Company Performance Metrics
Sharon Sakai: Vice President Regulatory & Quality AffairsPast Role: Adamas Pharmaceuticals, VP of Regulatory
Dennie Dyer: Vice President of Operations
OrphoMed is a San Francisco Bay Area pharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel first-in-class therapeutic dimer conjugates based on its proprietary DIMERx™ platform technology. The company is leveraging its DIMERx™ technology to address the problem of visceral hypersensitivity and pancreatitis in the treatment of gastrointestinal
disorders and the unmet medical needs in the treatment of both peripheral neuropathic and systemic nociceptive pain.
The lead candidate ORP-101 is a peripherally acting sodium ion channel blocker (Nav 1.7), mu agonist/kappa antagonist dimer. The molecule does not cross the blood brain barrier and, unlike other opioids that constrict the sphincter of Oddi, ORP-101, when given intravenously in animal studies, has instead been shown to relax the sphincter. The former attribute implies no abuse potential and the latter minimizes the risks of pancreatitis and/or abdominal pain related to sphincter of Oddi constriction. These two attributes, in combination with the well-understood pharmacology of ORP-101, make the molecule a suitable candidate for chronic treatment of conditions associated with visceral and somatic hypersensitivity and hyperalgesia. Therefore we have positioned ORP-101 for two non-overlapping indications: the oral form for colonic hyperalgesia and gastric dysmotility in IBS-D and the parenteral form for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain. The potential clinical benefits are backed by compelling data from validated animal models.
The company is also developing potent non-opioid and opioid conjugates to treat acute and chronic nociceptive pain. The non-opioid analgesic conjugate is designed to be non-ulcerogenic and liver-safe and, therefore, has the potential to reshape the pain market served by acetaminophen and NSAIDs. Similarly, the opioid conjugate is designed to be orally active and have a lower potential for dependence than currently available opioids.
DIMERx™ technology results in conjugates designed to preserve the receptor pharmacology of their individual constituents, but to have therapeutic profiles well suited for different clinical indications. The components of the conjugates have all been previously proven to be safe and effective for other indications and, therefore, the conjugates have reduced developmental risks. The DIMERx™ conjugates are considered to be new molecular entities and have composition of matter intellectual property protection.
