American Nemus Bioscience has developed an analogue of CBD and has chosen controlled substance producer Noramco to manufacture and scale-up this product.
Brian Murphy, CEO-CMO of Nemus, said: “Contracting with Noramco signals the launch of the CBD-analogue programme to advance this candidate molecule into pre-clinical development, with a near-term goal to conduct clinical trials to address diseases of the eye.”
Unlike a prodrug, which must be metabolised into the active drug form, an analogue has its own intrinsic pharmaceutical activity.
Early animal studies of the analogue, cannabidiol-valine-hemisuccinate (CBDVHS), have demonstrated improved bioavailability when compared to CBD. This is based on chemical modifications to the molecule by amide ester bioengineering developed at the University of Mississippi, where the analogue is licenced from.
These attributes, including cannabinoid-based neuroprotection, could be especially important in ocular diseases, where penetrance into the posterior chamber of the eye could potentially expand therapeutic options into diseases of the retina, like macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.