Inositec to launch clinical studies for its drug against kidney-related issues

Vascular calcification is a common complication, affecting people with chronic kidney diseases. Calcification happens when calcium builds up in body tissue, blood vessels, or organs. The build-up of calcium deposits in arterial walls and cardiac valves lead to an increase in cardiac events, particularly in patients with chronic kidney disease.

To-date, there is no solution to address this issue, leaving several individuals at great risk of experiencing cardiovascular events and death. For three years now, Inositec, the Zurich based startup is pioneering the development of life-saving small molecule drugs based on its Inositune platform of inositol phosphate (IP6), a natural facilitator of diverse cellular functions to tackle Vascular Calcification.

The company’s lead product INS-3001 developed as a therapy for calcification disorders has passed the preclinical phase with positive results. Data presented from in vitro experiments showed that INS-3001 was superior to natural IP6 about efficacy and stability in a serum-calcification propensity assay. INS-3001 also had efficacy superior to IP6 in cell culture studies performed on primary human vascular smooth muscle cells treated with either calciprotein particles or calcification medium to induce formation of calcified deposits.

Thanks to the positive results of the preclinical studies, Inositec will advance studies of its candidate drug with in-human clinical studies as of 2019.

“The data shows that our novel vascular calcification inhibitor, INS-3001, possesses superior potency and pharmacokinetics to the natural IP6 molecule regarding inhibiting vascular calcification. This suggests that INS-3001 could provide significant patient benefit if confirmed in clinical studies,” stated Mattias Ivarsson, CEO of Inositec. “We are now conducting our IND-enabling studies, with first-in-human studies scheduled to begin in 2019.”

(Press release/ran)