Cellus Inc. has disclosed compounds acting as disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 4 (ADAMTS4; aggrecanase-1) and 5 (ADAMTS5; aggrecanase-2) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of septic arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteonecrosis, rheumatoid arthritis and tuberculosis.
Keybioscience AG and Eli Lilly & Co. have agreed to extend their collaboration on the development of dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonists (DACRAs), a new class of potential treatments for obesity and related disorders.
Novartis AG described the identification and activity of TAK-756, a novel, selective and potent TAK1 inhibitor, as a potential intra-articular therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Previous studies demonstrated that TAK1 appears to be a potential target for controlling inflammation and catabolism through NF-κB and MAPK pathways.
Levicept Ltd. is scoping the options for phase III development after reporting positive results from its phase II trial of LEVI-04 in the treatment of pain caused by osteoarthritis of the knee. The full data are yet to be published, but the company said the potentially first-in-class neurotrophin-3 inhibitor demonstrated significant differences from placebo, with a mean reduction in pain score from baseline of more than 50%, for the three doses tested.
Researchers from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University and Shaoxing People's Hospital presented preclinical data for the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) inhibitor STX-0119, which has been previously validated in models of cancer.
Adolore Biotherapeutics Inc. has offered an update on recent pipeline development progress as it advances nonopioid analgesic gene therapies for the treatment of chronic pain.
Researchers from China Pharmaceutical University published the design and preclinical characterization of novel potent and selective CDC2-like kinase 2 (CLK2) inhibitors as potential candidates for the treatment of osteoarthritis.
Enlivex Therapeutics Ltd. extolled the top-line “positive indication of effect and safety” from the phase II study of Allocetra in treating sepsis and sepsis shock, but the market took another view of the clinical trial. In an analysis of eligible adult patients from the cell therapy’s multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-finding study of 120 enrolled patients, the company also reported low mortality rates.
Just over a year since the last anti-nerve growth factor (NGF) antibody program was axed, the target is poised for a revival, with Levicept Ltd. announcing it has completed recruitment to a phase II trial of LEVI-04 in the control of chronic pain caused by osteoarthritis.
Treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) is still a challenge, since it is focused on symptom relief but fails at dealing with the progressive cartilage deterioration that occurs during the disease. Researchers from Innovo Therapeutics Inc. recently unveiled INV-1498, a caspase inhibitor, as a preclinical candidate for the treatment of OA.
