4th Sep 2009 07:00
Synairgen plc
('Synairgen' or the 'Company')
IFN-beta Patent Granted in the US
Southampton, UK - 4 September 2009: Synairgen plc (LSE: SNG), the respiratory drug discovery and development company with a particular focus on viral defence in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ('COPD'), is pleased to announce that the patent for inhaled interferon beta ('IFN-beta') to treat rhinovirus infections in asthma and COPD has been granted in the US.
The patent is part of a patent portfolio owned by the University of Southampton, which is exclusively licensed to Synairgen.
Richard Marsden, CEO of Synairgen, commented, "This intellectual property is a key part of our main programme and is core to realising our commercial objectives."
-Ends-
For further information, please contact:
Synairgen plc Tel: + 44 (0) 23 8051 2800
Richard Marsden, Chief Executive Officer
John Ward, Finance Director
Matrix Corporate Capital Tel: + 44 (0) 20 3206 7000
Alastair Stratton
Anu Tayal
Threadneedle Communications Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7653 9850
Graham Herring
Josh Royston
Notes for Editors
About Synairgen
Synairgen is a drug discovery and development company founded by Professors Stephen Holgate, Donna Davies and Ratko Djukanovic, focused on identifying and out-licensing new pharmaceutical products which address the underlying causes of asthma and COPD. Synairgen is listed on AIM (LSE: SNG).
Synairgen's researchers use advanced cell models incorporating human tissue and cells drawn from its biobank of clinical samples, which are obtained from well-characterised healthy control, asthma or COPD volunteers.
For more information about Synairgen please see www.synairgen.com.
Synairgen's interferon beta programme
Synairgen is developing inhaled IFN-beta for viral-induced asthma and COPD exacerbations.
Using in vitro human models, it was discovered that epithelial cells (cells which line the airways) from both subjects with asthma and COPD have significantly weaker anti-viral responses to the common cold virus than healthy control subjects. The addition of low levels of IFN-beta into the models restored anti-viral responses (simulating aerosolised IFN-beta therapy). This suggests that local delivery of IFN-beta to the lungs could limit the spread of virus to lungs in subjects with respiratory disease and the consequent worsening of their symptoms.
Synairgen has successfully completed a Phase I study in non-asthmatic subjects (SG003) and has completed recruitment for a Phase I study in controlled asthmatics taking inhaled corticosteroids (SG004).
Synairgen has entered into a supply and licence agreement for a patent-protected formulation of IFN-beta from the Rentschler Group in Germany.
Biomarkers
A biomarker is a substance used as an indicator of a biologic state. In this case Neopterin is a drug activity biomarker that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention (i.e. inhaled IFN-beta).
Asthma statistics
There are approximately 23 million asthmatics in the USA2
The economic cost to the USA of asthma is $19.7 billion per year3
Asthma accounts for 1.7 million emergency department visits per year in the USA2
The cost of emergency department visits and in-patient care in relation to asthma in the USA is $4.7 billion2
The average duration of a hospitalisation for an asthma exacerbation in the USA is 2.7 days at a cost of $9,0784
50% of the total cost of the asthma is apportioned to 10% of the asthmatic population with the severest disease5
COPD statistics
COPD includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema
COPD is forecast to be the third leading cause of death worldwide (after heart attack and stroke) by 20306
12 million adults in the USA have reported a physician diagnosis of COPD. However, as many as 24 million adults have some evidence of impaired lung function, implying an under-diagnosis of this disease7
The economic cost to the USA of COPD is $42.6 billion per year3
Hospital care cost $11.3 billion2 and in 2005 there were 721,000 hospitalizations for COPD in the USA8
Rhinovirus (common cold virus) and exacerbations (worsening of symptoms) of asthma and COPD
Adults get an average of two to four colds per year, mostly between September and May. Young children suffer from an average of six to eight colds per year9
Rhinovirus infections are the major cause of asthma exacerbations, accounting for 50% to 80% of all such attacks in both children and adults10
80-85% of COPD exacerbations are associated with viral or bacterial respiratory tract infections with rhinovirus and Haemophilus influenzae thought to be the major contributors11
References
P. Wark et al. Asthmatic bronchial epithelial cells have a deficient innate immune response to infection with rhinovirus. J Exp Med. 2005; 201: 937-947
American Lung Association. Trends in Asthma Morbidity and Morality. January 2009 www.lungusa.org
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Morbidity and Mortality: 2007 Chartbook on Cardiovascular, Lung and Blood Diseases
V. Krishnan et al. Mortality in patients hospitalized for asthma exacerbations in the United States. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2006 174, 633-638
P.J. Barnes, B. Johnson, J.B. Klim. The Costs of Asthma. Eur Respir J 1996 9, 636-642
World Health Organisation website (http://www.who.int/respiratory/copd/burden/en/index.html)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994
American Lung Association: Trends in COPD (chronic bronchitis and emphysema): Morbidity and Mortality. December 2007 www.lungusa.org
American Lung Association: Cold and Flu Guidelines: The Common Cold www.lungusa.org
J.T. Kelly et al. Host immune responses to rhinovirus: Mechanisms in asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2008; 122: 671-682
A. Sethi et al. Infection in the Pathogenesis and Course of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. N Engl J Med 2008; 359: 2355-65
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