Argenica Therapeutics

Argenica Therapeutics(ASX: AGN) is developing novel therapeutics to reduce brain tissue death after stroke and other types of brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases to improve patient outcomes. Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide and the economic costs of treatment and post-stroke care are substantial. With current treatments, 20% of sufferers die and 50% are left permanently disabled. Moreover, the burden of stroke is increasing with an aging population and the ongoing epidemics of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Current treatment options remain limited to restoring blood flow through clot removal by tPA (alteplase) thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy. Despite considerable research, there are no marketed drugs capable of protecting the brain from damage following stroke. Therefore, the search for widely applicable and effective neuroprotective drugs for stroke patients remains an urgent unmet need and priority. Argenica has developed a neuroprotective drug that can be administered in the field by paramedics, and used in conjunction with endovascular therapy (thrombolysis/thrombectomy) to improve neuroprotective outcomes, and importantly increase the number of patients amenable to thrombolysis and thrombectomy. Specifically, Argenica has developed a neuroprotective therapeutic, ARG-007, that • Slows brain tissue death due to inadequate blood supply • Preserves brain cells and axons • Extends the treatment time window for stroke patients • Is not toxic • Can be delivered in the field by first responders The Company also intends to explore the development and commercialisation of cationic arginine-rich peptides in other neural injury conditions such as perinatal hypoxia, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and in patients undergoing endovascular procedures that carry a risk of dislodging material from a diseased artery or triggering an embolus to lodge in a brain artery and thereby causing a stroke.