Zelira Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:ZLD) has announced it has signed an agreement with a U.S. company concerning development of cannabinoid based medical products targeting cardiovascular health conditions.
The binding product development agreement with Cardiovascular Solutions of Central Mississippi (CVSCM) will see products developed targeting symptoms accompanying Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) and associated ischemic neuropathies including Diabetic Neuropathies (DPN).
PAD is a disease in which fatty deposits and calcium build up in the arteries while DPN, the most common complication associated with diabetes, is a type of nerve damage caused by high blood sugar. This damage can lead to amputation of limbs.
The products to be developed by Zelira will be based on cannabidiol (CBD) and other hemp-derived cannabinoids. Zelira will exclusively own all products developed under the agreement, while granting a license to CVSCM for commercialisation of the products in the USA market for an initial five-year period, renewable for additional five-year periods. Where products are commercialised, Zelira will receive an upfront licensing fee and royalties.
“Our partnership with CVSCM is in line with our mission to target indications where cannabinoid-based medicines can be used as safe, effective and accessible options,” said Zelira’s Dr. Oludare Odumosu.
CVSCM was founded in 2015 to address cardiovascular health care imbalances in the Mississippi Delta region, where amputations and other diabetes-related complications occur in pandemic proportions. CVSCM says that since its founding, it has treated more than 10,000 patients and amputations have been reduced by 88% over the past 4 years.
In other recent news from Zelira, the company announced earlier this month it had successfully completed a Phase 1 dose escalation study to assess the safety of its cannabis formulation (ZTL-103) in seven chronic pain patients who were already using high doses of opioids. The company says the ZTL-103 treatment, which contains cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol, was well tolerated with no serious adverse events reported. Any non-serious adverse events were mild and temporary.
While there was no significant change in pain severity scores at the doses given, there was a statistically significant reduction in pain interference scores, i.e. how pain impacts function and daily life. The treatment was also associated with statistically significant reductions in scores for anxiety, stress and depression at daily doses over 30mg.
With regard to recent progress on its other products, earlier this year Zelira Therapeutics claimed a win in demonstrating its ZLT-101 medicinal cannabis preparation helps people suffering insomnia.
