Investor Centre

Pharmaceutical research company Pharmaxis (ASX: PXS) and its collaborator UK biotechnology company Synairgen plc (AIM: SNG) today announced completion of the preclinical development stage of their anti-fibrotic Lysyl Oxidase type 2 (LOXL2) inhibitor program allowing the first compound to commence human clinical phase I studies in Q4 2017.

The Pharmaxis drug discovery group has developed a number of selective small molecule inhibitors to the LOXL2 enzyme utilising the same amine oxidase platform that delivered PXS-4728A, an anti-inflammatory drug that was acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim in 2015. The LOXL2 enzyme is fundamental to the fibrotic cascade that follows chronic inflammation in the liver disease NASH, cardiac fibrosis, kidney fibrosis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and it also plays a role in some cancers.

Pharmaxis CEO Gary Phillips said, “The extensive pre‐clinical program performed on our program compounds has confirmed that they have all the characteristics of a successful once a day, oral drug. They have shown excellent efficacy in several different in vivo fibrosis models including fibrosis of the liver, lung, kidney and heart. These findings have been the subject of presentations at a number of international scientific conferences and more data will be presented at similar upcoming events as the phase 1 studies proceed. In regulatory toxicity studies, our compounds have been well tolerated and shown a good safety profile.”