OliX Pharmaceuticals Receives Approval for Phase 1 Clinical Trial of New Hair Loss Treatment
OliX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in RNAi therapeutics, has announced the approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) in Australia to start a Phase 1 clinical trial for OLX72021, targeting androgenic alopecia, commonly known as male-pattern baldness. This trial is designed as a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and single ascending dose study, focusing on assessing the safety and tolerability of OLX72021 in healthy males suffering from androgenic alopecia.
OLX72021 works by suppressing the hormone activity responsible for androgenic alopecia through the reduction of androgen receptor (AR) expression. Its mechanism allows for high concentration maintenance in subcutaneous hair loss areas while being rapidly degraded upon exposure to blood, thereby minimizing side effects associated with current hair loss treatments, such as sexual dysfunction or depression. Pre-clinical studies have shown that the effects of OLX72021 persist beyond three weeks, potentially improving patient compliance.
Chang-Hun Huh, a professor of Dermatology at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, highlighted the potential of OLX72021 to revolutionize hair loss treatment. Unlike existing treatments that are either oral medications or topical solutions with side effects and daily administration inconvenience, OLX72021 offers a more targeted approach with reduced side effects.
OliX Pharmaceuticals plans to develop OLX72021 not only as an RNAi technology-based new drug but also as a cosmeceutical, leveraging its observed hair growth effects through skin application and injection in rodent models. Dong Ki Lee, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of OliX Pharmaceuticals, expressed optimism about the program's potential to meet the high global demand for effective and safe hair loss treatments, with plans to launch cosmeceuticals following the confirmation of OLX72021's safety in clinical trials.
OliX Pharmaceuticals specializes in developing therapeutics for various disorders by down-regulating disease-causing genes using its proprietary RNAi technology, including the asymmetric siRNA (asiRNA) and GalNAc-asiRNA platforms for efficient gene silencing and targeting liver diseases, respectively.