Pulmonary Fibrosis News: Repurposed Anti-fibrotic Medication, NP-120, Set for Phase 2 Testing for IPF
by Joana Carvalho on August 2nd, 2019
Algernon, a pharmaceutical company focused on repurposing generic medications that are not available in the U.S. or EU, is investigating if NP-120 might treat IPF due to its potent anti-fibrotic properties. Of note, drug repurposing refers to the process of testing a medication with established safety in conditions other than those for which it was originally intended.
NP-120 belongs to a class of drugs known as N-methyl-d-aspartate (NDMA) receptor glutamate receptor antagonists. Algernon is currently investigating how its mechanism of action may benefit people with IPF.
The company recently announced preclinical study results showing that NP-120 outperformed two globally approved IPF therapies — Genentech’s Esbriet (pirfenidone) and Boehringer Ingelheim‘s Ofev (nintedanib) — in reducing tissue scarring (fibrosis) in the lungs of mice in a model of this disease.
