About Novoteris
Novoteris is focused on developing inhaled nitric oxide gas formulations to address some of the most serious and lethal respiratory tract infections.
Novoteris is a privately held limited liabilities corporation that is managed by a group of international industry veterans and clinicians involved in developing and producing innovative, cutting-edge medical products.
Novoteris was formed in 2013 for the sole purpose of bringing a novel inhaled antimicrobial drug product to the market for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis. The science and intellectual property that formed the basis of Novoteris was acquired primarily from 12th Man Technologies, and includes drug delivery technology, the science base for the drug product and clinical trial data.
The lead entity being pursued by Novoteris is its Thiolanox® nitric oxide gas formulation.
About Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide (NO) is a naturally occurring endogenously produced nano-molecule shown to possess a wide variety of biochemical characteristics. These properties have been demonstrated to have a utility to treat infections. NO has also been recognized as a primary signaling molecule in biological systems. It has been shown that in low concentrations NO can promote the growth and activity of immune cells, while at higher concentrations, it nitrosylates microbial heme- or thiol-containing DNA, RNA, proteins and lipids, thereby inhibiting or killing target pathogens. NO is both a lipophilic and hydrophilic nitrosylating stable free radical gas, with a small Stokes radius that allows it to readily cross cell membranes and yet dissolves readily in water. NO is an efficient broad spectrum anti-infective agent. It has antimicrobial activity against Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria, yeast, fungi, and viruses both in vitro and in vivo studies. NO possesses simple pharmacokinetics and an extremely short half-life (seconds) without residual nitrites and methemoglobin. Inhaled NO will bind to hemoglobin and create methemoglobin within minutes. It is further reduced to nitrites and nitrates then excreted in the urine within hours.
NO is also a known mucolytic and vasodilator. It is a smooth-muscle relaxant and is therefore an effective short acting bronchodilator. As such, the bronchodilator effect of NO could contribute to the removal of secretions and maintain airway epithelial quiescence. NO has also been reported to modulate ciliary beat frequency in the airways. Furthermore, NO is a known nitrosylating agent and prevents cysteine bonding by binding to the sulfur moieties. Therefore, NO administered to the airways prior to or during pulmonary infections may reduce viral load and thus bacterial susceptibility, thin secretions, restore the mucociliary apparatus and augment removal of secretions.
During infection, NO may not only improve oxygenation but its direct vasodilatory effect may improve local blood flow to the entire respiratory tract. This increased blood flow could bring nutrients, white blood cells and increase local temperature; all of which are potentially beneficial for resolution of infection.
Novoteris product is Thiolanox® and its active ingredient is nitric oxide (NO), a gaseous molecule that is inhaled for its antimicrobial effects that may result in improved lung function.