WPD PHARMACEUTICALS’ WP1122 DRUG TO BE TESTED ON A RANGE OF VIRUSES INCLUDING CORONAVIRUS
March 19 2020 - 3:05AM
WPD Pharmaceuticals Inc.
(CSE: WBIO)(FSE: 8SV1)
(the
“Company” or “WPD”) a clinical stage
pharmaceutical company, announces, that its license partner
Moleculin Biotech, Inc. (Nasdaq:
MBRX)(“
Moleculin”), has entered into an agreement
with a leading government funded research facility in the United
States to conduct research on its patented portfolio of molecular
inhibitors, including drug candidate, WP1122, for antiviral
properties against a range of viruses, including Coronavirus.
Published research has revealed that viral
replication can be highly dependent on specific monosaccharides and
has demonstrated the effectiveness of a compound known as '2-DG,' a
dual decoy of glucose and mannose, in the treatment of certain
viruses.1 This is rooted in an emerging field of research focused
on the role of glycolysis and glycosylation, or more specifically,
on glucose and mannose metabolism in viral activity, including the
coronavirus2. Importantly, although 2-DG has shown promise in
the laboratory in relevant in vivo models, its potential as a
therapy is severely limited by its lack of drug-like properties,
including circulation time and organ uptake. The drug
candidate, WP1122, is a prodrug of 2-DG (2-deoxy-D-glucose) that,
based on recently developed preclinical data appears to overcome
2-DG's lack of drug-like properties and is able to significantly
increase tissue/organ concentration.
Mariusz Olejniczak, CEO of WPD
commented, “We are eager for testing to begin on our WP1122 drug
for antiviral properties against viruses, including the prevalent
Coronavirus. The in vivo research supporting the use of 2-DG as
dual inhibitor of glycolysis and glycosylation to defeat viruses
like Coronavirus through multiple effects critical to the
progression of viral infection is promising.
We believe that during this difficult time, it is
the responsibility of every biotech company to remain
committed to research and test the entire drug portfolio to find
alternative treatment for patients.”
About WPD Pharmaceuticals
WPD is a biotechnology research and development
company with a focus on oncology, namely research and development
of medicinal products involving biological compounds and small
molecules. WPD has 10 novel drug candidates with 4 that are
in clinical development stage. These drug candidates were
researched at institutions including the Mayo Clinic and Emory
University, and WPD currently has ongoing collaborations with Wake
Forest University and leading hospitals and academic centers in
Poland.
WPD has entered into license agreements with
Wake Forest University Health Sciences and sublicense agreements
with Moleculin Biotech, Inc. and CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
respectively, each of which grant WPD an exclusive, royalty-bearing
sublicense to certain technologies of the licensor. Such agreements
provide WPD with certain research, development, manufacturing and
sales rights, among other things. The sublicense territory
from CNS Pharmaceuticals and Moleculin Biotech includes 30
countries in Europe and Asia, including Russia.
(1)Wang Y., et al. Triggering unfolded protein response by
2-Deoxy-D-glucose inhibits porcine epidemic diarrhea virus
propagation. Antiviral Research 106 (2014) 33–41. Schmidt M.,
et al. Interference of Nucleoside Diphosphate Derivatives of
2-Deoxy-D-glucose with the Glycosylation of Virus-Specific
Glycoproteins in vivo. Eur. J. Biochem. 70, 55-62 (1976).
Maehama, T., Patzelt, A., Lengert, M., Hutter, K. J., Kanazawa, K.,
et al. (1998) Selective down-regulation of human
papillomavirus transcription by 2-deoxyglucose. Int. J.
Cancer 76, 639–646. Leung, H. J., Duran, E. M., Kurtoglu, M.,
Andreansky, S., Lampidis, T. J., et al. (2012) Activation of the
unfolded protein response by 2-deoxy-D-glucose inhibits kaposi's
sarcoma-associated herpesvirus replication and gene expression.
Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 56, 5794–5803
(2)Bagdonaite I., et al. Global aspects of viral glycosylation.
Glycobiology. 2018, vol. 28, no. 7, 443–467 doi:
10.1093/glycob/cwy021
On Behalf of the Board
‘Mariusz Olejniczak’
Mariusz OlejniczakCEO, WDP Pharmaceuticals
Contact:
Investor
RelationsEmail: investors@wpdpharmaceuticals.comTel:
604-428-7050Web: www.wpdpharmaceuticals.com
Cautionary Statements:
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the
Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This press release contains forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that
contemplate activities, events or developments that the Company
anticipates will or may occur in the future. These
forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s current
expectations based on information currently available to management
and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may
cause outcomes to differ materially from those projected.
Factors which may prevent the forward looking statement from being
realized is that competitors or others may successfully challenge a
granted patent and the patent could be rendered void; that we are
unable to raise sufficient funding for our research; that we may
not meet the requirements to receive the grants awarded; that our
drugs don’t provide positive treatment, or if they do, the side
effects are damaging; competitors may develop better or cheaper
drugs; and we may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for any
drugs we develop. Readers should refer to the risk disclosure
included from time-to-time in the documents the Company files on
SEDAR, available at www.sedar.com. Although the Company
believes that the assumptions inherent in these forward-looking
statements are reasonable, they are not guarantees of future
performance and, accordingly, they should not be relied upon and
there can be no assurance that any of them will prove to be
accurate. Finally, these forward-looking statements are made
as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no
obligation to update them except as required by applicable law.
WPD Pharmaceuticals (CSE:WBIO)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2024 to Aug 2024
WPD Pharmaceuticals (CSE:WBIO)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2023 to Aug 2024