An innovative approach to the treatment of autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases, the mechanism of occurrence and development of which is not fully understood, are one of the main unresolved problems of modern medicine. This group of diseases is characterized by the destruction of the structural components of the body under the influence of its own immune system. Anti-inflammatory drugs and drugs that suppress the activity of the immune system are used to treat autoimmune diseases, making the body vulnerable to a variety of other diseases.  Therefore, there is a need to develop well-tolerated, safe and effective oral drugs for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Innovative developments in the field of treatment of autoimmune diseases

Specialists from Orca Pharmaceuticals (Great Britain) are developing effective and safe drugs for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. To date, the most effective and widely used are biological drugs that suppress TNF-alpha (TNFα).

These drugs are administered intravenously or subcutaneously, and there is a risk of reactions at the injection site. In addition, therapy directed against TNF-alpha also carries the risk of infection and malignancy and is not effective for all patients. Another disadvantage of this approach to the treatment of autoimmune diseases is the need to switch to alternative therapy due to the formation of blocking antibodies.

Orca Pharmaceuticals hopes that the bioavailable oral form of the RORyt inhibitor will be a safe and effective drug for symptomatic relief and treatment of autoimmune diseases such as:

• psoriasis;
• ankylosing spondylitis;
• inflammatory bowel disease.

Other potential indications for the use of the drug:

• multiple sclerosis;
• systemic lupus erythematosus;
• rheumatoid arthritis;
• severe asthma;
• COPD;
• colon cancer, etc.

Pathology associated with autoimmune diseases occurs due to improper activation of the immune response. Two types of T-lymphocytes that produce large amounts of inflammatory cytokines are involved in the development of diseases: Th17 and interleukin-17.

Accordingly, it is necessary to develop a drug that will control the activity of these T-lymphocytes, which are responsible for the development of the disease, while maintaining the desired response that is triggered by other T-lymphocytes (Th1) to suppress viral infections.

RORyt – it is an orphan nuclear hormone receptor that plays an important role in the control of genes responsible for the differentiation and activation of Th17 and innate lymphocytes.

The results of the second stage of clinical trials of the drug in the treatment of psoriasis are planned to be received by 2017.