Vantia Therapeutics reveals structure of its novel small molecule treatment for dysmenorrhoea, VA111913
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Vantia Therapeutics announced that it revealed the structure of drug candidate VA111913 for the first time at the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) National Meeting in San Francisco, USA. The structure was presented as part of an oral session at the meeting and also chosen by ACS to be highlighted in a press conference at the event.
VA111913 was discovered by Vantia and is a potential new treatment for painful periods, or dysmenorrhoea, a condition that affects millions of women. Dysmenorrhoea is frequently debilitating and psychologically taxing for many women and is one of the leading causes of absenteeism from work and school.
Period pains are caused by abnormal contractions of the uterus during menstruation. VA111913 has been shown to reduce excessive contraction of smooth muscle, such as that found in the uterus wall. By targeting receptors of a hormone called vasopressin, it is hoped that VA111913 will prove effective in controlling the contractions that cause period pain.
Vantia discovered VA111913 by screening its library of compounds and then modified the compound to make sure it could be taken as a pill (making any future treatment more convenient), minimise the chances of side effects, and also make it more potent in interacting with the relevant vasopressin 1a receptors in the uterus wall. The drug has been recently patented and represents a novel structural class of compounds.
In its first trials in women, Vantia showed VA111913 to be safe and well tolerated and Phase II trials are currently underway in Europe and the US to evaluate how well it works to control pain and other symptoms of dysmenorrhoea. Results from this trial are expected in the second half of 2010 and if results from this and further studies are successful the drug could be available in four years.
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