Aisa Pharma, Inc.

Company also provides updates on its Phase 2 RECONNOITER Study in Raynaud's Phenomenon and Systemic Sclerosis and other corporate activities BOSTON, Sept. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Aisa Pharma, Inc. a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to AISA-021(cilnidipine), a fourth-generation calcium channel antagonist. Aisa is developing AISA-021 for the treatment of Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), a rare disease, which impacts approximately 175,000 Americans and has the highest mortality rate of any autoimmune disease. Continue Reading "To our knowledge, this is the first time the FDA has granted orphan drug designation to a calcium channel antagonist for an autoimmune illness," said Andrew Sternlicht, MD, CEO and Founder of Aisa Pharma. "We hope this designation will accelerate our development program for AISA-021, which is designed to provide a once-daily, well-tolerated, and economical treatment that we hope can improve the lives of patients with SSc. We are actively seeking a development partner and investors to support bringing this much-needed treatment to patients." AISA Pharma receives FDA orphan drug designation for their new drug treatment for Systemic Sclerosis Post this Under the FDA's Orphan Drug Act, orphan drug status provides incentives, including tax credits, grants and waiver of certain administrative fees for clinical trials, and seven years of market exclusivity following drug approval. To be granted the orphan drug designation, FDA concludes that it is medically plausible that the treatment may improve the disease. Aisa submitted information from the ongoing Phase 2 study demonstrating improvement on several endpoints versus placebo, including SSc symptoms of overall disease severity, disease-related pain, gastrointestinal dysfunction, skin ulcers, disability, and breathing symptoms, as well as Raynaud's symptoms. In a preliminary review by an independent data safety committee, the ongoing study of 60 patients demonstrated a much lower incidence and severity of side effects as well as improved efficacy for preventing Raynaud's attacks, when compared to published reviews of current therapies. Aisa also provided the following corporate updates: A Pre-IND meeting with the FDA for AISA-021 in the treatment of Systemic Sclerosis and Secondary Raynaud's Phenomenon is scheduled for September 2024. The initial drug screening performed by the NIH as part of the Preclinical Pain Screening Platform to evaluate the suitability of AISA-021 as a non-opioid analgesic, demonstrated no abuse liability or addictive potential for the drug. Additional results are pending. Two abstracts on AISA-021 will be presented at the ACR Convergence Scientific Meeting in Washington DC on 11/16/2024: AISA 021, a Novel Calcium Channel Antagonist in Development for Raynaud's & Systemic Sclerosis, Has Activity at Sodium Channel Targets for Pain Relief and Treats Scleroderma Pain Better Than Current Calcium Channel Blockers in a Phase 2A StudyPreliminary Results from the RECONNOITER Trial, a Phase 2 Study of AISA 021 in the Treatment of Secondary Raynaud's, Primarily Due to Systemic Sclerosis About AISA-021: AISA-021 is a form of cilnidipine, a fourth-generation calcium channel blocker (CCB), distinguished from other dihydropyridine CCBs by its increased selectivity for the N-type calcium channel. Cilnidipine is approved in certain Asian countries and widely used to treat hypertension there, but was never approved in the US, Canada, EU and UK. Cilnidipine causes vasodilation and further improves function in the heart, kidney and vasculature. In robust studies of hypertension treatment, cilnidipine is better tolerated with a wider therapeutic window than other approved CCBs, which are used off-label for Raynaud's. Unlike other approved CCBs, AISA-021 may also have a role in treating pain. About Systemic Sclerosis and Raynaud's Phenomenon in Systemic Sclerosis: Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is the most fatal of autoimmune illnesses and affects approximately 175,000 patients in the United States. Approximately half of patients die of the disease within 12 years from initial diagnosis and 95% of SSc patients experience Raynaud's symptoms, which they describe as their most debilitating symptom. Raynaud's Phenomenon is characterized by decreased blood flow which can cause severe pain and tingling in the hands and fingers. Cardiac, renal and vascular disease, which have been shown to improve in patients treated for hypertension, contribute to morbidity and mortality in patients with SSc. No drug has been approved anywhere in the world for the treatment of Raynaud's. About Aisa Pharma Inc. Aisa is a private biopharmaceutical company in Boston, MA, founded in 2019. For additional information: [email protected]; SOURCE Aisa Pharma

