Moerae Matrix has announced the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of MMI-0100, an inhaled MAPKAP Kinase 2 (MK2) inhibitor for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In June 2012, the company announced an agreement with MicroDose Therapeutx (now part of Teva) to develop a dry powder inhalation delivery system for the drug.
Moerae Matrix CEO Cynthia Lander commented, “This first-in-human Phase 1 MMI-0100 study represents a significant milestone in achieving Moerae’s corporate goal of developing novel, safe and effective compounds to alleviate suffering for the hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide who are afflicted with IPF and other fibrotic disorders. We are particularly encouraged by our animal model data demonstrating that MMI-0100 is capable of not only preventing but also treating fibrosis, as patients generally already have significant tissue damage by the time they are diagnosed.”
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Chairman of Medicine Paul Noble added, “We are entering a new era in the treatment of patients suffering from IPF. The future of IPF treatment will require multiple drugs designed to target different components of the disease process. MMI-0100 is a novel inhibitor of MK2, which is a pathway that is critical for the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Administration of MMI-0100 by inhalation provides a mechanism to deliver drug directly to target lung tissue, thereby minimizing potential side effects associated with systemic delivery, whether MMI-0100 is given alone or as part of a combination drug therapy regimen. These first-in-human studies are an exciting step towards determining if this approach can help patients with IPF.”
Read the Moerae Matrix press release.
