SOUTH
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 20, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Rila Therapeutics, Inc., A biotechnology company
focused on addressing the burden of chronic fibrotic diseases,
today announced that the first cohort of subjects was dosed in a
phase 1 trial of RLA-23174 in China in collaboration with our development
partner, Yingli Pharmaceutical. RLA-23174 is a first-in-class small
molecule allosteric inhibitor of HIPK2 which inhibits TGF-β
signaling to address FSGS and other fibrotic diseases. The phase 1
placebo-controlled study for RLA-23174 is designed to assess its
safety at multiple dose levels, tolerability, food effect, and
pharmacokinetics. The single-center trial is enrolling healthy
subjects and consists of staggered single ascending dose and
multiple ascending dose cohorts. The trial will enroll up to 80
patients with expected completion by the end of 3Q2024 to support
advancement into the Phase 2 clinical program.
About RLA-23174
RLA-23174 is a new small molecule
allosteric inhibitor of HIPK2 and a potential first-in-class
treatment for pan-organ fibrosis. RLA-23174 inhibits the
TGF-β/Smad3 signaling pathway by affecting the interaction between
HIPK2 and Smad3, without inhibiting the kinase activity of HIPK2 or
TGF-β receptor systems. Therefore, RLA-23174 exerts anti-fibrotic
effects by reducing TGF-β signaling without serious adverse effects
caused by complete HIPK2 or TGF-β signaling blockade. Preclinical
studies have shown that RLA-23174 has superior anti-fibrotic
effects, significant in vivo activity, excellent pharmacokinetic
properties in animals, and a good safety profile. RLA-23174
demonstrates good druggability and excellent development
potential.
"Dosing of the first cohort in this first human study with
RLA-23174 is a meaningful milestone for Rila Therapeutics. It
signifies our evolution into a clinical development company
bringing us closer to helping patients with kidney disease," stated
Robert Drakas, Ph.D., Chief
Executive Officer of Rila Therapeutics.
"Regardless of several newly approved therapies for chronic
kidney disease (CKD), many patients still progress to kidney
failure, requiring dialysis or transplantation. Therefore, there is
an urgent need to develop more effective drugs to halt disease
progression, and we strongly believe that anti-fibrosis drug is one
of the most promising drugs for such therapy. We are hopeful that
HIPK2 inhibitor molecules/RLA-23174 could provide additional renal
protection in conjunction with the current therapies for CKD. The
Initiation of the phase 1 clinical trial of RLA-23174 is an
important milestone for Rila. RLA-23174 exemplifies Rila's
commitment to discovering and developing novel precision medicines
for severe chronic kidney diseases," said founder John He, MD, PhD, Chief of Nephrology at Icahn
Mount Sinai and key opinion leader at one of the largest medical
centers in the US.
About Rila Therapeutics
Rila Therapeutics is focused
on developing first-in-class medicines to treat fibrotic diseases.
Rila was founded on exploring novel areas of biology focused on
stopping fibrosis progression. Rila's programs target key molecular
pathways whose dysfunction are hallmarks of renal fibrosis. Rila is
building its pipeline by leveraging insights into the dynamic
process of fibrosis progression to discover and develop
therapeutics with differentiating mechanisms of action against
fibrotic pathways.
For more information, please visit www.rilatx.com
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SOURCE Rila Therapeutics