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BioLineRx Presents BL-1040 Data at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference |
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23 Oct 2007 |
BL-1040 successful in preventing myocardial deterioration and improving cardiac function post- MI in preclinical model
JERUSALEM, Israel | October 22, 2007 | BioLineRx Ltd. (TASE: BLRX), Israel’s leading drug development company, announced today that data from pre-clinical trials of BL-1040, a resorbable implant to treat acute myocardial infarction, was presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference in Washington, D.C. The pre-clinical data demonstrate that BL-1040 is effective in improving cardiac function and preventing the deterioration of myocardium post myocardial infarction (MI), in pigs. Professor Jonathan Leor, MD, Director of the Neufeld Cardiac Research Institute at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, presented the findings.
“We are very pleased with the promising results and excellent safety profile demonstrated by these data, which suggest that BL-1040 has the potential to address a significant unmet medical need in patients recovering from severe heart attacks,” stated Morris C. Laster, MD, chief executive officer of BioLineRx. “We plan to begin a multi-center, open label Phase 1/2 study of BL-1040 as soon as we receive regulatory approval, which we expect will provide important information to support a pivotal trial.”
About BL-1040
BL-1040 is a resorbable liquid polymer intended to provide mechanical support to damaged heart tissue following an acute MI. BL-1040 is injected via the coronary artery during catheterization, as a liquid that polymerizes within damaged heart tissue and forms a protective scaffold that enhances the mechanical strength of the heart muscle during recovery and repair. This scaffold prevents the pathological enlargement of the left ventricle that occurs following a heart attack and improves cardiac function. BL-1040 dissolves within six weeks after injection.
Patients who have undergone an acute MI (AMI) with severe heart damage are the most likely to benefit from BL-1040. Approximately 40% of AMI patients develop left ventricle dilatation or heart failure, which carries a substantially greater mortality risk. This population includes approximately 380,000 patients in the U.S., with a total estimated U.S. market of over $1.5 billion.
BL-1040 was in-licensed from Ben-Gurion University through its business company BGN Technologies, and was developed by Professor Smadar Cohen and Professor Jonathan Leor from the Department of Biotech and Biomedical Engineering at Ben-Gurion University.
About BioLineRx
BioLineRx, a clinical stage drug development company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE: BLRX), is dedicated to building a robust pipeline of promising therapeutics for unmet medical needs. The Company’s leading programs are for schizophrenia and treatment of damaged heart tissue post-myocardial infarction. Additional products under development include compounds for the treatment of cancer and CNS, cardiovascular, metabolic, infectious and autoimmune diseases.
BioLineRx advances projects from early stage discovery and lead generation to advanced clinical trials, regulatory approval and marketing. Partnering with researchers, universities and biotech companies to further the commercialization of promising compounds, BioLineRx seeks to enrich the pipeline of large pharmaceutical companies seeking their next blockbuster drugs. The Company was founded in 2003 by leaders in the Israeli life science arena including Teva Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Giza, Pitango, Hadasit and the Jerusalem Development Authority.
SOURCE: BioLineRx Ltd. |
