Roivant, which recently acquired Patara Pharma’s cromolyn sodium inhalation solution for the treatment of chronic cough in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), has launched a company called Respivant to develop the drug. The new company will be led by former Patara CEO Bill Gerhart.
Gerhart has extensive experience in inhaled drug development; having led both Elevation Pharmaceuticals and Mpex Pharmaceuticals prior to Patara. Elevation, which was acquired by Sunovion in 2012, developed the glycopyrrolate inhalation solution that was approved as Lonhala Magnair in December 2017. Mpex, which was acquired by Axcan in 2011, developed Aeroquin levofloxacin inhalation solution, which is now marketed in Europe as Quinsair.
In addition to appointing Gerhart as CEO, the company has named two other former Patara executives to its management team: Ahmet Tutuncu as Executive VP for Clinical and Regulatory and Pravin Soni as Executive VP for Development and Manufacturing. Both Tutuncu and Soni also held executive positions at Elevation. Tutuncu’s previous experience includes positions at Verus Pharmaceuticals and Skyepharma, and Soni had been VP of Product Research and Development at Alexza Pharmaceuticals.
Gerhart commented, “Almost all IPF patients suffer from a dry, persistent chronic cough, and for many of them this cough can have a debilitating physical and psychosocial impact on their quality of life. Based on the positive results in our Phase 2a study, we are very excited about the potential for developing the first approved therapy for this leading cause of poor quality of life in IPF patients.”
A Phase 2b study of the cromolyn inhalation solution, now called RVT-1601 is expected to get underway in the first quarter of 2019.
Read the Roivant press release.
