The Hindu Business Line : Biocon, Nobex to jointly develop oral peptides for heart treatment

BIOCON Ltd and North Carolina's Nobex Corporation have announced a global research collaboration to jointly develop an oral peptide product for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

The collaboration combines the proven peptide production capabilities of Biocon with the proprietary oral peptide-delivery technology of Nobex.

Biocon and Nobex plan to advance the oral human brain-type natriuretic peptide (hBNP) programme towards an Investigational New Drug filing with the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) in 2007 and clinical trials beginning later that year.

The administration of hBNP by continuous infusion was approved by the FDA in August 2001 for the treatment of acute congestive heart failure in hospital care setting. The intent of an oral hBNP is to have a product available for chronic use, rather than only for acute use for a number of potential indications, including early-stage heart failure patients. This will herald a new paradigm for potentially multiple indications in cardiovascular therapy.

hBNP is an endogenous peptide produced by the heart under both physiological and pathological conditions, such as ischemic stress or blood volume overload. hBNP has multiple biological activities (through natriuretic, diuretic, vasorelaxant, and lusitropic properties) that contribute to its therapeutic use in treating heart failure.

Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon Ltd, said, "By co-developing a therapeutic product such as oral hBNP of substantial clinical and market value in treating heart failure and other potential cardiovascular indications, we are taking another step towards our innovative product development strategy."

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