Research and Development

OHR/AVR118

OHR/AVR118 is a broad-spectrum peptide nucleic acid (PNA) immunomodulator drug, available in a preservative-free formulation that is stable at room temperature. It is a terminally sterilized and endotoxin-free product. OHR/AVR118 is non-toxic and produced no adverse effects in either acute or dose-escalating studies in animals. No adverse reactions have been observed in human clinical use either, except for minor occasional irritation at the site of injection.

The drug is currently being evaluated in a Phase IIb clinical study for Cancer Cachexia at a leading Cancer Centre in Canada. Cancer Cachexia is a severe wasting disorder characterized by weight loss, muscle atrophy, fatigue, weakness, and significant loss of appetite. This disorder is often seen in late stage Cancer patients and it is estimated that there are more than one million patients currently suffering from this disorder. In addition, the drug has shown to have chemoprotective effects, thus allowing patients to tolerate higher doses of chemotherapy and radiation as well as more intensive treatment regimens with ordinarily toxic chemotherapeutic agents, while maintaining body weight and avoiding other side effects. There is currently no widely accepted drug for the treatment of Cancer Cachexia. Positive interim data on this current trial was presented at the annual conference of the Society of Cachexia and Wasting Disorders conference in Barcelona, Spain in December 2009.

Additionally, the beneficial effects of the drug in Cachexia treatment were demonstrated in a Phase I/II trial with 30 Cachectic AIDS patients in Israel. Also completed was a successful 27 patient trial in rheumatoid arthritis (tight protocol but not under the US FDA) .