Qnovia (formerly Respira Technologies) has announced a partnership with researchers at the University of Virginia (UVA) for the development of two new antimicrobial peptides for delivery via the company’s RespiRx vibrating mesh nebulizer technology. The new candidates will be called QN-05, which will be developed for the treatment of pneumonia, and QN-06, for the treatment of inhalation anthrax.
According to Qnovia, the other candidates in the pipeline are QN-02 for the treatment of asthma; QN-03 for the treatment of pain; and QN-04 for the treatment of anxiety and depression. In addition to inhaled therapeutics, Qnovia is also developing an inhaled nicotine replacement product based on the RespiRx device.
UVA Professor Molly Hughes said, “Multidrug-resistant bacteria increasingly cause infections that cannot be effectively treated with available antibiotic therapy and, thus, are an immediate threat to global health. We are excited for the opportunity to pursue inhaled delivery to advance our peptides towards improving the lives of patients afflicted by difficult-to-treat bacterial infections.”
Qnovia CEO Brian Quigley commented, “We are delighted to be working with the team at UVA to combine their exciting work on lead-series antimicrobial peptides with our inhaled drug delivery platform. We believe our technology has the potential to provide meaningful therapeutic options for patients combating life-threatening infectious diseases. We believe this collaboration further validates our platform technology and its potential to improve patient outcomes across a variety of indication areas.”
Read the Qnovia press release.
