CDP-1050

Heart failure, a condition characterized by the inability of the heart to effectively pump blood as well as by fluid accumulation in the lungs and other tissues, is suffered by an estimated five million Americans and is responsible for 300,000 deaths in the U.S. annually, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. It is the single largest Medicare expense, at a cost of $33.2 billion each year. The five-year mortality rate with heart failure can be as high as 50 percent.

Duska's scientific consultants, Jonathan S. Stamler, M.D., and Joshua M. Hare, M.D., have developed and tested new therapeutic modalities to preserve and improve cardiac function. Duska has been granted an exclusive, worldwide license from Duke University and Johns Hopkins University to develop and commercialize their rights to a portfolio of investigational cardiovascular drugs for the treatment of heart failure.

The most advanced heart failure drug candidate in the portfolio is CDP-1050. The drug is expected to enter a Phase 2 clinical study early next year. CDP-1050 is designed to correct nitric oxide and redox imbalance in the failing heart and the cardiovascular system. The drug has a dual mechanism of action to inhibit the creation of excessive reactive oxygen radicals and restore nitric oxide to physiologic levels. The principal therapeutic target is the ryanodine receptor, the main ion channel in the heart that supplies the calcium necessary for the heart to contract. CDP-1050 is believed to improve calcium cycling in the heart by acting on the ryanodine receptor to significantly improve the efficiency of heart contractility.

Duska Therapeutics

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At the heart of cardiovascular medicine

Hare JM, Stamler JS. NO/redox disequilibrium in the failing heart and cardiovascular system. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2005;115: 509-517. Link to Article