LAVAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - June 18, 2014) - ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. (TSX:PLI) (OTCQX:PFSCF), ("ProMetic" or the "Corporation") reported today that it has successfully completed its PBI-4050 Phase I clinical trial in 40 healthy volunteers. ProMetic's PBI-4050 was found to be safe and very well tolerated without any serious adverse events reported in any of the 5 cohorts tested.
The objectives of this oral, double blind, placebo controlled, single ascending dose study were to demonstrate the safety and tolerability of PBI-4050 and to establish the pharmacokinetic profile of the drug candidate at different doses. The study design also included a component looking at food effect on drug absorption. The trial was conducted in 5 cohorts of 8 subjects. In each cohort, 6 subjects received PBI-4050 and 2 subjects received matching placebo.
"This bodes very well for the clinical program as the therapeutic dose is expected to be at the low end of the range tested in this clinical trial", commented Dr John Moran, Chief Medical Officer of ProMetic, "With this excellent safety profile, we can now test this very promising drug candidate in patients".
Dr. Lyne Gagnon stated, "This study also confirms that PBI-4050 does not appear to have any bioavailability concerns following oral administration. The absorption and elimination of PBI-4050 in humans is similar to that observed in preclinical models".
"PBI-4050 is now set to move into clinical development in diabetic patients with kidney diseases, as well as other orphan medical conditions where diabetes and/or fibrosis is affecting key organs such as liver, kidney, heart and lungs. We will disclose such selected additional indications over the coming months", said Mr. Pierre Laurin, President and Chief Executive Officer of ProMetic.
More on PBI-4050
PBI-4050 is an orally active lead drug candidate with efficacy and excellent safety profiles confirmed in several in vivo experiments targeting fibrosis. Fibrosis is a very complex process by which continuing inflammation causes vital organs to lose their function as normal tissue is gradually replaced by fibrotic scar tissue. The proof of concept data generated to date confirms our lead drug candidates' anti-fibrotic activity in several key organs including the kidneys, the heart, the lungs and the liver. Twenty six million patients in the U.S. alone are diagnosed with chronic kidney diseases ("CKD"). Patients with severe CKD stages (3 and 4) suffer from a gradual and accelerated loss of their renal function (end stage renal disease or ESRD) leading to the need for hemodialysis. Cardiovascular complications for ESRD patients on hemodialysis are a common cause of death.
About ProMetic Life Sciences Inc.
ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. (www.prometic.com) is a long established biopharmaceutical company with globally recognized expertise in bioseparations, plasma-derived therapeutics and small-molecule drug development. ProMetic offers its state of the art technologies for large-scale purification of biologics, drug development, proteomics and the elimination of pathogens to a growing base of industry leaders and uses its own affinity technology that provides for highly efficient extraction and purification of therapeutic proteins from human plasma in order to develop best-in-class therapeutics and orphan drugs. ProMetic is also active in developing its own novel small-molecule therapeutic products targeting unmet medical needs in the field of fibrosis, cancer and autoimmune diseases/inflammation. Headquartered in Laval (Canada), ProMetic has R&D facilities in the UK, the U.S. and Canada, manufacturing facilities in the UK and business development activities in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements about ProMetic's objectives, strategies and businesses that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are "forward-looking" because they are based on our current expectations about the markets we operate in and on various estimates and assumptions. Actual events or results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements if known or unknown risks affect our business, or if our estimates or assumptions turn out to be inaccurate. Such risks and assumptions include, but are not limited to, ProMetic's ability to develop, manufacture, and successfully commercialize value-added pharmaceutical products, the availability of funds and resources to pursue R&D projects, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the ability of ProMetic to take advantage of business opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry, uncertainties related to the regulatory process and general changes in economic conditions. You will find a more detailed assessment of the risks that could cause actual events or results to materially differ from our current expectations in ProMetic's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2013, under the heading "Risk and Uncertainties related to ProMetic's business". As a result, we cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement even if new information becomes available, as a result of future events or for any other reason, unless required by applicable securities laws and regulations. All amounts are in Canadian dollars unless indicated otherwise.