29th Apr 2013 07:00
VERONA PHARMA PLC - New Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board AnnouncedVERONA PHARMA PLC - New Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board Announced
PR Newswire
London, April 29
Verona Pharma plc (AIM: VRP), the drug development company focused on"first-in-class" medicines to treat respiratory diseases, today announces theformation of a Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board (CSAB) of key opinionleaders in the fields of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) andasthma. The objective of the Advisory Board will be to help guide and informthe future clinical development of Verona Pharma's lead drug candidate, RPL554,a unique dual PDE3/4 inhibitor, which has so far successfully completed earlyPhase II clinical studies in COPD and asthma.
Following a strategic review last year, the Company intends to initiallyconcentrate further development of RPL554, in a nebulized form, as a treatmentfor severe COPD, a significant unmet medical need. Verona Pharma believes thiscould potentially shorten the time to commercialisation of the drug and soaccelerate shareholder value creation.
The members of the Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board are:
Prof. Mario Cazzola, Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Director of thePostgraduate School of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Rome `TorVergata', Rome, Italy, where he is also Chief of the Respiratory ClinicalPharmacology Unit.
* Key focus is the pharmacology of airway diseases, particularly use of bronchodilators in COPD and the use of antimicrobial drugs in the treatment of respiratory infections. He is the author or co-author of 404 scientific papers and book chapters, editor and author of 10 monographs or books. He is also editor-in-chief or is an editorial board member of a number of journals in the respiratory field. * Previously Chairman of the Airway Pharmacology and Treatment Group and the Secretary of the Inflammatory Airway Diseases and Clinical Allergy Assembly and is the Postgraduate Courses Director at the European Respiratory Society. * Was Co-chairman of the European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society Task Force "Outcomes for COPD pharmacological trials: from lung function to biomarkers". * Member of the steering committee of the Airway Disorders Network at the American College of Chest Physicians.Prof. Paul O´Byrne, E. J. Moran Campbell Professor of Medicine and Chair of theDepartment of Medicine, McMaster University Canada. Also Executive Director ofThe Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
* Key focus is the mechanisms and treatment of asthma, with particular reference to the role of environmental allergens and the mechanisms by which these cause airway inflammation. * Author of over 250 peer-reviewed papers. Has edited eight books and written more than 70 review papers and is a frequent lecturer at international meetings. * Chair of the Executive Committee for the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), the WHO and NHLBI sponsored initiative to develop global guidelines for asthma diagnosis and treatment, and a member of the Executive Committee, WHO's Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases.Prof. Klaus Rabe, Professor of Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Kiel,Germany and Director of the Department of Pneumology at Clinic Grosshansdorf.
* Active in various fields of Respiratory Medicine worldwide, predominantly asthma, COPD and lung cancer. His current scientific interests are related to clinical trials in COPD and asthma, the mechanisms of airway inflammation, and the endoscopic staging of lung cancer. * Has served on various editorial boards, was the first European Associate Editor of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and was recently Chief Editor of the European Respiratory Journal. * Immediate past-president of the European Respiratory Society. He is a member of the German and Dutch Chest Societies, the British Pharmacological Society, the American Thoracic Society and has served on the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) and Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD).Jan-Anders Karlsson, CEO of Verona Pharma, commented, "We are excited toannounce the formation of such a strong clinical and scientific advisory boardof recognised key opinion leaders in the fields of COPD and asthma. Theirinsight and experience will be invaluable as we hone our plans for the furtherdevelopment of RPL554. The emerging therapeutic profile of the drug from thephase II trials successfully completed to date, suggest an initial focus on anindication for severe COPD, an area of significant unmet medical need. Thiscould potentially shorten the time to commercialisation of the drug, whichcould enable us to accelerate shareholder value".
For further information please contact:
Verona Pharma plc Tel: 020 7863 3300Clive Page, ChairmanJan-Anders Karlsson, CEO WH Ireland Limited Tel: 020 7220 1666Chris FieldingNick Field FTI Consulting Tel: 020 7831 3113Julia PhillipsSimon Conway Notes to Editors About Verona Pharma plcVerona Pharma is developing first-in-class drugs to treat respiratory disease,such as COPD, asthma and chronic, severe cough. The Company has three drugprogrammes, two of which are in Phase II. The lead programme, RPL554, is aninnovative dual phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and 4 inhibitor with bothbronchodilator and anti-inflammatory properties. VRP700 is an innovativeproduct for suppressing chronic, severe cough in patients with underlying lungdisease. In its third programme, Verona Pharma is investigating novelanti-inflammatory molecules, called NAIPs, for a wide range of respiratory andinflammatory diseases.
About RPL554 for the treatment of COPD and Asthma
Verona Pharma's lead drug, RPL554, is a dual phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and 4inhibitor being developed as a novel treatment for chronic obstructive airwaysdisease such as COPD and asthma with bronchodilator and anti-inflammatoryeffects. Both effects are essential to improve symptoms in patients with COPDor asthma. RPL554 is currently in phase II for both diseases.
COPD is a chronic lung disease with significant unmet need for which currenttreatment is far from optimal, as it often has unwanted side-effects and/orlimited effectiveness. COPD is most commonly characterised by fixed airflowobstruction and chronic airways inflammation resulting from exposure toirritants like tobacco smoke. Asthma, which remains one of the most commonchronic diseases in the world, is characterised by recurrent breathing problemsand symptoms such as breathlessness, wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing.The market for COPD and asthma drugs is currently estimated to be GBP20 billion[source: visiongain].
About VRP700 for the treatment of Cough
VRP700 is Verona Pharma's lead drug compound for the treatment of cough, havinga novel mechanism of action involving the suppression of cough initiatingsignals originating from cough sensory nerve endings located in the lungs. Aclinical trial completed at the University of Florence, Italy in September 2011clearly demonstrated significant anti-tussive effects with nebulised VRP700 inhospitalized patients with chronic severe cough.
Cough can be a very debilitating comorbidity reported by patients, especiallythose with respiratory conditions such as asthma, COPD, lung cancer,interstitial lung disease, fibrosis or lung infections. It is a neglectedsymptom which is often self-medicated. Consumer spending on OTC medications,including those for cough, grew by 10% over 2005-10, to reach GBP532 million[source: Mintel]. However, there is very little clinical evidence for such OTCcough medications being really effective and it is widely recognised by themedical community that there is a large need for more effective drugs tocontrol and prevent pathologically induced coughing.
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