Ark Therapeutics announces positive pre-phase III meetings

Ark Therapeutics has announced that it has held positive meetings with both the European Medicines Evaluation Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration regarding the pre-phase III development of Vitor.

Vitor is an orally administered therapy currently in development for the treatment of cachexia and weight loss associated with cancer.

The company reports that at the meeting it was confirmed that the existing data from previous trials is adequate to enable the company to begin phase III clinical development of the compound, with potential indications in the improvement of muscle strength or treatment of weight loss.

Dr Nigel Parker, chief executive of the company, said: “The outcome of these latest meetings with the regulatory agencies in the US and Europe is further good news for Ark.

“We now have three products at the phase III development stage which gives us one of the strongest late stage pipelines in the small cap biotechnology sector.”

He added that the company’s pipeline highlighted the value and strategic worth of its business model, a number of products independent from one another in development resulting in a balanced spread of risk.

Earlier this month, Ark Therapeutics was awarded a grant from the European Commission worth 2.5 million euros (1.68 million pounds) to fund research into baculovrial vectors for use in gene-based medication.