Digital literacy is defined as the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create and communicate information. This requires both technical skills to operate digital platforms, devices and apps, and cognitive skills for understanding and analysing the information being created. "About 40% of European citizens have problematic digital health literacy, which means that they cannot use digital health technologies adequately to address their health issues," says Sarah Wamala Andersson, professor of Health and Welfare Technology at the Mälardalen University in Sweden and a digital health thought leader. Wamala Andersson was among the researchers of the Improving Digital Empowerment for Active Healthy Living ( IDEAHL ) EU project aimed at developing and testing new models and approaches of digital health literacy intervention development. What interventions do we need for improved digital health literacy? The result of the IDEAHL project is the EU digital Health Literacy Strategy. The strategy defines concrete measures required on the micro, meso and macro levels. Key recommendations include the introduction of media literacy and information acquisition topics in primary school curricula on the micro level. These types of micro-level programs should lead to turning strategies into action. Apart from nurturing digital health literacy in basic education, cooperation between homes, schools and other educational institutions is encouraged. On the macro level, each country should create a centralised platform scientifically endorsed by the competent authority in each country to ensure people have access to reliable and comprehensive health resources, including informative articles, videos, interactive tools and forums for discussion and community support. Digital health literacy is a determinant of health In Europe, digital transformation is lagging in healthcare, compared with other industries. According to WHO , only one in two countries in Europe and central Aisa has policies to improve digital health literacy, implying that several millions of people are left behind. With the increasing use of technology for data gathering, care coordination, telemedicine and beyond, it is essential to ensure that digital access – or the absence thereof – does not widen the disparity between the healthy and the sick. "I can imagine that good health will be the most wanted good for many humans in the world, as AI and digital solutions make it possible to live along and enjoy a healthier life," Wamala Andersson said. "Thus, enhancing digital health literacy will become a natural part of the long-life learning initiatives, where governments will find it inevitable and beneficial to design and invest in policies and interventions that promote digital health literacy of the citizens, healthcare professionals and decision-makers." Sarah Wamala Andersson is among the speakers at the 2024 HIMSS European Health Conference & Exhibition, which is scheduled to take place 29-31 May 2024 in Rome. Learn more and register .

Phase 2 Data at EULAR Suggested Profervia® Treatment Might Influence Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) Disease Severity BOSTON, June 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aisa Pharma, Inc. a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company today announced initiation of Part 2 of the RECONNOITER Phase 2 study, evaluating Profervia®, a once-daily novel, oral calcium-channel antagonist (CCB) in patients with SSc and Raynaud's phenomenon(SSc-RP). The study is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, prospective crossover study design which will take approximately 10 months to complete. Aisa also announced the company presented initial positive safety and efficacy data from the Phase 2a RECONNOITER study at EULAR 2023 in Milan, Italy. Incidence and type of adverse events reported in the first 27 patients of the study were compared with a large metanalysis of current CCBs. Patients had a 17% incidence of AEs with Profervia® compared to 43% with current CCBs (p=0.025). Profervia® also had a greater effect on Raynaud's attack frequency (-43% versus -24% with current CCBs) and reduced SSc disease severity compared with placebo on a validated patient-reported outcome questionnaire (SHAQ) (p=0.01.) "We are excited to move forward with the second part of our Phase 2 study, and encouraged by the data presented at EULAR, which demonstrated that Profervia® may provide significant relief to patients with SSc-RP," said Andrew Sternlicht, MD, CEO and Founder of Aisa Pharma. "We will continue to validate the biologic and scientific rationale and impact of treatment on overall disease course in SSc. Almost all SSc patients suffer from Raynaud's and new treatments are urgently needed given the high morbidity and burden of the disease." About Profervia®: Profervia® is a novel form of cilnidipine, a fourth-generation calcium channel blocker (CCB). Cilnidipine is an approved and popular option to treat hypertension in select Asian countries. Cilnidipine causes vasodilation and improves function in the heart, kidney and vasculature. Cardiac, renal and vascular disease contribute to morbidity and mortality in patients with SSc. Thus, cilnidipine may improve SSc-RP, and the underlying disease. In hypertension studies, cilnidipine is better tolerated with a wider therapeutic window than US-approved CCBs used off-label for Raynaud's. Unlike other approved CCBs, cilnidipine further may have a role in certain painful conditions. About Aisa Pharma Inc. Aisa is a private biopharmaceutical company in Boston, MA. Aisa is developing Profervia® for use in patients with SSc-RP. For additional information: [email protected]; SOURCE Aisa Pharma