Published on June 1, 2012 at 12:55 AM
RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation (OTCBB: RXII.OB) today announced that it
has received clearance for its investigational new drug application
(IND) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate
clinical trials with RXI-109, a self-delivering RNAi compound that
selectively targets Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF). The Phase 1
trial will investigate the compound in subjects to evaluate its safety
and tolerability, and to look for surrogate parameters that might
predict the potential of the compound to reduce dermal scarring in
planned surgeries.
This is the first time that a self-delivering RNAi technology will be
tested in humans. This proprietary technology is expected to reduce the
issues with tissue delivery that have traditionally plagued RNAi
applications since they were introduced to medicinal biotechnology over
5 years ago.
"RXi's next generation RNAi platform has shown great promise" stated Dr.
Cauwenbergh, President and CEO of RXI Pharmaceuticals. "In a short
period of time, the company has been able to advance its lead product
candidate for dermal scarring, RXI-109, into human clinical trials. As
we aggressively pursue the potential of this compound for this condition
with major social impact, we will also continue to work to create
long-term shareholder value through the advancement of RXi's robust IP
platform, based on self-delivering RNAi technology."
Source: RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation