Drawbridge anaesthetic beats propofol during trial

Melbourne’s Drawbridge Pharmaceuticals has completed a successful human trial to compare the effects of its anaesthesia drug candidate Phaxan with standard IV anaesthetic propofol.

The phase IC trial was conducted at the Jessie McPherson Private Hospital in 24 healthy male volunteers.

The study met its primary endpoints of demonstrating the effectiveness of Phaxan as a fast-onset, short-acting intravenous anaesthetic, with a greater safety profile and less depression of blood pressure and respiratory control compared to propofol.

As secondary endpoints, Phaxan was found to cause no pain on injection, whereas propofol caused pain and discomfort on injection to more than half of the control subjects. Phaxan also caused no nausea or involuntary muscle movements.

Cognitive function was more preserved during recovery in the Phaxan treated group than the propofol treated group, based on the Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS) and the Digital Symbol Substitution Test (DSTT).

“This study clearly shows that Phaxan has the clinical capacity to replace propofol as the drug of choice for intravenous anaesthesia, preclinical sedation and sedation in the ICU,” Drawbridge CEO Dr Anthony Filippis said.

“Drawbridge is now engaged in active discussions with potential partners regarding the further development of Phaxan. We are confident that Phaxan will be successfully commercialised in the near future.”

Drawbridge announced in January that it had secured patents in six countries covering Phaxan’s formulation. The company has patents in Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa, and has recently been granted a patent in the US