PNB VESPER and NIH-NIDA Ink Pact To Develop Drugs for Disorders

PNB VESPER, a Kochi-based research-based biopharmaceutical company, has signed agreements with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the lead federal agency supporting scientific research on drug abuse and addiction disorders, to develop drugs for opioid and cocaine addiction disorders. According to the agreements, NIDA will examine three PNB VESPER molecules, PNB 091, PNB 081, and PNB 101, as possible medications for the treatment of opioid and cocaine addiction-related diseases.

The pharma company has completed the preclinical studies of the molecules, will soon file the Investigational New Drug applications with the US Food and Drug Administration. The company is planning to start clinical trials of the molecules in the USA as soon as it completes the ongoing studies with NIDA and IND studies, which will be over before end of 2024, as per business wire.

While commenting on the collaboration, P. N. Balaram, Director and CEO, of PNB VESPER, said, "We are very happy and proud to associate with NIDA for developing drugs for opioid and cocaine addiction disorders, which is a major issue in the USA. Our molecules were selected by the US Agency for testing and development after a series of due diligence processes by the senior scientists under NIH and the US government."

Drug overdose and abuse are serious public health issues in the United States and around the world. Millions of individuals in the United States suffer from it, and thousands are killed by it every day. According to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate, 206,699 people died in 2022 as a result of drug overdose, primarily opioid addiction. The number of overdose deaths exceeds the total number of gun and car accident deaths combined.