29th May 2007 12:11
Verona Pharma plc commences pre-clinical studies of its lead compound RPL554
Verona Pharma plc (AIM:VRP) ("Verona Pharma" or the "Company"), the life sciences company developing new therapeutic drugs for the treatment of allergic rhinitis (hay fever), asthma and other chronic respiratory and inflammatory diseases, is pleased to announce that it has signed a contract with LAB Research Inc. of Hungary to initiate formal safety evaluation studies of its lead compound, RPL554, a novel long-acting bronchodilator/anti-inflammatory molecule.
These pre-clinical studies are to be conducted in accordance with the priniciples of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) to establish the safety profile of the drug. The results will form the central part of the submission documentation to be delivered to regulatory agencies in order to obtain approval to conduct first-into-man clinical Phase I and clinical proof-of-concept Phase IIa studies.
RPL554 is firstly being developed for the treatment of hay fever and asthma, which are among the most prevalent respiratory diseases in the industrialised world. The market for the treatment of these diseases is estimated to be some US$20 billion. Many of the available treatments have either unwanted side effects or limited effectiveness, creating a medical need in this market, which Verona Pharma is working to meet.
Verona Pharma's CEO, Professor Michael Walker, commented, "The commencement of these studies is a significant step in the development of RPL554 and getting it into clinical studies."
For further information:Verona Pharma plcProfessor Clive Page, Chairman 07971 504931www.veronapharma.comWH Ireland LimitedDavid Youngman 0161 832 2174Notes for Editors:About Verona Pharma plc
Verona Pharma plc is an AIM-quoted drug discovery company that is focused on finding new therapeutic drugs for the treatment of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and other chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as chronic inflammatory diseases. The Company is currently developing a long-acting bronchodilator/ anti-inflammatory drug (belonging to a class of drugs known as mixed phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3/4 inhibitors) that could be rapidly brought to clinical proof-of-concept for the treatment of hay fever and be subsequently developed for the treatment of asthma. Verona Pharma is also exploiting novel polysaccharides as potential anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of respiratory allergies, asthma and other inflammatory diseases. Further information about Verona Pharma can be found at www.veronapharma.com.
About LAB Research Inc
LAB Research is a non-clinical contract research organization that provides contract research services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agro-chemical and industrial markets. LAB Research supports the development of its customers' products from three state-of-the-art facilities located in Canada, Denmark and Hungary.
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