[February 13, 2014] |
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Anacor Pharmaceuticals Announces Publication of Article Describing Boron-Containing Compounds and Their Relevance to Dermatology
PALO ALTO, Calif. --(Business Wire)--
Anacor Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ANAC) announced today that a
peer-reviewed article describing the recent progress of boron-based
compounds in medicine and the properties of these compounds that support
their development for the treatment of various skin disorders will be
published in the February 17, 2014 edition of the Journal of Clinical
and Aesthetic Dermatology. "From the Test Tube to the Treatment Room:
Fundamentals of Boron-Containing Compounds and Their Relevance to
Dermatology" is co-authored by James Q. Del Rosso, D.O., F.A.O.C.D.,
dermatologist in private practice at Las Vegas Skin and Cancer Clinics
in Henderson, Nevada and Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Touro
University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Henderson, Nevada and
Jacob. J. Plattner, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research, Anacor
Pharmaceuticals.
The authors note that the therapeutic benefit of incorporating boron
into a chemical compound is derived from boron's unique physical,
chemical and structural properties. Boron has an empty p-orbital which
gives it the capacity to form covalent bonds at a target site on a
protein, rendering the protein inactive or less active. Several examples
of proteins that boron-containing compounds have been found to inhibit
include phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) thereby reducing the cytokine
production in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis; leucyl tRNA synthetase
thereby blocking protein synthesis in dermatophytes; and ß-lactamases,
thereby reducing resistance to antibiotic therapy.
The authors also note that, until recently, the use of boron in drug
development has been widely overlooked. Initilly, boron was
incorporated into drug candidates as boronic acid which made the
compounds overly reactive resulting in off-target binding and decreasing
their potential effectiveness as therapeutic agents. However, since
then, researchers found that if they incorporated boron into compounds
as part of a cyclic structure rather than as an acid, they were able to
produce small boron-based molecules that are highly stable, demonstrate
effective target binding and selectivity and exhibit optimal physical
properties that allow access to the necessary site of the disease target.
"The use of boron in drug discovery and development is very exciting to
dermatology and other fields of medicine. Boron's unique properties
allow it to bind to target proteins involved in key pathophysiologic
pathways which has opened the door to new potential therapies in
dermatology including fungal infections such as onychomycosis, atopic
dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, bacterial infections and other skin
diseases," said Dr. Del Rosso.
Boron-based compounds currently in development for dermatologic
indications include tavaborole, which is being reviewed by the FDA for
the treatment of toenail onychomycosis and AN2728, a PDE4 inhibitor
which has completed Phase 2 studies in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.
A third compound, AN3365, is being evaluated as a gram-negative
antibiotic. All three compounds were discovered and are being developed
by Anacor Pharmaceuticals.
About Anacor Pharmaceuticals
Anacor is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing
and commercializing novel small-molecule therapeutics derived from its
boron chemistry platform. Anacor has discovered eight compounds that are
currently in development. Its two lead product candidates are topically
administered dermatologic compounds - tavaborole, an antifungal for the
treatment of onychomycosis, and AN2728, an anti-inflammatory PDE-4
inhibitor for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. In
addition to its two lead programs, Anacor has discovered three other
wholly-owned clinical product candidates - AN2718 and AN2898, which are
backup compounds to tavaborole and AN2728, respectively, and AN3365, an
antibiotic for the treatment of infections caused by Gram-negative
bacteria. Anacor has also discovered three other compounds that have
been out-licensed for further development - one is licensed to Eli Lilly
and Company for the treatment of an animal health indication, the second
compound, AN5568, also referred to as SCYX-7158, is licensed to Drugs
for Neglected Diseases initiative, or DNDi, for human African
trypanosomiasis (HAT, or sleeping sickness) and the third compound is
licensed to GlaxoSmithKline, LLC for development in tuberculosis. Anacor
also has a pipeline of other internally discovered topical and systemic
boron-based compounds in development. For more information, visit http://www.anacor.com.

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