Trophos Initiates Phase II Study for Novel Cardioprotective Compound, TRO40303, in Acute MI

Trophos SA has announced that the first patient has been treated in a phase II proof-of-concept study to investigate the efficacy and safety of Trophos’ TRO40303, a novel mitochondria pore modulator, to treat cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) in acute myocardial infarction (MI) patients.

TRO40303 could become the first treatment to reduce the cardiac reperfusion injury that contributes significantly to the morbidity and mortality seen after a heart attack (myocardial infarction - MI).

The study is supported by the EU FP7 MitoCare project (see below). Results are expected before the end of 2012.
 
“Trophos is very pleased to have initiated with our consortium partners in the EU funded MitoCare project our important phase II proof-of concept trial of TRO40303,” commented Dr Jean-Louis Abitbol, chief medical officer at Trophos.

Dr Abitbol continued, “A treatment is urgently required globally to prevent cardiac reperfusion injury. This is a major problem in the care of MI patients despite the overall improvements in prognosis in recent years. There is no existing treatment for this problem that contributes to long-term morbidity, progression to heart failure and death following a MI. The role of mitochondrial permeability transition in cardiac reperfusion injury has recently been validated clinically making this a tremendous opportunity for Trophos’ novel mitochondrial pore modulator, TRO40303, discovered and developed in our laboratories to target this mechanism.”

“There are around 1.6 million cardiac reperfusion procedures performed in hospitals and specialist clinics each year in the western world alone,” added Damian Marron, Trophos’ CEO.

Marron continued, “This program fits perfectly with Trophos strategy of creating value by targeting niche, high unmet medical need markets. Trophos is excellently positioned to deliver both on its goals with TRO40303 and with our lead product, olesoxime, with results due around year end of a phase III study for the orphan neurological disease of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as part of the EU funded MitoTarget project.”

The phase II proof-of-concept study of TRO40303 is sponsored and led by Trophos and performed as part of the EU funded MitoCare project (see release of December 14, 2010).

The study is in collaboration with a consortium of prominent European clinical investigators, all of whom have extensive prior experience conducting and collaborating in large multi-centre clinical trials in cardiac IRI.

The principal investigator is Professor Dan Atar from Oslo University Hospital, Norway. The study is a placebo-controlled, phase II proof-of-concept study in acute MI patients with large myocardial infarct undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA also known as coronary or balloon angioplasty) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

TRO40303 is administered as a single iv infusion prior to the reperfusion by angioplasty.

TRO40303 previously successfully completed a phase I study to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of single escalating doses of TRO40303 as an intravenous infusion at different rates compared with placebo in 72 healthy volunteers.

The results demonstrated that TRO40303 can be safely administered by the iv route in humans at doses expected to be pharmacologically active.

Full results of this study were recently presented at the European Society of Cardiology 2011 held in Paris from 27th-31st August (Schaller et al., ESC 2011 Paris, N88427, Phase I clinical trial of TRO40303, a new mPTP inhibitor for reducing reperfusion injury).