Acorda Therapeutics has announced that it received a $1.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for development of a dry powder lung surfactant for the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) based on its ARCUS inhalation platform, as well as a delivery system. The company will develop the formulation in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The ARCUS dry powder formulation and delivery platform, which Acorda acquired when it acquired Civitas Therapeutics in 2014, is also used for CVT-301 inhaled L-dopa for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Patients are currently being recruited for a Phase 3 trial of CVT-301.
Acorda Chief Technology Officer Ricky Batycky commented, “Using the ARCUS technology to develop an inhaled formulation of surfactant has the potential to expand access to this life-saving treatment in developing countries. ARCUS-formulated medications studied to date have been self-administered and stored at room temperature; these features have the potential to eliminate some of the barriers that prevent more widespread use of surfactant to treat infants with RDS. The ARCUS technology has a wide range of potential applications. With the support of the Gates Foundation, we’re excited to explore this technology to improve health outcomes for infants in areas with constrained healthcare infrastructures. ”
MIT Professor Robert Langer added, “Some of the early research that led to the ARCUS technology was conducted at MIT, so it’s very gratifying to see its continued development. We’re excited that it has the potential to help newborns with RDS, where there is a significant unmet medical need.”
Read the Acorda press release.
