Vivozon Selected by U.S. NIDA for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Development Project

VVVozon Pharmaceutical's affiliate, VVVozon, has had its innovative new drug candidate 'VVZ-2471' selected by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), as a development project for an opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment.

According to industry sources on September 8, VVVozon will receive approximately 6.4 million dollars (about 9 billion won) over five years to conduct preclinical and clinical trials as a result of being selected for this project. This initiative is part of an academic-industry collaborative research support program within the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The principal investigator for the research is a clinical professor at a university located in Virginia, United States.

VVZ-2471 is a dual antagonist that simultaneously blocks serotonin 5-HT2A receptors and mGluR5 receptors. An antagonist is a drug or substance that binds to receptors in the body and blocks or reduces the action of other molecules, such as neurotransmitters or hormones. Currently, a Phase 2 clinical trial is underway in Korea targeting patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) to develop a non-narcotic analgesic. Through preclinical studies, the efficacy of VVZ-2471 in pain relief and addiction treatment has been confirmed, raising expectations that it could reduce the risk of opioid and cocaine addiction and contribute to long-term abstinence maintenance in the future.

VVVozon has also submitted a project proposal to the NIH for the development of a cocaine use disorder (CUD) treatment. The company explained that, despite cocaine addiction causing serious social and economic problems worldwide-including in the United States-there is currently no approved treatment, making the likelihood of approval for the CUD project high. If the CUD project is additionally selected, the value of VVZ-2471 is expected to be maximized alongside the development of treatments for both addictive disorders.

A VVVozon representative stated, "This selection means that VVZ-2471 has been rigorously validated for scientific validity and innovation by a U.S. federal research agency, and its potential has been recognized. We will work with U.S. collaborative research institutions to successfully complete the project and develop treatments for opioid and cocaine addiction, thereby strengthening our position in the global central nervous system disorder therapeutics market."

The representative added, "Based on this achievement, we expect to provide innovative addiction treatment solutions to the global market, including the United States."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.