Aestus to develop ATx09-002 for treatment of neuropathic pain

Aestus Therapeutics, Inc. and Prosidion Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc., announced today a license agreement providing Aestus with exclusive, world-wide rights to the Prosidion investigational product PSN-357. Aestus will develop the product as ATx09-002, a novel, first-in-class therapeutic for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

Using their proprietary, systems biology engine for the analysis of genome-scale expression data, and animal models accepted to be good indicators for neuropathic pain in patients, Aestus identified ATx09-002, a glycogen phosphorylase inhibitor, as a potential therapeutic for the treatment of neuropathic pain. ATx09-002 has an excellent safety and toxicology profile demonstrated during Phase I and II studies conducted by Prosidion.

"We are pleased to enter into this licensing agreement with Prosidion which we believe is a valuable addition to our pain portfolio," stated Tage Honore, Ph.D., DSc, CEO and co-founder of Aestus. "We are optimistic that this compound will eventually provide much needed treatment options to help those who suffer from chronic pain."

Aestus will evaluate the efficacy of ATx09-002 in Phase II clinical trials for post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), the persistent neuropathic pain following an outbreak of shingles. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than one million new cases of shingles are reported each year in the United States, nearly half of which will lead to PHN. Neuropathic pain is also a common complication of cancer, diabetes, viral infections, and other diseases. There is no effective treatment to relieve neuropathic pain which is poorly managed by current drugs and affects an estimated 39 million sufferers globally.

Pierre Legault, President and Chief Executive Officer of Prosidion Ltd., commented, "This agreement with Aestus fits well with Prosidion's strategy as we seek to maximize the potential of compounds we have discovered and contribute to the development of much needed therapies either by Prosidion or by our partners. We are delighted that Aestus has identified the potential for PSN-357 to bring relief to neuropathic pain sufferers worldwide."

Aestus has recently completed a placebo controlled, double blind, clinical Phase II study in post-herpetic neuralgia of its lead compound ATx08-001. Aestus expects to provide an update on the results of this study later this year.