Verseon has presented preclinical results in its HAE program at the 2018 Biotech Showcase in San Francisco, USA. The data show that Verseon’s plasma kallikrein inhibitors are well-suited as oral treatments for this rare genetic disease.

To treat HAE, Verseon is developing oral small-molecule inhibitors of plasma kallikrein, a serine protease central to the HAE pathway. The Company’s class of drug candidates spans multiple different chemotypes that show excellent in vitro potency and are selective against other related serine proteases.

In contrast to currently marketed therapeutics, which rely on intravenous or subcutaneous injections, Verseon’s drug candidates demonstrate pharmacokinetic exposure suitable for convenient oral dosing. Dr. David Kita, Verseon’s Vice President of R&D, also presented promising preclinical results that show strong reduction of swelling after oral administration in a well-established HAE efficacy model.

“We are very encouraged by these results,” said Dr. Kita. “We started the HAE program only recently, and have already demonstrated that our oral plasma kallikrein inhibitors have great potential for the effective management of HAE attacks. The next milestone this year will be the nomination of our first development candidate for advancement into clinical trials.”
(Source: Verseon)