Support for clinical development up to end of Phase 2 for ETD002, first-in-class TMEM16A potentiator for the treatment of all cystic fibrosis patients
Milestone Funding through Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Therapeutics Development Award programme
Brighton, UK, 15 October 2019: Enterprise Therapeutics Ltd (Enterprise), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapies to improve the lives of patients suffering with respiratory disease, today announced it has been awarded up to £5.7M ($7M) funding under the Therapeutics Development Award programme from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The milestone-related funding will support clinical development up to the end of Phase 2 for ETD002 – a first-in-class TMEM16A potentiator that has the potential to treat all persons with cystic fibrosis (CF), independent of their cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutation type.
Enterprise Therapeutics is developing novel disease-modifying therapies which target underlying mechanisms of mucus congestion, enhancing the clearance of mucus from the airways, thereby restoring lung function and to reduce morbidity and mortality in CF. The Company’s first-in-class ETD002 programme is targeting the calcium-activated chloride ion channel TMEM16A. By enhancing the activity of TMEM16A, there is increased anion and fluid flow into the airways, thinning the mucus and increasing its clearance from the airways.
CF is a devastating and life-limiting genetic disease. CF patients have a significant reduction in the hydration of their airway mucus, leading to failed clearance, a high incidence of infections, and rapid decline in lung function.
Dr John Ford, CEO, Enterprise Therapeutics, said: “We are delighted to receive such a significant award from the CF Foundation. This funding will enable critical clinical research to be undertaken on our novel TMEM16A programme, and highlights the potential of chloride channel modulation via alternative channels to deliver innovative and effective treatments for all CF patients.”
About Enterprise Therapeutics
Enterprise Therapeutics is discovering and developing new therapies that target the underlying mechanisms of mucus congestion in the lungs, one of the main causes of difficulty in breathing and increased risk of infection in respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis. Reducing mucus congestion will reduce the frequency of lung infections and improve patient quality of life.
The Company’s novel muco-regulatory therapies target ion channels TMEM16A and ENaC to increase the hydration and clearance of mucus. Enterprise has also identified novel targets and compounds that reduce mucus production, an approach that complements mucus hydration therapies.The Enterprise Therapeutics management team has significant expertise in drug discovery, drug development, respiratory biology and ion channel pharmacology. In April 2018 the Company closed an oversubscribed Series B funding round co-led by Versant Ventures and Novartis Venture Fund, with Forbion Capital Partners, Epidarex Capital and IP Group. Cystic Fibrosis is the most common lethal genetic disease of Caucasians with more than 75,000 patients worldwide living with the disease. The average life expectancy of a CF patient, although improving, is approximately 40 years.
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