September 1, 2020 / Waltham, MA – Nocion Therapeutics (Nocion) announced today the dosing of the first subject in a healthy volunteer Phase 1 trial of NOC-100, an inhaled formulation of NTX-1175. NTX-1175 is a novel small molecule Charged Sodium Channel Blocker (“CSCB”) being developed for cough. Nocion received priority review through the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as NOC-100 has the potential to treat both chronic and acute cough – the latter a common symptom in patients with COVID-19 and associated with transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The company has also strengthened its leadership team by hiring Christopher Silber, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer and appointing Michael Higgins to the Board of Directors.
“We are very excited to begin the clinical development of this novel class of compounds which we believe has the potential to treat many common diseases caused by inflamed nociceptors,” said Dr. Richard Batycky, CEO of Nocion. “Cough is a common and debilitating symptom that affects millions of Americans with few available treatment options.” Dr. Batycky added, “As we evolve to this next stage of development, we are pleased to add Chris as our Chief Medical Officer and Michael as an independent Board member to help us advance our important work.”
Christopher Silber, M.D. has spent over 20 years in the Pharma industry in clinical development leadership roles, including his most recent as SVP at Sage Therapeutics. He has worked across multiple therapeutic areas and has extensive experience in clinical science and drug development, supporting multiple product approvals. “I am delighted to be joining Nocion at this stage in the company’s growth, and look forward to helping Nocion realize the tremendous potential of this novel platform to create unique therapeutics to treat common conditions such as cough, atopic dermatitis and pain across an array of disorders,” said Dr. Silber.
Michael Higgins joins the Nocion Board with more than 30 years of Biopharmaceutical experience. He is a serial entrepreneur who has helped launched multiple companies during his career. He spent more than a decade as COO of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals helping lead them from venture backed start-up to a fully integrated, publicly traded commercial organization. Prior to his time at Ironwood, Higgins worked in business development and finance at Genzyme. “I am thrilled to be joining the Nocion team at this exciting moment as we move our first compound into the clinic”
ABOUT NOC-100
NOC-100 is an inhaled version of NTX-1175, a proprietary molecule in the novel class of permanently charged sodium channel blockers (CSCBs) that allows for specific silencing of nociceptors without off-target effects associated with other anesthetics. When delivered topically to the upper airways, NTX-1175 has shown excellent efficacy in preclinical models of cough.
ABOUT NOCION
Nocion Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule charged sodium channel blockers, “nocions”, that selectively affect actively firing nociceptors to provide targeted, robust and sustained relief for the treatment of serious conditions involving cough, itch, and pain. The company’s mission is to safely alleviate suffering for millions of patients with conditions arising from activated sensory neurons. Working with Harvard’s Office of Technology Development, Nocion was founded on an exclusive license to foundational intellectual property from Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital. For more information, visit: www.nociontx.com.
COMPANY CONTACT:
Chris Searcy
CBO
chris@nociontx.com
