19 Feb 2015 07:00
19 February 2015
Midatech Pharma PLC
("Midatech", the "Company" or the "Group")
Positive Results in Proof-of-Concept Study with Sustained Release Treatment for Uveitis
Sustained Release OpsiSporinas efficacious as orally administered Cyclosporin A at one thousandth of the dose
Midatech Pharma (AIM: MTPH), a nanomedicine company developing and commercialising multiple therapeutic products to enhance the delivery of medicines in major diseases with high unmet medical needs, is pleased to announce positive results from a proof-of-concept in vivo study with OpsiSporin, a sustained release treatment for uveitis.
Uveitis is an inflammatory process affecting the iris, the ciliary body, the choroid layer or all or part of these structures of the eye. Whilst treatments exist, including corticosteroids and the immunosuppressant compound Cyclosporin A (CsA), a therapeutic that permanently controls inflammation, with a good short- and long-term safety profile, has yet to be developed.
OpsiSporin applies Midatech's Q Sphera® microencapsulation technology platform to precisely encapsulate CsA within polymer microspheres for sustained and extended release. The product has the potential to offer an effective alternative to steroids for the treatment of uveitis and a concomitant reduction in associated adverse effects such as cataracts and glaucoma.
The in vivo preclinical study sought to determine the efficacy of OpsiSporin microspheres following a single intravitreal injection, in the treatment of autoimmune uveitis, compared with oral administration of CsA, an intravitreal microsphere suspension vehicle and untreated controls. Intravitreal injection, a technique by which a drug is injected into the eye, has become a common method of treatment for many retinal diseases including AMD, Diabetic Retinopathy, and Retinal Vein Occlusions.
Results of the study showed a significant reduction in the severity of the disease when intravitreal injection with 4.5µg OpsiSporin was compared with microsphere suspension vehicle. The study also demonstrated a comparable reduction in severity when a single intravitreal injection of 4.5µg OpsiSporin was compared to the daily oral administration of 6.7 mg/kg/day CsA (a dose more than one thousand-fold greater). These results show the potential of OpsiSporin to offer patients with autoimmune uveitis a therapeutic alternative to steroids and CsA with high efficacy and reduced adverse effects.
Commenting on the results, Dr Jim Philips, CEO of Midatech Pharma, said: "The positive outcome of this proof-of-concept study is an important step forward in the development of a sustained release treatment for uveitis. The results showed OpsiSporin to be as efficacious as orally administered CsA at one thousandth of the dose, highlighting the significant value our microencapsulation technology can add to existing therapeutic molecules. We now look forward to progressing this product programme to the next stage with the aim of beginning clinical development as early as 2016."
For more information, please contact:
Midatech Pharma plc
Jim Phillips, CEO
Tel: +44 (0)1235 841575
www.midatechpharma.com
Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited (Nominated Adviser and Broker)
Tel: +44 (0)20 7886 2500
Corporate Finance
Freddy Crossley / Adam James / Atholl Tweedie / Duncan Monteith
Broking
Tom Salvesen
Citigate Dewe Rogerson (Financial PR)
Malcolm Robertson, David Dible, Mark Swallow
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7282 2948
Email: midatechpharma@citigatedr.co.uk
About Midatech Pharma PLC
Midatech Pharma is a nanomedicine company developing and commercialising multiple therapeutic products to enhance the delivery of medicines in major diseases with high unmet medical needs. The Group has a strong pipeline of product candidates in clinical and pre-clinical development with a clear focus on the key therapeutic areas of diabetes, cancer and neurological/ophthalmological diseases.
Central to Midatech's business are two platform technologies that may be used alone or potentially in combination and are designed to enable the targeted delivery ('right place') and controlled release ('right time') of existing drugs. Midatech's core platform is a pioneering drug conjugate delivery system based on gold-nanoparticles (GNPs) combined with existing drugs for targeted release at specific organs, cells or sites of disease. The Group's secondary platform (acquired through the acquisition of Q Chip) involves the consistent and precise encapsulation of active drug compounds within polymer microspheres that are designed to release the drug into the body in a highly controlled manner over a prolonged period of time.
The Group is collaborating with a number of universities, speciality and major pharmaceutical companies to develop its platform technologies into a broad number of products in order to achieve a range of potential revenue opportunities within priority therapeutic areas.
Midatech operates an in-house state-of-the-art nanoparticle manufacturing facility, based in Bilbao, Spain. The site has capacity for manufacturing sufficient materials for clinical trials and is fully licensed by the Spanish Medicines Agency for European compliance.
The Group is headquartered in Oxford, UK and employs 49 staff including 14 Oxford, UK, 17 in Cardiff, UK and 18 in Bilbao, Spain. Across the Group there are 32 qualified scientists.
Midatech Pharma is quoted on the AIM segment of the London Stock Exchange under the symbol MTPH.
For further company information see www.midatechgroup.com