4P Therapeutics Announces Major Development Partnership

4P Therapeutics, a drug delivery company with expertise in novel drug delivery technologies, recently announced a partnership with Medicure Inc. for the development of a transdermal delivery formulation of its lead drug, AGGRASTAT (tirofiban HCl).

AGGRASTAT and other antiplatelet drugs of its class (known as glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors or GPIs) are currently only administered by intravenous infusion. The delivery of tirofiban by a novel transdermal means has potential to provide significant advantages over the current treatments used in this setting, including the potential to facilitate pre-hospital administration.

“The introduction of a transdermal glycoprotein inhibitor would have a significant impact on the management of several cardiovascular conditions,” stated Dr. David Lee, Director of the Cardiac Catheterization and Coronary Intervention Laboratories, Stanford University Medical Center. “This innovation would not only enhance the ease-of-use and healthcare costs associated with the traditional uses of this class of drugs, but may also facilitate earlier, pre-hospital administration as well as a number of other new applications.”

“Based on the data generated to date, I have reason to believe that our team will be able to develop a convenient, efficient way to transdermally deliver therapeutic levels of this proven and well-established intravenous drug”, stated Steve Damon, Chief Executive Officer, 4P Therapeutics. “The fact that large pharma companies have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on attempts to introduce a non-intravenous, oral delivery form for this type of drug should serve as a testament to the tremendous market potential for this product and, most importantly, to the potential clinical benefit for patients.”

Dawson Reimer, President and Chief Operating Officer of Medicure, said, “A product that delivers tirofiban non-invasively through the skin may create value first in the same settings where AGGRASTAT is currently approved and then, with further investment, in other applications of this treatment.”

The global market for antiplatelet drugs is over $7 billion per year, of which AGGRASTAT and the other intravenous GPIs make up approximately $450 million per year.

4P Therapeutics is a private company focused on the research and development of novel drug delivery technologies and novel drug delivery-based therapeutics. The company has capabilities for developing pharmaceutical products from preclinical testing to clinical manufacturing and early stage clinical development (Phase I/II). A key company focus and area of expertise is in the development of transdermal products from currently injected compounds, including proteins, peptides, macromolecules, and biologics. Transdermal delivery of commercially available drugs or biologics that are typically delivered via injection has the potential to improve safety, efficacy, and therapeutic outcomes associated with these treatments. For more information, visit www.4PTherapeutics.com.

Medicure is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel small molecule therapeutics. The primary focus of the company and its subsidiaries is the marketing and distribution of AGGRASTAT (tirofiban HCl) for acute coronary syndromes in the US, where it is sold through the company’s US subsidiary, Medicure Pharma, Inc. For more information, visit www.medicure.com.