PharmaTher
Expands
to Neuromuscular Diseases
with
Exclusive
License Agreement for Ketamine
in the Treatment of Lou
Gehrig's
Disease
TORONTO,
March 2,
2021 --
InvestorsHub NewsWire --
Newscope Capital Corporation (CSE: PHRM)
(OTCQB:
PHRRF),
who
through its wholly-owned subsidiary, PharmaTher
Inc. ("PharmaTher"),
is
a specialty life sciences company focused on the research and
development of psychedelic pharmaceuticals,
is pleased to announce that
PharmaTher
has
entered into an exclusive license agreement with
The
University
of
Kansas
for the development and commercialization for
the
intellectual property of
ketamine
in the treatment amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis ("ALS"), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
The
University of Kansas Medical Center inventors Dr.
Richard
J. Barohn, M.D., John A. Stanford,
Ph.D., and Dr. Matthew Macaluso, D.O.,
have made
the promising discovery that ketamine can be administered as an
effective treatment for ALS.
Their
preclinical
research has shown that the administration of ketamine preserves
muscle function in advancing ALS and increases life expectancy when
given in the early stages of muscle decline.
Currently, there is
no known cure for ALS. ALS affects
approximately 50,000 people in the
U.S. and
Europe, with
over
5,000 new
cases diagnosed annually. Peak
sales
for a new
drug to treat ALS can achieve over
USD $1
billion.
ALS is a
progressive neuromuscular disease with a life expectancy of only 2
to 6 years after diagnosis. As ALS advances, upper and lower motor
neurons die causing the brain to lose its ability to control muscle
movement. ALS patients experience progressive loss of voluntary
muscle action as an effect of the disease, resulting in the
inability to speak, eat, move and, eventually, breathe.
Thus far,
only three pharmaceuticals have been approved by the FDA for the
treatment of ALS: riluzole, edaravone, and most recently, Nuedexta
(dextromethorphan HBr and quinidine sulfate). These drugs are
effective against disease mechanisms of ALS but fail to have
measurable effects on attenuating disease progression or improve
survival.
Therefore, there is
an imperative need for new pharmacological therapies that can stop
or slow the muscle decline associated with ALS progression and
extend life expectancy of the ALS patient.
Ketamine
has the
potential to effectively increase
life expectancy of those with ALS at any stage and slow the
progressive loss of muscle associated with poor outcomes of the
disease.
Ketamine
works
by blocking
the
action of the ionotropic glutamate receptor, the NMDA receptor.
Unlike other inhibitors of NMDA receptor function, such as
riluzole, ketamine dampens NMDA receptor-related glutamate
excitotoxicity indirectly. Further, ketamine can lower D-serine
concentrations intracellularly and also partially activates
dopamine receptors. Collectively, these mechanisms of
ketamine contribute in part to the drug's neuroprotective effects
which may
extend to
the motor neurons targeted in ALS.
PharmaTher
will seek
FDA approval for orphan drug
designation of ketamine in
the treatment
of ALS
and will advance towards an
FDA
investigational new
drug application to
conduct a Phase II clinical study this year.
"We
are
pleased to
have added
the
Lou Gehrig's
disease
program
to our already impressive development
pipeline
that focuses on
novel uses, formulations and delivery of ketamine in the treatment
of
neuropsychiatric, neurological and neuromuscular
diseases,"
said Fabio Chianelli, CEO
of PharmaTher.
Under the
terms of the Agreement, PharmaTher gained exclusive worldwide
development and commercial rights to provisional patent no.
63/025,778 titled Ketamine to Extend Survival after Muscle Wasting
in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Consistent with
industry standards, PharmaTher paid a one-time fee for entering
into the Agreement, and all other future payments will be based on
clinical trial and revenue milestones reached by
PharmaTher.
About
PharmaTher Inc.
PharmaTher Inc., a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Newscope Capital Corporation (CSE:
PHRM)
(OTCQB:
PHRRF), is a specialty life
sciences company focused on the research and development of
psychedelic pharmaceuticals for FDA approval to
treat neuropsychiatric,
neurological
and
neuromuscular
diseases.
Learn
more at: PharmaTher.com and
follow us on
Twitter and
LinkedIn.
For more
information, please contact:
Fabio
Chianelli
Chief
Executive Officer
PharmaTher
Inc.
Tel:
1-888-846-3171
Email:
info@pharmather.com
Website:
www.pharmather.com
Neither
the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider have reviewed or accept responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
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foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking
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forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk
Factors" in Company's management's discussion and analysis for the
period of November
30,
2020 ("MD&A"), dated January
27,
2021,
which is available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.
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solicitation or sale in any state, province, territory or
jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be
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