first-pass metabolic exposure and allow for more predictable pharmacokinetics and bioavailability in an effort to enhance not only efficacy of these drugs, but the safety profile as well," commented Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly, professor at the National Center for Natural Products Research at UM.
"Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness globally and our work is directed to prevent vision loss in countries throughout the world using the technology developed at Ole Miss. NEMUS anticipates data from these animal-based experiments in the fourth quarter of 2015 and looks to add to the portfolio of cannabinoid-based candidate molecules before the end of the year," stated Dr. Murphy.
NEMUS Bioscience and the University of Mississippi entered into a research and in-licensing collaboration agreement in 2014.
ABOUT NEMUS BIOSCIENCE, INC.
The Company is a biopharmaceutical company, headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of cannabis-based therapeutics for significant unmet medical needs in global markets. Utilizing certain proprietary technology licensed from the University of Mississippi, NEMUS is working to develop novel ways to deliver cannabis-based drugs for specific indications, with the aim of optimizing the clinical effects of such drugs, while limiting the potential adverse events. NEMUS's strategy will explore the use of natural and synthetic compounds, alone or in combination. The Company is led by a highly qualified team of executives with decades of biopharmaceutical experience and significant background in early-stage drug development.
For more information, visit www.nemusbioscience.com
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Source: NEMUS Bioscience
Released September 14, 2015