Tonix presents data on potential Hyperphagia treatment in adolescents

Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding announced that Herbert Harris, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Translational Medicine of Tonix Pharmaceuticals, delivered an oral presentation on March 23 at the Rare Disease Innovation and Partnership Summit being held as a hybrid event in Philadelphia, Pa. A copy of the presentation is available under the Scientific Presentations tab of the Tonix website at www.tonixpharma.com. Additional information can be found on the Rare Disease Innovation and Partnership Summit website here. The oral presentation, titled, "TNX-2900 in Development for the Treatment of Hyperphagia in Adolescents and Young Adults with Prader-Willi Syndrome," includes data showing the enhancing effects of magnesium on the activation of oxytocin receptors. The Mg2+ enhanced formulation of intranasal oxytocin is the basis for TNX-2900, in development to treat hyperphagia, or pathological over-eating, in adolescent and young adult patients with Prader-Willi syndrome , and for TNX-1900 in development to prevent migraine headaches in chronic migraineurs. TNX-2900 has been granted Orphan Drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of PWS. There is no treatment currently approved for PWS-related hyperphagia. "PWS is a rare genetic disorder characterized by failure to thrive in infancy, but leads to hyperphagia in childhood, resulting in PWS being the most common genetic syndromic cause of obesity," said Seth Lederman, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. "Tonix is excited to develop TNX-2900, a Mg2+-enhanced formulation of intranasal oxytocin, as a treatment for hyperphagia in adolescents and young adults with this rare disease." "Hyperphagia is more than just insatiable appetite. It leads to extreme behavioral and metabolic effects. Consequences around this abnormal food behavior can be life-threatening, particularly obesity and cardiovascular disease, the latter of which is a leading cause of death in people with PWS," said Dr. Harris. "Oxytocin is an anorexigenic hormone that reduces appetite and signals fullness. The oxytocin receptor requires magnesium ions for the high-affinity conformation for signaling satiety. TNX-2900 combines oxytocin with magnesium for improved receptor binding and potentially improved therapeutic action."