D-Pharm Phase 2 Pancreatitis

D-Pharm Ltd (TASE:DPRM) has started a Phase 2 clinical trial of DP-b99 in patients with acute high-risk inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). DP-b99 is a cell protective drug that addresses multiple mechanisms damaging to insulted cells. This double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study is examining for the first time DP-b99’s efficacy in patients with acute pancreatitis. The study is enrolling thirty patients to be treated, twice daily for 2 days, with either DP-b99 or placebo. The follow-up involves clinical assessment scales, monitoring of inflammatory biomarkers and abdominal imaging. In the US acute pancreatitis has an incidence of approximately 40 cases per year per 100,000 adults. Approximately 20% of patients with acute pancreatitis develop severe acute pancreatitis. DP-b99 interferes with several fundamental pathological processes, relevant for a wide range of conditions, via modulation of a range of metal dependent enzymes involved in the cell death cascade and inflammation. Results from studies in in vitro and in vivo models of pancreatitis suggest that DP-b99 can suppress some severe detrimental processes associated with the disease.