Agreement to explore the efficacy of cannabinoid technology in sleep apnea patients.
Therapix Biosciences, a specialty clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, signed an agreement with Assuta Medical Center, a huge network of hospitals and private healthcare provider in Israel, to conduct Phase IIa of the Obstructive Sleep Apnea Trial (the OSA trial). Therapix is a is a specialty clinical-stage pharmaceutical company with a prime focus on cannabinoid-based technology. As part of the agreement, the OSA trial will use Therapix proprietary cannabinoid-based technology THX-OSA01.
The trial is entitled Examining the Efficacy of a Therapeutic Combination of Dronabinol (synthetic ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and Palmitoylethanolamide for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and will be conducted under the leadership of Professor Yaron Dagan and Dr. Lilach Kemer. Professor Dagan is the head of the Sleep Medicine Institute at Assuta and Dr. Kemer the Principal Investigator.
Adi Zuloff-Shani, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer of Therapix, said, “We are excited to collaborate with Professor Dagan, a recognized key opinion leader and world-renowned expert in sleep medicine. The main point of interest in this trial will be investigating the power of the ‘entourage effect,’ which we have previously observed in our proprietary compound in other indications, to enhance the treatment of OSA.”
OSA is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually, the tongue and soft palate will collapse into the back of the throat during sleep. The condition affects 29.4 million American people, about 12% of the population. At the least, those who are diagnosed with the condition can experience excessive daytime sleepiness, loud snoring, abrupt awakenings paired with gasping or choking, nighttime sweating, and a decreased libido. At the moment, the standard treatment for OSA is noninvasive ventilation devices (CPAP) and oral appliances. Both of these are inconvenient to the patient, in turn, they are low compliance options for relief.
Professor Dagan said, “Breathing sleep disorders affect a substantial and growing percentage of the adult population. There are currently no approved pharmaceutical approaches. As such, we are enthusiastic to be working with Therapix in its development of a potentially transformational therapy in this area of high unmet medical need.”
The project explores the benefits of the proprietary compound mentioned by Zuloff-Shani above. They will be observing how tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) work together in order to more deeply understand the utility of THX-OSA01 as a potential OSA treatment.
Josh Blacher, Chief Financial Officer of Therapix, said, “Our exploration of the OSA market is a third indication that may have potential to be commercialized in the future if our clinical trials are successful.”
Aside from their recent focus on OSA, Therapix has been working on proprietary treatments for Tourette syndrome and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). This agreement continues their mission of offering a diverse portfolio of cannabinoid technologies.
