Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:XENE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced the presentation of a scientific poster entitled “Selective Inhibitors Suggest Nav1.6 Activity is the Primary Driver of Efficacy for Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Targeted AEDs” at the 71st American Epilepsy Society (AES) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
XEN901 is a potent, selective Nav1.6 sodium channel inhibitor being developed by Xenon for the treatment of epilepsy, including treatment resistant adult focal seizures and rare, pediatric forms of epilepsy, such as EIEE13, an early infantile epileptic encephalopathy associated with mutations in the SCN8A gene and gain-of-function in the Nav1.6 sodium channel.
Dr. Simon Pimstone, Xenon’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Non-selective sodium channel blockers, such as phenytoin, carbamazepine, lacosamide, and lamotrigine, have been the mainstay of treatment of patients with focal seizures for decades. However, these non-selective sodium channel blockers also inhibit other channels, leading to well recognized side effects associated with their use, limiting dose titration required to achieve maximal efficacy. With XEN901, we believe we have developed the first highly selective blocker of Nav1.6, the most abundantly expressed sodium channel in the neuroexcitatory pathways in the central nervous system. We anticipate that our approach with XEN901 to selectively inhibit the Nav1.6 channel has the opportunity to provide robust clinical efficacy along with an improved safety profile.”
Xenon has examined XEN901 in preclinical models of both genetically defined and more general types of epilepsy. These studies showed that XEN901 demonstrated efficacy against seizures in both the MES model, which is designed to be predictive of adult focal seizures and an SCN8A Nav1.6 genetic gain-of-function model, which is designed to be predictive of the pediatric genetic epilepsy EIEE13. When compared to phenytoin in the SCN8A model, XEN901 achieved the same degree of efficacy as phenytoin at one thousand fold lower brain exposures.
Xenon expects to file an investigational new drug equivalent application in the fourth quarter of 2017 in order to initiate clinical development for XEN901 and, if supported by the data, expects to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial in late 2018.
About Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Xenon is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapeutics to improve the lives of patients with neurological disorders. Building upon our extensive knowledge of human genetics and diseases caused by mutations in ion channels, known as channelopathies, we are advancing – both independently and with our pharmaceutical collaborators – a novel product pipeline of ion channel modulators to address therapeutic areas of high unmet medical need, such as pain and epilepsy. For more information, please visit www.xenon-pharma.com
Investor/Media Contact:
Jodi Regts
VP, Corporate Affairs & Investor Relations
Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Phone: 604.484.3353
Email: investors@xenon-pharma.com
