Quotient Sciences and Vasa Therapeutics Announce Dosing of First Subjects with VS-041, a Novel Heart Failure Treatment

NOTTINGHAM, UK, ENCINITAS, CA; September 10, 2024 – VS-041, a novel and potentially life-saving  treatment for heart failure, developed by Vasa Therapeutics, a San Diego-based biotechnology  company, has reached a major clinical milestone with the first human subjects dosed at Quotient  Sciences’ Nottingham, UK clinic. 

In this phase, Quotient Sciences’ Translational Pharmaceutics® platform was selected to accelerate  the drug into first-in-human (FIH) trials. Quotient Sciences’ on-demand manufacture of an immediate  release (IR) tablet allowed for dosing and generation of clinical data in a shortened time.  

The clinical program and recruitment of healthy volunteers to take part in the Nottingham, UK-based  Phase I trial was also performed by Quotient Sciences.  

Heart failure and HFpEF: Addressing a global health challenge 

VS-041 is in development as the first personalized medicine-based treatment of HFpEF.  

Heart failure is a major global health malady affecting 64 million people worldwide, placing a huge  economic and social burden on health systems costing an estimated $108 billion per annum.  

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), or diastolic heart failure, is a life-threatening  form of heart failure where the heart cannot properly fill with blood because the left ventricle has  stiffened over time and cannot relax. It is estimated that more than half of heart failure patients  develop HFpEF.  

VS-041 has shown a robust reduction of cardiac fibrosis in preclinical HFpEF models by inhibiting the  release of signalling collagen fragments, such as endotrophin (PRO-C6), that mediate  fibroinflammatory responses and are biomarkers of worse outcomes in HFpEF patients. These data  have been accepted for presentation at the American Heart Association’s 2024 Scientific Sessions  conference in November. 

Accelerating drug development with Translational Pharmaceutics®  

Quotient Sciences’ Translational Pharmaceutics® platform optimizes the drug development process  by integrating formulation development, on-demand drug product manufacturing, and healthy  volunteer clinical testing within a single organization.  

Using Translational Pharmaceutics®, Quotient Sciences has incorporated flexibility to manufacture  tablets for the VS-041 program within a dosing bracket, with upper and lower dose extremes included within the regulatory submission. Doses can be selected based on emerging clinical data 

from each study period of the single ascending dose, allowing for greater speed while minimizing API  usage. 

Dr. Vanessa Zaan, Executive Drug Development Consultant at Quotient Sciences, said, “In drug  development, particularly for small and emerging biotech companies, we know that speed matters. We are working with Vasa Therapeutics to obtain first-in-human data as soon as possible, but never  at the expense of poor-quality science.”  

Dr. Artur Plonowski, CEO and Co-Founder of Vasa Therapeutics added, “We are extremely satisfied to  use Quotient Sciences’ Translational Pharmaceutics® platform that seamlessly integrates custom  manufacturing, regulatory, and clinical functions, allowing us to carry out our FIH study of VS-041 in a  time- and resource-efficient manner. We are very enthusiastic about the promise of VS-041 as the  first personalized medicine-based treatment for HFpEF and are working diligently with Quotient  Sciences to rapidly bring this option to HFpEF patients.”  

Now entering its 17th year, Translational Pharmaceutics® has accelerated more than 500 molecules  through key development milestones for global pharma and biotech companies manufacturing small  molecule therapeutics.  

ENDS 

About Quotient Sciences 

Quotient Sciences is a drug development and manufacturing accelerator providing integrated  programs and tailored services across the entire development pathway. Cutting through silos across  a range of drug development capabilities, we save precious time and money in getting drugs to  patients. Everything we do for our customers is driven by an unswerving belief that ideas need to  become solutions, and molecules need to become cures, fast, because humanity needs novel  therapeutic solutions, fast. Quotient Sciences has been recognized as a multi-year winner of the CRO  Leadership Awards in 2021, 2022, and 2024 and of the CDMO Leadership Awards in 2023. For more  information, visit quotientsciences.com.  

Quotient Sciences media contact: 

Rachael Heath 

rachael@ramarketingpr.com  

About Vasa Therapeutics 

Vasa is a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics that target the pathophysiology of cardiovascular aging. In addition to VS-041, Vasa programs include a portfolio of 

long-acting apelin peptide analogues for treatment of obesity patients at risk for skeletal muscle loss  or cardiovascular disease. The company is also developing a best-in-class inhibitor of CamKIId for  heart failure and life-threatening arrhythmias. For more information, visit 

www.vasatherapeutics.com 

Vasa Therapeutics media contact: 

info@vasatherapeutics.com  

References 

1. Savarese G, Becher PM, Lund LH, Seferovic P, Rosano GMC, Coats AJS. Global burden of heart  failure: a comprehensive and updated review of epidemiology. Cardiovasc Res. 2023 Jan  18;118(17):3272-3287. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvac013. Erratum in: Cardiovasc Res. 2023 Jun  13;119(6):1453. PMID: 35150240. 

2. Cook C, Cole G, Asaria P, Jabbour R, Francis DP. The annual global economic burden of heart  failure. Int J Cardiol. 2014 Feb 15;171(3):368-76. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2013.12.028. Epub  2013 Dec 22. PMID: 24398230. 

SOURCE: Quotient Sciences Global News