Equillium, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapeutics to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders with high unmet medical need, today announced that it has acquired Bioniz Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company. Bioniz developed its novel structured-domain peptides, including BNZ-1 and BNZ-2, entirely in-house from its proprietary product discovery platform. The Bioniz lead product candidates are multi-specific inhibitors of key disease-driving, clinically validated cytokine targets aimed at addressing unmet needs across a range of immuno-inflammatory indications. Through the acquisition, Equillium significantly expands its immunology pipeline with a diversified portfolio of first-in-class immuno-inflammatory drug candidates across a range of development stages, consisting of: BNZ-1: a first-in-class, tri-specific inhibitor of IL-2, IL-9 and IL-15, three inflammatory cytokines implicated in multiple diseases. BNZ-1 has demonstrated clinical proof-of-concept as a novel cytokine inhibitor through a completed Phase 1/2 study in cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL), a dermato-oncology indication, achieving its primary objective of safety and tolerability where the compound was shown to be well tolerated with a favorable safety profile and showed clinically meaningful improvements in mSWAT scores (modified severity-weighted assessment tool). BNZ-1 is Phase 2 ready in alopecia areata, a dermatological autoimmune disorder, and is Phase 2/3 ready in CTCL with open U.S. INDs for each indication and has orphan designation for CTCL in the U.S. and Europe. BNZ-1 is currently formulated for intravenous administration, with subcutaneous formulation development underway. Equillium plans to initially focus further development of BNZ-1 in patients suffering from alopecia areata, where currently no drugs are approved. BNZ-2: a first-in-class, selective inhibitor of IL-15 and IL-21. BNZ-2 has undergone substantial translational work supporting its potential use as a treatment for various gastrointestinal diseases and is Phase 1 ready for a study planned to include a proof-of-concept evaluation in patients with celiac disease, an immune disorder related to gluten exposure. The high degree of selectivity for IL-15 and IL-21 inhibition aligns well with the demonstrated key involvement of these two cytokines that work synergistically in driving the pathology in celiac disease and other inflammatory gut and hepatic disorders. BNZ-2 is currently formulated for subcutaneous administration where it is positioned to address an unmet need in patients experiencing symptoms despite attempts to maintain a gluten-free diet. Discovery Platform: Proprietary and patented technology with origins from the National Institute of Health where seminal discoveries in cytokine biology were made. The flexible, structure-based platform is paired with deep in-house knowledge of cytokine pathways and computational modeling to create a discovery capability generating highly differentiated immunology products. The discovery pipeline includes BNZ-3, an advanced pre-clinical candidate that is a stabilized peptide designed to be orally administered and locally acting in the gut to treat GI inflammation. This robust pipeline, combined with Equillium
Sick and tired of always wondering if you are being asked to pay the right price for your APIs? This empowers you with the answers you need to make the right decisions in the Global API market.
Chemxpert Database is one of the biggest and most comprehensive directories of pharma and chemicals, manufacturers, suppliers and information. Provided with current information on prices, demand and transactions, it gives you instant feedback on whether you are buying what is right and at the right time.
Start using market intelligence today and allow yourself to be in control in the API market.
Check it out today and make more informed sourcing decisions! Learn More!