Rigel Pharmaceuticals says that it plans to focus its efforts on two inhaled asthma therapies: R343, an inhaled SYK inhibitor and R256, an inhaled IL13 signaling/JAK inhibitor. A Phase 2 clinical study of R343 will begin later this summer in mild to moderate asthma patients. Rigel said that it plans to initiate a preclinical development program for R256 but did not provide a timeframe. The company says that it will present data related to both drugs at ATS.
Rigel co-founder and President of Discovery and Research Donald G. Payan explained, “Extensive study of inflammatory conditions in the lung has led us to discover small molecule therapeutics that may be capable of disrupting the inflammatory cascade, restoring lung tissue functionality and, in cases of severe disease, preventing airway remodeling resulting in additional tissue damage. Direct delivery of R343 and R256 into the airway puts the drugs where they are needed, and may offer new options in asthma therapy that address not only the symptoms, but also the underlying causes of the disease.”
Read the Rigel press release.
