Windtree Therapeutics and Eleison Pharmaceuticals will jointly evaluate the feasibility of delivering Eleison’s inhaled lipid cisplatin (ILC) for the treatment of lung cancer via Windtree’s proprietary pulmonary aerosol delivery system (ADS), the companies said. A formulation of ILC incorporating Windtree’s KL4 surfactant will also be considered.
Eleison, which has an exclusive worldwide license for ILC, has conducted a Phase 2 study of ILC in patients with bone cancer that metastasized to the lung and is developing the formulation for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Windtree’s ADS, which it uses for delivery of its KL4 surfactant, pumps liquid through a heated capillary to produce an aerosol with a defined particle size at high volumes. In 2016, Windtree announced results from a deposition study demonstrating that the ADS was able to deliver KL4 surfactant uniformly to all regions of the lung.
The ADS is a component of the company’s Aerosurf inhaled surfactant, which is in Phase 2 development for the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants. A recent Phase 2b study of Aerosurf in premature infants with RDS who were receiving nasal continuous positive airway pressure failed to meet its primary endpoint.
Windtree Therapeutics Senior VP and Chief Medical Officer Steve Simonson commented, “ILC has characteristics that may enable more effective treatment of pulmonary malignancies and the ADS may augment those advantages. We are extremely excited about this research collaboration to explore the drug delivery potential of the ADS platform technology in areas beyond our RDS program in premature neonates. It may also allow us to demonstrate that our KL4 surfactant can enhance treatment of other disorders in the lung.”
Read the Windtree Therapeutics and Eleison Pharmaceuticals press release.
