Is Next-Generation Drug Delivery Coming to a Hospital Near You?

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The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

In recent years, scientists have made breathtaking advances in understanding the inner workings of cells, and countless new therapies being developed that could potentially transform our fundamental approaches to human health. Take next-generation vaccines and gene therapy, for instance. 

The problem is for all these wonderful new therapies to work, they need to be efficiently and safely delivered inside specific cells, and not just circulating in the blood where they can cause other unwanted (and often injurious) side-effects. Yes, there are things that can do this, viral vectors and nanoparticles for instance, but they each have their own specific challenges and problems. Bottom line is there are a lot of opportunities to do this better.

Fortunately, patients may now be a little closer to the reality of a next generation drug delivery technology that could fundamentally change the whole landscape of intracellular drug delivery, according to clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Matinas BioPharma Holdings Inc. MTNB.

With approximately $4.2 million in support from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Matinas has advanced MAT2501, an oral formulation of the broad spectrum aminoglycoside amikacin delivered via their proprietary lipid nanocrystal (LNC) delivery platform, into human clinical trials.

They recently dosed the first patients in a double-blind, placebo-controlled  Phase 1 single ascending dose (SAD) pharmacokinetic study of MAT2501 in healthy subjects, with full enrollment expected to complete in the 1st quarter of 2022, and data release in the 2nd quarter. Following this, the company expects to initiate a Phase 2 program for the treatment of patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial infections by the 1st quarter of 2023.

Matinas’ proprietary LNC platform provides efficient, safe, targeted delivery drugs directly into cells, and reduces the risk for potential systemic toxicities by avoiding high blood levels. Moreover, LNC-formulated drugs are highly stable, resist environmental and biological degradation and can be administered in a variety of ways: oral, intravenous, intranasal, inhaled and intramuscular.

MAT2501 is an oral formulation of amikacin, a broad-spectrum aminoglycoside antibiotic, which currently can only be administered intravenously, and when given IV can cause significant kidney and ear damage. MAT2501 is being developed as the first oral aminoglycoside, and in preclinical studies, when orally administered, may carry a much lower risk of kidney and ear damage. MAT2501 also has a Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) designation and orphan drug exclusively for the treatment of NTM by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It currently has 12 years of marketing exclusivity, pending FDA approval.

Chief Executive Officer Jerome D. Jabbour noted that MAT2501 offers game-changing opportunities for how amikacin could ultimately be used:

“MAT2501’s ability to orally, effectively, efficiently and safely deliver therapeutic levels of amikacin that specifically target the lung, without use-limiting toxicity, clearly distinguishes it from other available therapies for the treatment of NTM infections.”

Treating problematic intracellular infections (like NTM) with MAT2501 is just the first step, but it could be a very big step in making next-generation intracellular drug delivery available to patients—and perhaps truly realizing some of the enormous potential that our recent scientific advances can provide for the future of healthcare.

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.