HUYA Bioscience Int'l Announces Pre-IND Outcome for HBI-3000 - Promising Anti-Arrhythmia Compound Sourced ...(nic arrhythmia. Most existing markete...),Health

Most existing marketed and development-stage anti-arrhythmics have been associated with adverse events such as Torsade de Pointes (TdP - sudden death) or appreciable QTc prolongation (a risk factor for sudden death) in Phase I or preclinical studies. As noted above, in the preclinical studies and the three Phase I studies completed in China, HBI-3000 was well tolerated.

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a serious type of arrhythmia found in approximately 2.2 million Americans and about 15 percent of strokes occur in people with AF(1). Ventricular Arrhythmia (VA), a severely abnormal heart rhythm, will cause death unless treated immediately. Ventricular fibrillation (VF), a type of arrhythmia, is responsible for 75 to 85 percent of sudden deaths in persons with heart problems(2).

Currently, anti-arrhythmic drugs are commonly used to treat patients with AF and VA, though in treating patients with VA, most anti-arrhythmics have failed to demonstrate a survival advantage. In some cases they may also carry safety risks, including sudden death. Pre-clinical data developed by HUYA and its Chinese partner, along with the Chinese clinical trial data are encouraging to suggest that HBI-3000 may have a useful role in the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias.

In the United States, HBI-3000 is initially being developed and investigated for use as IV treatment of atrial fibrillation with clinical trials expected to begin in early 2009. "This is a significant area of medicine for which providers need more options to treat patients," continued Gingras. "Researchers in China are developing promising compounds that would fulfill these and other unmet medical needs in the U.S. As we prepare to assemble the data and submit our IND to initiate the Phase I trials, we'll continue to leverage our collaboration and expertise in China and the U.S. It's exciting to think of the amount of time and funding that could be saved by optimizing and streamlining
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