Virpax Pharmaceuticals announced that it has acquired exclusive global rights from Nanomerics Ltd. for the use of molecular envelope technology (MET) for delivery of an intranasal formulation of enkephalin for the treatment of PTSD. The company says that PES200 will be delivered via a cartridge-based, pressurized nasal delivery device, presumably the Naltos dry powder intranasal delivery device, which Nanomerics licensed for use with this formulation from Alchemy Pharmatech in 2019.
In April 2019, Virpax licensed the same intranasal enkephalin formulation from Nanomerics for the treatment of chronic pain. According to Virpax, preclinical testing of the PES200 enkephalin formulation “demonstrated comparable preclinical activity to morphine in all animal pain models tested without the drug seeking and tolerance associated with opioids” and “MET nanoparticles are well tolerated via the nasal route at the dose administered.”
Nanomerics Chief Scientific Officer Ijeoma F. Uchegbu commented, “We are delighted to be collaborating with Virpax Pharmaceuticals in the development of a product to treat PTSD. We look forward to working with Virpax to bring these innovative new treatments to patients.”
Virpax Executive VP and Chief Medical Officer Jeffrey Gudin said, “The development of an enkephalin delta opioid receptor agonist has the potential to be a breakthrough analgesic product-treating pain without the abuse and respiratory depression potential, as well as a first-in-class breakthrough psychiatric drug for the treatment of syndromes such as refractory depression, suicidality, hyper-aggression and PTSD.”
Read the Virpax Pharmaceuticals press release.
