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A novel ulcerative colitis treatment - A phase III ready feasibility study

Project description

A biological drug for ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with long-term inflammation in the colon, causing abdominal pain and diarrhoea. The EU-funded UCRxF project proposes cobitolimod, a novel DNA-based medication for UC, which has a novel mechanism of action and activates the Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). The downstream effects of TLR9 activation include ulcer healing and reduction of mucosal inflammation, while initial results from clinical trials are encouraging with respect to the safety and efficacy of cobitolimod. The activities of UCRxF include toxicology evaluation of the drug and improvement in manufacturing prior to proceeding to phase III clinical testing.

Objective

InDex Pharmaceuticals AB is a pharmaceutical development company based at the Karolinska Institutet Science Park in Stockholm, Sweden. The company´s primary asset is cobitolimod, which is in late phase clinical development as a new medication to treat moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis (UC); a chronic, debilitating disease with a high unmet medical need. UC is caused by chronic inflammation of the colon, and there is no cure.

Cobitolimod offers a novel and unique mechanism of action for the treatment of UC, and has demonstrated a higher efficacy and better safety profile in clinical studies than what has been reported for currently approved biological drugs. Cobitolimod is part of the broad InDex portfolio of DNA-based ImmunoModulatory Sequences (referred to as DIMS), which have the potential for treatment of various immunological diseases. Cobitolimod is currently being tested in a phase IIb clinical study with top line results expected in Q4 2018.

InDex’s business strategy is to out-license cobitolimod to a larger international pharmaceutical company prior to the initiation of clinical phase III development. This will generate revenues for InDex from upfront and milestone payments as well as royalties from third party sales, which can then be reinvested in the company to finance development of new compounds from the DIMS technology platform.

For clinical phase III, additional manufacturing and toxicology work as well as commercial preparations are essential. The planning and preparation of this work is the purpose of this feasibility study, which is a crucial part of the cobitolimod phase III ready programme, increasing the attractiveness of the asset in partnering discussions with pharmaceutical companies looking for innovative new products. A licensing deal will ensure that the development of this promising, innovative drug will continue in a fast and efficient way to reach patients with this debilitating disease.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020

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Coordinator

INDEX PHARMACEUTICALS AB
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 50 000,00
Address
TOMTEBODAVAGEN 23A
171 77 STOCKHOLM
Sweden

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Östra Sverige Stockholm Stockholms län
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 71 429,00
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