Therapix Biosciences announced positive results in its pre-clinical studies evaluating THX-160, a novel pharmaceutical CB2 Receptor agonist for the treatment of pain. This CB2 receptor agonist, which was found to be superior out of two candidates the company had tested, was synthesized by Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D., Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the Hebrew University, and a member of the Therapix Scientific Advisory Board.
To date, prescription opioids are considered to be the most effective treatment for moderate-to-severe pain, but their abuse has been identified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a significant public health issue.
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In the preclinical studies, THX-160 was well tolerated and did not cause any significant adverse clinical effects. In addition, efficacy studies demonstrated the analgesic superiority of THX-160 over control and were comparable to high-dose morphine analgesic effects and in some instances exerted greater potency. The efficacy and safety of THX-160 was shown for both acute and chronic pain.
"This encouraging data, along with prior published preclinical efficacy results for a CB2R agonist's involvement in pain relief, reinforce our belief that our lead drug candidate, THX-160, has a favorable safety and efficacy profile that could potentially address the unmet need for well-tolerated and safe oral pain therapies with improved patient quality of life," said Dr. Adi Zuloff-Shani, Chief Technology Officer at Therapix. "The novel cannabinoid we added to the Company's portfolio highlights Therapix's commitment to continue and develop our cannabinoid platform, and potentially translating into innovative new treatments."