SAN DIEGO, Sept. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded AnaBios a $1,734,409 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative, to advance the development of its novel analgesic, ANB-504. The new compound was initially developed using PhaseX®, AnaBios' unique human-based translational paradigm, which helps overcome the limitations of the current pain drug discovery strategy by generating human-relevant and clinically predictive data at the preclinical stage.
AnaBios is developing ANB-504, a lead small molecule dual inhibitor of two sodium channels specifically expressed in sensory neurons and implicated in numerous forms of chronic pain. ANB-504 shows potent, dose-dependent inhibition of action potentials in human sensory neurons in a variety of pathological states and is intended for the treatment of mixed inflammatory and neuropathic pain. This award will support the execution of Investigational New Drug-enabling studies aimed at obtaining Food and Drug Administration approval for subsequent human dosing in a Phase 1 clinical study.
"AnaBios appreciates NIH's support in our continued effort to bring a potential new, non-addictive pain therapy to market," said Dr. Andre Ghetti, Chief Executive Officer of AnaBios. "This award will help speed the advancement of ANB-504 development and is an important milestone. Our goal is to progress the molecule towards clinical studies and ultimately provide safe and effective pain relief to patients."
Chronic pain impacts more than 25 million Americans annually. As a complex and highly debilitating medical condition that lacks an effective and safe treatment, chronic pain does not respond effectively to existing pharmacotherapy. This is evidenced by reports that show greater than 50% of patients do not respond to treatment from current medications such as opioids, gabapentin, pregabalin, and tricyclic antidepressants. Thus, there is a critical unmet need for innovative pharmacological solutions to develop alternative treatment options for pain that can provide better efficacy without the risk for addiction and abuse.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke through the NIH HEAL Initiative under Award Number R44NS119036. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative, is an aggressive, trans-NIH effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis. Launched in April 2018, the initiative is focused on improving prevention and treatment strategies for opioid misuse and addiction, and enhancing pain management. For more information, visit: https://heal.nih.gov.
About AnaBios
Located in San Diego, California, AnaBios aims to establish the safety and efficacy of novel compounds through its advanced, human-focused translational technologies. AnaBios primarily focuses on areas of high, unmet medical need, including cardiac disease, pain and itch. In addition to working with Fortune 500 biotech companies, CROs and academia, AnaBios drives an internal drug discovery platform via in-licensed programs from partners in the pharmaceutical industry. For more information about AnaBios, visit http://www.anabios.com.
CONTACT
Chris Mathes, Chief Commercial Officer
cmathes@anabios.com
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