CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, one of the premier drug research institutions and AvetaBiomics, USA, a leader in developing the next generation of botanical drugs based on its evolutionary biology platform joined hands and announced on 31 January 2022 exclusive licensing to AvetaBiomics of CDRI’s patented technology of Caviunin-based drug compositions for further clinical development and commercialisation.
Worldwide, one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50 years suffer an osteoporotic fracture. In the US alone, an estimated 10 million people over the age of 50 years have osteoporosis and one in two women in the United States will sustain a fragility fracture in her lifetime. Over 43 million more people in the US have low bone mass, putting them at increased risk for osteoporosis. Globally, in 2019, there were 178 million new fractures and 455 million prevalent cases of consequences associated with a fracture. According to the Indian Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ISBMR), India, 50 million Indian women suffer from osteoporosis.
“Osteoporosis is a chronic condition requiring life-long treatment. Approved treatment duration of currently available drugs ranges from 1 to 5 years (depending on the drug) due to waning efficacy and increased risk of adverse events. Caviunin-based therapeutic has a huge potential to change the standard of care for osteoporosis. The potential benefit-risk profile is expected to be second to none with desirable efficacy and safety for long-term use,” said Dr Parag G. Mehta, CEO of AvetaBiomics, USA. “We are excited to bring these new drugs to the patients and pleased that we can benefit from the deep scientific know-how of the CDRI team.”
Dr Ritu Trivedi’s group from the Endocrinology Division (CDRI) has shown that the Caviunin scaffold has a targeted action that prevents bone breakdown, stimulates new bone formation and reduces bone turnover markers.
This decade-long research at CDRI provides an insight into developing the first-in-class drug that is likely to modulate the host microbiome. “This license is a testament to the calibre of our innovative science and demonstrates the value of strong research productivity of our world-class scientists. We joined hands with AvetaBiomics given their track record of obtaining four clinical INDs of their botanical drugs for several cancer indications from the US FDA. We expect, therefore, translation of CDRI’s research into real drugs for people living with bone-related conditions,” said Prof. Tapas Kumar Kundu, Director of CDRI.
| • Caviunin scaffold containing drug is the first orally administered drug with both anti-catabolic (prevention of bone breakdown) and anabolic (new bone formation) properties and is ready for Phase 2 clinical trials. • The drug has broad applications for bone health-osteoporosis, fracture healing, osteoarthritis and other endocrinological conditions. |
References
International Osteoporosis Foundation
National Osteoporosis Foundation. Osteoporosis Fast Facts. https://cdn.nof.org/wp- content/uploads/2015/12/Osteoporosis-Fast-Facts.pdf
Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCHS Data Brief No. 405, March 2021 GBD 2019 Fracture Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of bone fractures in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet Healthy Longev. 2021 Sep;2(9):e580-e592.
Archives of Osteoporosis (2021) 16:102. Cell Death Dis. 2014 Sep 18;5(9):e1422
