Haoma Medica has wrapped up a first-in-human trial for NaQuinate, a naphthoquinone carboxylic acid, which is being developed as an oral treatment for osteoporosis.

The UK-based biotech company initiated the human trial of NaQuinate last year in healthy adults for assessing its single and multiple doses. The primary goal of the trial was to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics.

Dr Cenk Oguz – Haoma Medica Chief Medical Officer said: ”We are delighted that the first-in-human study has completed its last dosing. There were no significant safety or tolerability concerns up to the highest doses tested which underlines our expectation that NaQuinate is safe and well tolerated.”

Considered a silent disease, osteoporosis usually does not present with any signs or symptoms until a fracture happens, thereby making it an underdiagnosed and undertreated disease.

NaQuinate mechanism of action

Previous studies with NaQuinate have shown the oral drug candidate to protect against deterioration in bone quality and quantity that happens in response to ovariectomy in rodent models.

NaQuinate, in a mechanical mouse loading model, is said to have synergistically boosted the body’s normal response to loading by forming bone and targeting relevant cortical bone regions. This synergistic interaction between the osteoporosis drug candidate and mechanical loading indicates the functional use of bones’ mechanostat.

Dr Steve Deacon – Haoma Medica CEO, commenting on NaQuinate mechanism of action, said: “Our pre-clinical research has revealed an exciting feature of NaQuinate where it appears to have the capacity to work in harmony with the body’s natural response to weight bearing exercise to synergistically enhance bone formation when and where required – now that would be a ‘smart’ drug,’.

“Together with the safety data from this first-in-human study, this supports the potential that NaQuinate treatment could provide a safe, novel and smart therapeutic approach to bone disorders like osteoporosis and better maintain healthy skeletal aging.”

  Dr Cenk Oguz, Haoma Medica, naphthoquinone carboxylic acid, NaQuinate, Osteoporosis, United Kingdom