(Boursier.com) — Medesis Pharma, a pharmaceutical biotechnology company developing drug candidates with its proprietary oral active delivery technology, Aonys, shares an information note on the three drug candidates in development for the protection of large populations contaminated after a civil nuclear accident or military. Based in the Montpellier region, Medesis is listed on the Euronext Growth Paris market.
Medesisfounded by Dr. Jean-Claude Maurel, develops several drugs using an oral administration technology allowing a pharmaceutical active ingredient to be delivered to all cells of the body or a toxic element to be extracted.
Three drugs are specifically intended for the treatment of large populations contaminated or irradiated after a civil or military nuclear accident. To date, there is no suitable treatment for a serious nuclear accident. “The three products are at the heart of the problems with the tragic international situation in Ukraine, awakening the possibility of a nuclear war. They are also topical with the recent decisions to resume the development of nuclear power plants”, comments the group.
Medesis Pharma’s three drug candidates were developed in collaboration with the French Atomic Energy Commission (LRT-CEA), which carried out all the studies on animals contaminated by radionuclides, and with the Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute ( IRBA) for studies on irradiated animals. Each of these products is protected by an international patent registered or in the process of being registered in most nuclear countries in the world.
The therapeutic activity has been demonstrated, and a complementary program is necessary with pharmaceutical development for industrial production and a tolerance study on healthy volunteers to demonstrate safety before introducing the products into State emergency stocks. .
Applications for funding to finalize the development of these 3 programs have been submitted by Medesis to the French Defense Innovation Agency.
About NU01, NanoCaDTPA, in the decorporation of Plutonium. For more than 40 years, CaDTPA has been used by repeated slow IV infusion over several weeks. However, this treatment carried out in a medical environment is suitable for a few contaminated people (workers in Nuclear Power Plants), but impossible to implement when several hundred thousand people are contaminated. NanoCaDTPA (formulation of CaDTPA in the Aonys microemulsion) makes it possible to obtain the same efficiency of extraction of Plutonium, but with simple administration in the mouth, from a bottle kept at room temperature.
On NU02, NanoPB (Prussian Blue), in the decorporation of Cesium. Prussian Blue has been used for many years for the extraction of Cesium. It is administered in large capsules of 500 mg, 18 capsules per day for 2 to 3 months. Impossible to dissolve, it is almost impossible to give to children and adolescents, and is accompanied by obstinate constipation resulting in irradiation of the small pelvis. However, Cesium is fixed preferentially in the muscles and in particular in the heart muscle causing abnormalities and cardiac pathologies in children and adolescents. The NanoPB consists of Prussian Blue nanoparticles synthesized and stabilized in the Aonys microemulsion. It makes it possible to obtain cesium decorporation 3 times faster with 100 times less Prussian blue. It is drinkable and suitable for administration at any age, including infants and children.
About NP02, NanoManganese. The active ingredient is manganese sulphate in the Aonys microemulsion. This product prevents and treats the storm of inflammatory cytokines triggered by irradiation causing major respiratory and digestive inflammation responsible for death. Efficacy is observed if treatment is started within hours of irradiation. It is administered by mouth, and stored in bottles at room temperature.
This product is currently in a Phase II clinical study in Brazil to treat severe forms of COVID-19 which are also linked to an inflammatory cytokine storm.
“During an explosion, a nuclear weapon first generates a ball of fire, the size of which varies with the power. A 1 kiloton bomb would thus generate a ball 60 meters in diameter causing damage up to 2 kilometers around from the point of impact. A 1,000 kiloton bomb would generate a ball of fire more than 1 kilometer, the impact of which could have a radius of up to 20 kilometers”, details the group. The explosion causes a shock wave with a displacement of an air mass capable of destroying all surrounding objects. The vacuum created by the moving air then results in strong winds, similar to a cyclone or tornado. The light rays and their heat, which represent more than a third of the energy of the bomb, cause fires and burns on people. The bomb generates direct radiation when it explodes. As for radioactive pollution, it can be transported by the winds over long distances by radionuclides which are absorbed by the respiratory and then digestive tracts, become fixed in the tissues, in particular the lungs, liver, bones and heart, and will never again be eliminated and will lead to cancers 10 to 15 years later…
For each of the two Plutonium and Cesium decorporation products, the development plan involves pharmaceutical CMC development with preparation for industrial production and a tolerance study on 50 healthy volunteers treated for one month. For the radiation protection product already in clinical development, the plan includes industrial development, as well as a tolerance study on 50 healthy volunteers for one month. The deadlines for product registration and industrial manufacturing are 18 months for the two decorporation products and 12 months for the radiation protection product. In practice, these deadlines can be shortened or lengthened depending on whether the Medicines Agency and the public authorities consider it urgent or not.