PAA is a clinical-stage company developing targeted cancer therapeutics to address both human and animal healthcare. The company specialises in repurposing marketed drugs lowering the risks and costs of development. These efforts are supported by PAA’s subsidiary, Epichem, which is a highly successful contract medicinal chemistry company that generates significant annual revenues.
PAA’s lead drug candidate is Monepantel (MPL), a small molecule currently registered and marketed as a treatment for parasite infections in food chain animals. PharmAust is independently developing monepantel as a safe and potent modulator of the mTOR pathway, which plays a pivotal role in driving many cancers. PharmAust has been granted multiple ‘methods of use’ patents covering the novel anti-cancer activity of monepantel.
PharmAust has completed Phase 1 clinical trials with monepantel in both humans and dogs diagnosed with solid tumours. All trials achieved their primary clinical endpoints in terms of safety and reduction in key clinical biomarkers. PAA is uniquely positioned to commercialise MPL for treatment of human and veterinary cancers as it advances the drug into Phase 2 clinical trial in dogs and humans.
Epichem is a wholly owned subsidiary of the ASX listed company PharmAust Limited. Located in Technology Park, Western Australia, Epichem has been delivering products and services in synthetic and medicinal chemistry to the global drug discovery and pharmaceutical industries in 35 countries worldwide for over 12 years. Epichem has a newly constructed state-of-the-art laboratory and has world-class equipment and expertise in synthetic and medicinal chemistry for the cost-effective synthesis of drug analogue libraries and intermediates. It also has a rapidly growing catalogue of pharmaceutical reference standards.