Raptor starts Ph IIa Convivia trial

Raptor Pharmaceuticals of the USA says that its clinical development subsidiary, Bennu Pharmaceuticals, has initiated the company's first clinical-stage program after dosing the first cohort in a Phase IIa study of Convivia, an oral formulation of 4-methylpyrazole in subjects with aldehyde dehdrogenase (ALDH2) deficiency, or ethanol intolerance, as the initial development stage of its Convivia program. The agent is Bennu's proprietary, oral product designed to reduce peak systemic acetaldehyd levels in ALDH2 deficient persons following alcohol consumption.

ALDH2 deficiency, sometimes referred to as "Asian flushing syndrome," is an inherited metabolic disorder affecting 40% to 50% of East Asian populations, impairing the activity of the liver enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase. When people with ALDH2 deficiency drink alcoholic beverages, there is an accumulation of acetaldehyde, a carcinogenic intermediate in the metabolism of ethanol, in blood and tissues. Published retrospective studies have observed a significant correlation between recurrent drinkers with ALDH2 deficiency and an increase in risk for digestive tract cancers, liver diseases, late-onset Alzheimer's disease and other serious health disorders.