VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Lexaria
Bioscience's (NASDAQ: LEXX) (CSE: LEXX) drug delivery
technology, DehydraTECHTM improves the "bioavailability"
of pharmaceutical ingredients.
"Bioavailability is the rate and extent to which a
therapeutically active substance enters systemic circulation and
becomes available at the required site of action," states the U.S.
National Library of Medicine.
Last month, LEXX raised USD $11
million. On February 1,
2021, LEXX announced an ambitious R&D strategy to
advance DehydraTECHTM towards commercial exploitation in
two main sectors: high blood pressure and anti-viral drugs.
Intravenous needles are the holy grail of bioavailability -
delivering 100% efficiency - which is why hospital patients are
typically on an I.V. drip.
Orally ingested drugs "must pass through the intestinal wall and
then the portal circulation to the liver," explains Merck Manual,
"both are common sites of First-Pass Metabolism".
During The First Pass Effect drugs are metabolized in the liver
- resulting in a lower concentration of active drugs in the blood
system.
A technology that can reduce The First Pass Effect for many
drugs will achieve two significant outcomes: 1. increased medical
benefits to patients and 2. higher profits to pharmaceutical
companies.
DehydraTECH-CBD For Hypertension
On July 28, 2020 Lexaria received
European ethics board approval to conduct a clinical study using a
DehydraTECH™-CBD formulation to assess blood pressure reduction
potential in volunteers with pre- or mild-hypertension.
The global CBD market is "expected to reach $23.6 billion in 2025," according to Grandview
Research.
"Hypertension [high blood pressure] is a $30 billion a year market," explains Chris Bunka, CEO of Lexaria, "Over 1 billion
people around the world suffer from this condition".
Scanning the last 10 years of LEXX Insider Filings – there are
no recorded sales of Lexaria shares by Mr. Bunka, but more than 75
incidences of Bunka purchasing shares on the open market,
increasing his ownership position to 10% in 2021.
The Study will be a double-blinded, placebo-controlled,
cross-over pilot study in which 24 volunteers will be randomized to
receive a 300 mg dose of CBD with or without
DehydraTECHTM.
In a "double blind study", neither the participants nor the
investigators know who is receiving a particular treatment.
Formulations of DehydraTECH-processed CBD will be utilized
including recent enhancements intended to further optimize the
delivery of CBD in the animal test groups.
Additional planned study work in 2021 will include a second
human clinical study in pre-and mildly-hypertensive subjects,
pending regulatory clearances.
"Following on our 2018 study, we intend to demonstrate a linear
improvement in delivering lower blood pressure," stated Bunka.
"Later in 2021, we hope to start knocking on the doors of
pharmaceutical partners who already have hypertension drugs in the
market place."
DehydraTECH with Antivirals for COVID-19
On December 1, 2020, Lexaria
announced that, in an animal study, DehydraTECHTM
"significantly improved delivery in two classes of antiviral
therapies under investigation against
SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and already in use against HIV/AIDS".
Lexaria will be testing four antiviral drugs including
remdesivir, a nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor and three
additional drugs known to target the main protease associated with
SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The first of these studies VIRAL-A20-2, has completed its
initial design phase and animal dosing is expected to occur in
February/March, 2021 with results in May/June followed by analysis
and reporting.
"The data that we generate from this R&D campaign is applied
research," Mr. Bunka told Proactive on Feb
1, 2021, "it allows us to enter meaningful discussions with
potential commercial partners".
"What we are trying to do is expand the list of drugs that will
work with our technology," added Bunka.
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SOURCE Global Stocks News