Enhanced biological activities of LVT-based drugs in pre-clinical studies:
Improved efficacy and safety profile
Preclinical studies of LVT derivatives of a large number of drugs have shown specific improvements in biological activity
compared with the parent drug. Clavis Pharma has identified candidate drugs showing improved efficacy and improved safety
profiles, a combination characterised as improved therapeutic index.
Prolonged effect allows more convenient dosing schedule
An important characteristic of a pharmaceutical product is the time-span for which it is active. The period during which a
therapeutic concentration of drug is sustained in a given cell will influence the effectiveness of the treatment. The Company
has shown that LVT derivatives of some compounds give higher cellular levels of the active compound for longer periods. This
can allow less frequent dosing and hence a more convenient and patient friendly treatment.
More convenient administration
Many pharmaceuticals have shortcomings with regard to the way they can be administered. Clavis Pharma has generated promising
data showing that drugs that currently are limited to administration by injection only may, as LVT derivatives, be readily
absorbed orally, transdermally or by inhalation. These enhancements provide improved ease of administration and greater patient
compliance.
New clinical indications
LVT derivatives have been shown to be active in tumours where the parent drug has no effect. Elacytarabine, one of Clavis
Pharma's lead drug candidates is an LVT derivative of cytarabine (ara-C), an approved cancer drug used to treat leukaemia.
Unlike cytarabine, elacytarabine has proven to be active in solid tumours in animal tumour models and has shown activity in
solid tumours in clinical phase I.