According to a story from BioPortfolio, the biopharmaceutical company Complexa, Inc. recently announced that it has dosed the first patient in its Phase 2 clinical trial which is testing the company’s investigational product CXA-10. This experimental drug is being tested as a treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare, life threatening lung disease. Complexa is committed to the development of a unique class of compounds called nitrated fatty acids.
About Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs is abnormally high. The cause of pulmonary arterial hypertension is often unknown in many cases. However, there are a variety of potential causes, such as certain heritable genetic mutations, exposure to certain toxins, and drug use (ex. methamphetamine). It can also appear as a symptom or complication in a number of other diseases, such as heart disease, connective tissue disease, and infection with HIV. The arteries in the lungs are often inflamed. Symptoms of this condition include rapid heartbeat, poor exercise tolerance, shortness of breath, fainting, leg swelling, fatigue, and chest pain. Treatment may include a number of medications and surgical operations, including lung transplant. A transplant can cure the condition, but it can cause many complications. Survival rate is often only about two or three years without treatment, but the latest drugs can prolong life by several years or more. Click here to learn more about pulmonary arterial hypertension.
The fact remains that current treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension are limited in their effectiveness because while they are useful in relieving the symptoms of the condition, they fail to modify the underlying disease mechanism. This means that pulmonary arterial hypertension is still a death sentence.
About The Clinical Trial
This Phase 2 trial is expected to involve a total of 115 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension between the ages of 18 and 80. The trial will measure to different dosages of CXA-10 in comparison to one another and placebo. Patients will be dosed once per day. Endpoints in the study will include changes in six minute walk test performance, right ventricular injection fraction, and pulmonary vascular resistance.
