MENLO PARK, Calif., Nov. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CohBar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWBR), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing mitochondria based therapeutics (MBTs) to treat age-related diseases and extend healthy lifespan, today announced the completion of the Phase 1a stage of the company’s ongoing Phase 1a/1b study evaluating the safety, tolerability, and activity of CB4211, and the initiation of recruitment for the Phase 1b stage. CB4211 is under development as a potential treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and obesity, and is the first therapeutic candidate based on a mitochondrial-derived peptide to enter clinical testing.
“The completed Phase 1a stage of the CB4211 clinical study evaluated safety and tolerability after seven days of dosing, and the drug was safe and well tolerated under the amended protocol,” said Ken Cundy, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer. “Advancing to the next stage of the study in obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases, or NAFLD, is an important milestone for CohBar. In preclinical studies, CB4211 demonstrated significant improvement in the NAFLD activity score in a NASH model and reduction of liver fat and body weight in obese animals. The Phase 1b stage of the study is designed to explore those effects in humans. We look forward to demonstrating the clinical utility of CB4211.”
The Phase 1b stage of the ongoing study is designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and activity of CB4211 in obese subjects with NAFLD. The double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation will be conducted over four weeks in twenty patients with ten patients receiving CB4211 and ten receiving placebo. Assessments will include changes in liver fat as determined by MRI-PDFF, body weight, and biomarkers relevant to NASH and obesity. Results from both stages of the study are anticipated in mid-2020.
An estimated 75 million U.S. adults have NAFLD, and as many as 35% of them, or 26 million, will progress to NASH. Approximately 20% of people with NASH will go on to develop fibrosis (scarring) of the liver, leading to cirrhosis and an increased risk of liver failure and cancer. There are no approved treatments for the disease.
About CB4211
CohBar’s lead clinical program is based on CB4211, a first-in-class mitochondria based therapeutic, that has demonstrated significant therapeutic potential in preclinical models of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and obesity. CB4211 is a novel and improved analog of MOTS-c, a naturally occurring mitochondrial-derived peptide, which has been shown to play a significant role in the regulation of metabolism, and was discovered in 2012 by CohBar founder Dr. Pinchas Cohen and his academic collaborators. NASH is a chronic and silent disease in its early stages that can progress to more serious disease stages, such as advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver failure or liver cancer. NASH has been estimated to affect as many as 12% of adults in the U.S., and there is no approved treatment for the disease.
About CohBar
CohBar (NASDAQ: CWBR) is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the research and development of mitochondria based therapeutics, an emerging class of drugs for the treatment of chronic and age-related diseases. Mitochondria based therapeutics originate from the discovery by CohBar’s founders of a novel group of naturally occurring mitochondrial-derived peptides within the mitochondrial genome which regulate metabolism and cell death, and whose biological activity declines with age. CohBar’s efforts focus on the development of these peptides into therapeutics that offer the potential to address a broad range of age-related diseases, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), obesity, type 2 diabetes, fibrotic diseases, cancer, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. The company’s lead compound, CB4211, is in a Phase 1a/1b clinical trial that includes an evaluation of biological activity relevant to NASH and obesity. To date, the company and its founders have discovered more than 100 mitochondrial-derived peptides. For additional company information, please visit www.cohbar.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements which are not historical facts within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and other future conditions. In some cases you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “expect,” “goal,” “seek,” “future,” “likely” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. Examples of such forward-looking statements including but not limited to statements regarding anticipated outcomes of research and clinical trials for our lead candidate CB4211, or our other mitochondria based therapeutic (MBT) candidates; expectations regarding the growth of MBTs as a significant future class of drug products; and statements regarding anticipated therapeutic properties and potential of our MBTs or the properties, potential and effects of newly-discovered mitochondrial-derived peptides. You are cautioned that such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those set forth in these forward looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include: our ability to successfully advance drug discovery and development programs, including the delay or termination of ongoing clinical trials; our possible inability to mitigate the prevalence and/or persistence of the injection site reactions, receipt of unfavorable feedback from regulators regarding the safety or tolerability of CB4211 or the possibility of other developments affecting the viability of CB4211 as a clinical candidate or its commercial potential; results that are different from earlier data results including less favorable than and that may not support further clinical development; our ability to raise additional capital when necessary to continue our operations; our ability to recruit and retain key management and scientific personnel; and our ability to establish and maintain partnerships with corporate and industry partners. Additional assumptions, risks and uncertainties are described in detail in our registration statements, reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable Canadian securities regulators, which are available on our website, and at www.sec.gov or www.sedar.com.
You are cautioned that such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and other information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and CohBar does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Nothing herein shall constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.
Investor and Media Contact:
Jon Stern, COO
CohBar, Inc.
(650) 446-7888
jon.stern@cohbar.com
Joyce Allaire
LifeSci Advisors
jallaire@lifesciadvisors.com
