airPharma and Britannia to bring novel asthma treatment to market
London-based Britannia Pharmaceuticals and air-Pharma, of Kansas in the US, have signed a global licensing agreement in which airPharma will develop AP0016, a dry powder formulation of Britannia's synthetic surfactant, Pumactant.
London-based Britannia Pharmaceuticals and air-Pharma, of Kansas in the US, have signed a global licensing agreement in which airPharma will develop AP0016, a dry powder formulation of Britannia's synthetic surfactant, Pumactant.
Under the terms of the agreement, airPharma will initiate a clinical programme to study the drug's efficacy for seasonal allergic asthma, followed by additional respiratory indications such as perennial allergic asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). airPharma will also assume control of regulatory and marketing initiatives for AP0016 as well as activities related to the eventual commercialisation of the product worldwide, except for the UK and Ireland, which will remain under Britannia's management.
The symptoms of asthma have been associated with surfactant dysfunction, and it is known that endogenous surfactant has protective functions. AP0016 is a protein-free synthetic surfactant made from the naturally occurring phospholipids Dipalmitoylphosphatidycholine (DPPC) and Phosphatidylglycerol (PG). When inhaled by patients, the AP0016 powder enhances the body's surfactant system, helping to protect the lungs from inhaled allergens, dust particulates and other environmental insults.
A Phase II clinical trial conducted by Dr Joy Conway and Professor Stephen Holgate at the University of Southampton School of Medicine showed that all asthma patients who received AP0016 before exposure to inhaled allergens were able to completely eliminate early asthmatic responses, characterised by shortness of breath caused by bronchial constriction. The drug's effect on late asthmatic responses, which occur 3-10 hours after exposure to the allergens, was less dramatic, but still promising. All subjects treated with AP0016 experienced no significant side effects.
'This compound has shown great potential in the treatment of respiratory conditions,' said Max Noble, managing director of Britannia. 'airPharma is the ideal company to develop this drug, and we look forward to working with the airPharma team to bring this new treatment to millions of asthma sufferers worldwide.'