PreveCeutical Medical Inc (CSE:PREV) (OTCQB:PRVCF) announced Tuesday that it has identified promising lead peptides for its opioid-replacement pain-relieving drug, a key step in development.
The effort is part of an analgesic (read: pain relief) program the company launched in 2018 to develop peptide-based therapeutics for moderate-to-severe pain and inflammation. Peptides are made up of short chains of amino acids, which themselves are the building blocks of proteins.
Now, the company has several such peptides that have been shown to be stable in a pair of independent assays and that are selective for the opioid receptor.
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Select peptides have been found to be highly potent when screened in a cell inhibition assay, the company said. The lead peptides are currently being evaluated in an inflammatory pain model, and the outcome from those studies will be reported soon.
"We are very pleased with the promising results from research,” PreveCeutical CEO Stephen Van Deventer said in a statement. “We are now looking to transition these promising developments to the selection of lead drug candidates for further studies ahead of future clinical trials and commercialization. To address the current global opioid crisis, we will seek fast track approval from various regulatory health organizations."
PreveCeutical focuses on developing options for preventative and curative therapies utilizing organic and nature identical products. The company’s current R&D programs include dual gene curative and preventive therapies for diabetes and obesity; the Cannabidiols Sol-gel Program aiming to provide relief across a range of indications from pain, inflammation, seizures, and neurological disorders; Nature Identical peptides for the treatment of various ailments; non-addictive analgesic peptides as a replacement to the highly addictive analgesics such as morphine, fentanyl and oxycodone; and a therapeutic product for treating athletes who suffer from concussions.
Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com
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