Enteris BioPharma Highlights Progress in Oral Feasibility Program

Rhea-AI Summary

Enteris BioPharma, a subsidiary of SWK Holdings (Nasdaq: SWKH), announced progress on its oral feasibility programs utilizing its Peptelligence® and ProPerma® technologies. In 2021, Enteris initiated six programs targeting various therapeutic areas, including cancer and CNS disorders. The Peptelligence platform enhances oral delivery of peptide drugs, while ProPerma improves solubility for small molecules. Enteris has received $28 million from Cara Therapeutics, with potential future milestones linked to their oral formulation, Oral KORSUVA. These advancements showcase Enteris' capacity to transform drug delivery.

Positive

• Initiated six oral feasibility programs in 2021 targeting diverse therapeutic areas.
• Peptelligence shows more than 20-fold improvement in oral bioavailability for certain drugs.
• Received a total of $28 million from Cara Therapeutics under the licensing agreement.

Negative

• None.

BOONTON, N.J., Feb. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Enteris BioPharma, Inc., a biotechnology company developing innovative drug products based on its proprietary delivery technologies, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of SWK Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq: SWKH), provided an update on its oral feasibility programs involving the Company's Peptelligence^® and ProPerma^® oral peptide and small molecule delivery technologies.

"During 2021, Enteris initiated six oral feasibility programs involving peptide and small molecule drugs targeting a variety of therapeutic indications that include cancer, women's health and disorders of the central nervous system. We anticipate some of these will transition to more extensive agreements in the near future," stated Rajiv Khosla, Ph.D., Chief Executive of Enteris. "These partners range from emerging biotechnology firms to large, established pharmaceutical companies, illustrating the vast potential of Enteris' Peptelligence and ProPerma technology platforms and our ability to partner with companies that want to resolve the bioavailability constraints of their new chemical entity, extend a mature product's life cycle, or achieve better manufacturing and scale-up process by formulating those drugs for oral delivery."

Dr. Khosla continued, "In a feasibility program, Enteris applies our Peptelligence platform to a client's peptide-based drug, or the ProPerma platform for a small molecule, to determine the potential of developing oral tablet formulations. We provide clients with optimized tablet prototypes, specifically tailored to the client's API, which are evaluated in preclinical PK studies. Once proof-of-concept is confirmed, we then advance the agreement to support the formulation, manufacturing, and clinical development of the solid oral tablet drug, from Phase 1 through to Phase 3 and potential commercialization."

Peptelligence is designed to enhance the oral delivery and bioavailability of peptide-based drugs by enhancing the permeability of such compounds and preventing their breakdown in the digestive tract. ProPerma improves the oral delivery of BCS class III and IV small molecules by improving the compounds' solubility and permeability. Enteris has demonstrated positive results in enhancing the oral bioavailability of BCS-III and BCS-IV small molecules, in some cases providing more than 20-fold improvement in oral bioavailability.

Enteris' oral delivery technologies have been the subject of numerous feasibility studies and active internal and external development programs. This includes Cara Therapeutics' ongoing development of CR845/difelikefalin (Oral KORSUVA™), an oral formulation of Cara's first-in-class KOR agonist, which was initially developed via an oral feasibility program. Oral KORSUVA is currently the subject of four separate late-stage clinical trials for pruritus in patients with hepatic impairment due to primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), stage III-V non-dialysis dependent (NDD) chronic kidney disease (CKD), atopic dermatitis (AD) and notalgia paresthetica. In June and December 2021, Enteris announced the receipt of two separate milestone payments from Cara totaling $15 million per the definitive licensing agreement for Peptelligence. Since license inception Enteris has received $28 million in receipts from Cara. Enteris is eligible to receive additional potential milestone payments, subject to the achievement of certain development milestones for Oral KORSUVA, of which Enteris will retain half.

About Enteris BioPharma
Enteris BioPharma, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SWK Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq: SWKH) offering total integrated contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) services including innovative formulation solutions utilizing its proprietary drug delivery technologies, Peptelligence^® and ProPerma®. The technologies have been the subject of numerous feasibility studies and active development programs, several of which are in clinical development. Additionally, Enteris BioPharma is advancing an innovative internal product pipeline of drug products that address significant unmet clinical needs for which there is no satisfactory treatment option. For more information on Enteris BioPharma and its proprietary oral drug delivery technologies, please visit http://www.EnterisBioPharma.com.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/enteris-biopharma-highlights-progress-in-oral-feasibility-program-301481156.html

SOURCE Enteris BioPharma, Inc.

FAQ

What is the recent update from Enteris BioPharma related to SWK Holdings?

Enteris BioPharma announced progress on its oral feasibility programs, highlighting six initiated in 2021 and potential partnerships.

What technologies are being developed by Enteris BioPharma under SWK Holdings?

Enteris is developing Peptelligence® and ProPerma® technologies for oral peptide and small molecule delivery.

How much has Enteris BioPharma received from Cara Therapeutics?

Enteris has received $28 million from Cara Therapeutics, with additional milestone payments possible.

What therapeutic areas are the new programs from Enteris BioPharma targeting?

The programs are targeting cancer, women's health, and disorders of the central nervous system.