Pacific Therapeutics is Testing a Reformulated Pulmonary Fibrosis Drug

Specialty pharmaceutical company Pacific Therapeutics Ltd., known for their strategy on reformulating and improving pre existing FDA-approved drugs, has several leading pipeline products and ongoing research programs targeted at $1 billion dollar markets for erectile dysfunction and pulmonary fibrosis. Recently, the company issued a press release heralding the recent advocacy work of actress Rose McGowen to bring more awareness about the disease to the public’s eye, and to spotlight the company’s own efforts to develop a viable therapy for IPF.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is estimated to affect over 218,000 Americans, out of which only 85,000 have been accurately diagnosed. After the disease claimed her father’s life, actress and former Charmed star Rose McGowan led an awareness campaign entitled Kiss IPF Goodbye. Her ultimate goal — one that is also shared by Pacific — is to make more people understand the condition. The more people are concerned, the more potential investors, foundations and agencies will heed the call for more research and development efforts to know the cause of IPF, and in turn address the need for a cure.

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For their part, Pacific Therapeutics’ lead product for PF is PTL-202, which is based on a drug previously approved by the FDA, but with the addition of an amino acid and a potent antioxidant. This enhanced formulation has successfully completed its first round of clinical testing with promising results.

According to the most recent statistics compiled by the World Health Organization, it is estimated that 45% of all deaths are related to fibrotic changes of some sort. Given this reality, together with an increased effort to raise awareness about IPF among those who have the disease as well as their friends and family, Pacific Therapeutics is well-positioned to bring a novel therapeutic to market that can improve medical outcomes for hundreds of thousands of patients in the future.