Toronto, Ontario–(Newsfile Corp. – May 1, 2024) – PharmaDrug Inc. (CSE: PHRX) (OTC Pink: LMLLF) (“PharmaDrug” or the “Company“), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of controlled-substances and natural medicines such as psychedelics and previously approved drugs, is pleased to announce that Sairiyo Therapeutics Inc. (“Sairiyo”), a company that is fifty-one percent (51%) owned by PharmaDrug and fourty-nine percent (49%) owned by PharmaTher Holdings Ltd. (CSE: PHRM) (OTCQB: PHRRF) (“PharmaTher“), has completed its clinical and regulatory package to evaluate Sairiyo’s patented reformulated enteric coated version of orally bioavailable cepharanthine (“PD-001”) as a potential treatment for infectious diseases and oncology in a Phase1 clinical study in Australia.
Robert Steen, CEO and Chairman of PharmaDrug commented, “We are extremely excited to reach this milestone in the development of PD-001. With the application package now completed and the corporate subsidiary already set up in Australia, Sairiyo only needs to finalize its agreement with a research hospital in order to submit the application to the relevant regulatory bodies and ethics committees.”
Sairiyo’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Australia, Sairiyo Therapeutics Australia Pty Ltd., will work with an Australian clinical research unit to submit the clinical and regulatory package to the Australian Human Research Ethics Committee for approval to conduct the human clinical study.
In pursuit of its clinical strategy for PD-001, Sairiyo aims to conduct its first-in-human clinical study of PD-001 in Australia to capitalize on drug development incentives in Australia, which could earn a 43.5 percent rebate from the Australian Federal Government’s Research and Development tax incentive program. Upon completion of the clinical study, Sairiyo intends to submit an Investigational New Drug application for PD-001 to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commence clinical trials in the United States.
About PD-001 (Enteric-coated Oral Cepharanthine)
Cepharanthine is a natural product and an approved drug used for more than 70 years in Japan to successfully treat a variety of acute and chronic diseases. In clinical research, cepharanthine has been shown to exhibit multiple pharmacological properties including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, immuno-regulatory, anti-cancer, anti-viral and anti-parasitic effects1,2. However, historically cepharanthine’s low oral bioavailability has represented a major obstacle to realizing its full clinical potential.
Compared to generic cepharanthine, PD-001 has been shown in rodent and non-rodent models to possess markedly improved oral bioavailability (more easily absorbed). These findings support the development of an orally administered formulation, and in so doing, removes the undesirable requirement for frequent intravenous dosing to maintain therapeutic levels of drug in circulation. Sairiyo endeavours to develop an efficacious oral therapeutic to potentially improve outcomes for infectious disease and oncology applications.
PD-001 is protected by US Patent US10576077, with a patent expiration date of March 23, 2036.
PharmaDrug is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of controlled-substances and natural medicines such as psychedelics and previously approved drugs. PharmaDrug owns 51% of Sairiyo Therapeutics (“Sairiyo”), a biotech company that specializes in researching and reformulating established natural medicines with a goal of bringing them through clinical trials and the associated regulatory approval process in the US and Europe. Sairiyo is currently developing its patented reformulation of cepharanthine, a drug that has shown substantial third party validated potential for the treatment of infectious disease and rare cancers. Sairiyo is also conducting R&D in the psychedelics space for the treatment of non-neuropsychiatric conditions. PharmaDrug also owns 100% of SecureDose Synthetics Inc. (“SecureDose”), a pharmaceutical research and development company focused on the development of synthetic formulations of currently existing drugs for potential commercialization and distribution.