Lexaria
Completes
Successful
Antiviral
Drug Molecular
Characterization Study
With
Canada's
National
Research Council
VIRAL-MC21-1
Demonstrates Stability of DehydraTECH™-Enabled Antiviral
Drugs
Kelowna,
British Columbia, Canada -- July 15, 2021 -- InvestorsHub NewsWire
-- Lexaria Bioscience
Corp. (Nasdaq: LEXX) (Nasdaq: LEXXW) (the "Company" or
"Lexaria"), a global innovator in drug
delivery platforms is pleased to
announce
results
from its antiviral drug molecular
characterization study VIRAL-MC21-1
recently
completed by Canada's premier federally funded
research organization, the National Research Council
("NRC").
The NRC has successfully
confirmed
Lexaria's study objectives, demonstrating
DehydraTECH™
processing and
formulation technology does not create a covalently bonded new
molecular entity ("NME") and that each drug
tested
remained stable and
did
not undergo
change in chemical structure. The five drugs
studied were remdesivir, ebastine,
bepridil, rupintrivir and
colchicine, which have antiviral
effects through a variety of different modes of
action.
These findings are strongly supportive
of accelerated
regulatory
filings
such as
the 505(b)(2) pathway permitted by the Food and Drug
Administration ("FDA") and other international
regulators, for more rapid
market
authorizations of prospective DehydraTECH-enabled, repurposed
antiviral drugs. By comparison,
NMEs are
generally subjected to more involved regulatory examination and
approval processes than non-NMEs.
The work carried out by NRC
consisted primarily of nuclear magnetic resonance ("NMR")
and
Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry
("LC-HRMS") evaluations.
NMR spectroscopy
is an analytical chemistry method that can determine purity and
molecular structures. LC-HRMS uses mass spectrometers
and
can be used to
determine elemental compositions and distinguish between different
molecules.
As Lexaria's validating
datasets continue to grow, the Company will pursue strategic
collaboration opportunities with established pharmaceutical
industry partners to incorporate DehydraTECH technology with
antiviral drugs including and/or similar to
those that are
currently being investigated.
DRUG USES:
REMDESIVIR is a well-known nucleotide
reverse transcriptase inhibitor, available under the trade
name Veklury® from Gilead Sciences Inc.,
that interferes with the SARS-CoV-2 viral replication life cycle
and has received emergency use authorization in many regions of the
world for
treatment of COVID-19. It is also used to treat hepatitis,
Ebola disease and Marburg virus infections.
EBASTINE is an antihistamine drug that
has potent effects in inhibiting the SARS-CoV-2 main protease
(Mpro, also called the 3CL
protease) blocking viral
entry into human cells, together with
effects to
reduce
COVID-19 inflammatory reactions. It
is
also
used to treat
allergic rhinitis, hives, idiopathic urticaria, and relief from
mosquito bites and atopic dermatitis.
BEPRIDIL is used primarily to treat
angina pectoris due to coronary heart disease and is indicated to
treat chronic stable angina; is being investigated to treat
atrial fibrillation; and, in at least one
cellular study utilizing Vero E6 cells, was shown to
inhibit cytopathogenic effect induces by
SARS-CoV-2.
RUPINTRIVIR was originally
developed for
treatment of rhinoviruses (common colds) and is also
being
investigated for treatment of picornaviruses, norovirus,
and coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2.
COLCHICINE is an approved therapeutic
with anti-inflammatory effects that is principally used to treat
gout and conditions like
cardiac inflammation (i.e., pericarditis), but
also has potent effects in mitigating the
cytokine storm associated with
SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. Colchicine is also sometimes recommended
and used to treat emergent pericarditis in children in cases where
this form of cardiac inflammation develops following administration
of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. It is also used to treat
atrial
fibrillation and Periodic Fever
Syndromes.
Chris Bunka, CEO, is
responsible for the accuracy of this press release. The
Company is not making any express or implied claims that its
products have the ability to
eliminate, cure
or contain the COVID-19 pandemic (or SARS-CoV-2 or novel
Coronavirus) or any other virally induced diseases at this
time.
About
Lexaria Bioscience Corp.
Lexaria Bioscience Corp.'s
proprietary drug delivery technology, DehydraTECH™, improves the
way active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) enter the bloodstream
by promoting healthier oral ingestion methods and increasing the
effectiveness of fat-soluble active molecules, thereby lowering
overall dosing. The Company's technology can be applied to many
different ingestible product formats, including foods, beverages,
oral suspensions, tablets, and capsules. Since 2016,
DehydraTECH has
repeatedly demonstrated the ability to increase
bio-absorption with cannabinoids and
nicotine by up to 5-10x, reduce time
of onset from 1 - 2 hours to minutes, and mask unwanted tastes; and
is planned to be further evaluated for orally administered
bioactive molecules, including anti-viral drugs, vitamins, non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and more. Lexaria has licensed
DehydraTECH to multiple companies including a world-leading tobacco
producer for the development of smokeless, oral-based nicotine
products and for use in industries that produce cannabinoid
beverages, edibles, and oral products. Lexaria operates a licensed
in-house research laboratory and holds a robust intellectual
property portfolio with 20 patents granted and
over
50 patents pending worldwide.
For more information, please visit
www.lexariabioscience.com.
CAUTION
REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This press release includes
forward-looking statements. Statements as such term is defined
under applicable securities laws. These statements may be
identified by words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan,"
"estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will,"
and other similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements in
this press release include, but are not limited to, statements by
the company relating the Company's ability to carry out research
initiatives, receive regulatory approvals or grants or experience
positive effects or results from any research or study. Such
forward-looking statements are estimates reflecting the
Company's best judgment based upon current information and
involve a
number of risks and uncertainties, and
there can be no assurance that the Company will actually achieve
the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in these
forward-looking statements. As such, you should not place
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
Factors which
could cause actual results to differ materially from those
estimated by the Company include, but are not limited to,
government regulation and regulatory approvals, managing and
maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation,
competition, scientific discovery, the patent application and
approval process, potential adverse effects arising from the
testing or use of products utilizing the DehydraTECH technology,
the Company's ability to maintain existing collaborations and
realize the benefits thereof, delays or cancellations of
planned R&D that could occur related to pandemics or for other
reasons, and other factors which may be
identified from time to time in the Company's public announcements
and periodic filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission
on EDGAR. There is no assurance that any of Lexaria's postulated
uses, benefits, or advantages for the patented and patent-pending
technology will in fact be realized in any manner or in any part.
No statement herein has been evaluated by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). Lexaria-associated products are not
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease. Any forward-looking statements
contained in this release speak only as of the date hereof, and the
Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any
forward-looking statements contained herein, whether
as a result
of any new
information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise,
except as otherwise required by law.
INVESTOR
CONTACT:
ir@lexariabioscience.com
Phone: 250-765-6424,
ext
202