PILA PHARMA
PILA PHARMA enters into agreement with the CRO GUBRA on preclinical trials of XEN-D0501 in obesity
PILA PHARMA AB (publ) , an innovative biotech company developing novel oral drugs for treatment of obesity and diabetes based on TRPV1 inhibition, informs investors and others with interest in the space, that it has signed a contract with Danish preclinical Contract Research Organisation, Gubra.
The aim is to demonstrate preclinical proof-of-concept of PILA PHARMA's proprietary clinical drug candidate XEN-D0501 in rats with obesity. During July, PILA PHARMA completed a rights issue of units to make "a bet on obesity" by demonstrating proof-of-concept on bodyweight regulation / obesity in first rats and then in humans.
The net proceeds of the unit rights issue, in July, provided the Company with finances to conduct preclinical trials of the Company's clinical drug candidate XEN-D0501 in obesity. The associated warrants of series TO2 will have it's subscription period between 5 and 15 February 2026 after the read-out of the rat studies. The net proceeds from the warrants are intended to finance clinical trials of the Company's clinical drug candidate XEN-D0501 in obesity.
The new collaboration with Gubra will facilitate the first step to demonstrate proof-of-concept in obese rats. The discussions on choice of obesity model and study design were initiated already in July when a "slot" in Gubra's research facility was also reserved. With all details now settled, the contract is signed.
It has been chosen to study the effect of 4 weeks of treatment with PILA PHARMA's TRPV1-inhibitor drug candidate XEN-D0501 in both obese male DIO and Zucker rats. The DIO rat is a standard obesity model where normal rats are fed a high fat diet to induce obesity. The Zucker rat is another relevant obesity model where rats due to a mutation spontaneously overeat and develop obesity on a normal diet, simply due to the excess amount of calories consumed.
Generating proof-of-concept in obese rats would put PILA PHARMA in a unique position as a pioneering innovator in the space and enable further clinical studies in humans living with obesity with the goal of establishing a comprehensive and meaningful data package.
XEN-D0501 is a selective, synthetic potent small molecule TRPV1 inhibitor that was in-licensed in 2016. The drug candidate is a small molecule currently formulated in a simple and stable tablet formulation.
PILA PHARMA is a Swedish biotech company based in Malmö, Sweden. The aim of the company is to develop TRPV1 inhibitors as a novel treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes and potentially of other diseases with an inflammatory background. The Company owns a TRPV1 asset with data and chemical entities including the development candidate XEN-D0501.
