September Is Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month: Here's What One Company Is Doing To Develop A Treatment For This Deadly Disease

September is Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month – a time dedicated to raising public consciousness and understanding about this devastating lung disease. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive and ultimately fatal condition that causes scarring and thickening of the lungs, making it more and more difficult for patients to breathe.

The exact cause of IPF is unknown, but it is believed to involve a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Scarring and fibrosis of lung tissue lead to the loss of the lungs' ability to effectively transfer oxygen to the bloodstream, leading to shortness of breath and decreased lung function and ultimately death.

As the disease progresses, patients experience increasing difficulty breathing and reduced exercise tolerance, significantly impacting their quality of life. Eventually, lung function becomes severely impaired, leading to respiratory failure and the need for supplemental oxygen or lung transplantation.

IPF has a grim outlook, with the median survival time ranging from 2 to 5 years following diagnosis, and it is usually diagnosed in advanced stages when lung damage is already irreversible. At around 66 years old, the typical age at which a person gets diagnosed with this disease, treatment options are limited. While treatments are available to manage the symptoms and retard the progression of the disease, there is no known cure for IPF. The only chance of survival is a lung transplant.

GRI Bio GRI is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is dedicated to revolutionizing the way that inflammatory, fibrotic and autoimmune diseases like IPF are treated. The company's mission is to develop life-changing therapies that interrupt disease progression and restore the immune system to its normal state of balance. 

GRI Bio is focused on developing therapies that inhibit iNKT cell activity earlier in the inflammatory cascade to interrupt disease progression and restore homeostasis in the immune system. The company’s lead drug, GRI-0621, small molecule RAR-βɣ dual agonist that works by inhibiting the activity of iNKT cells, which are known to be involved in the inflammatory cascade leading to the development of fibrotic disorders such as IPF. By targeting upstream in the inflammatory cascade, GRI-0621 has the potential to provide greater efficacy compared to other treatments in development.

GRI Bio reports that preclinical and earlier studies of this molecule have already demonstrated a favorable safety profile, making it a promising candidate for the treatment of IPF and other fibrotic diseases. Multiple animal models have demonstrated the ability of iNKT inhibition to resolve fibrosis, which is a significant finding considering that fibrosis is one of the key hallmarks of IPF.

GRI-0621 has significant IP protection and market exclusivity through 2038 or beyond, which is beneficial for the company's development and distribution of the drug. With extensive IP protection, GRI Bio has a valuable opportunity to develop and distribute this treatment in the future.

GRI Bio tells Benzinga that the company has entered into a collaboration with the Respiratory Translational Research Collaboration, a collaboration that further de-risks the development program of its drugs and provides important information to stakeholders. GRI Bio also tells Benzinga that they are rapidly approaching IND filings and clearance to commence their phase 2a biomarker study.

Featured photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash.

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