XW Labs Initiates First-in-Human Phase I Study for Novel Narcolepsy Treatment

WUHAN, China, March 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- XW Laboratories Inc. (XW Labs) announced the initiation of a Phase 1 single ascending dose (SAD) study in healthy subjects in Australia for its novel proprietary compound XW10172 to assess safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics. XW10172 is the lead compound in XW Labs' pipeline for a next generation small molecule treatment for narcolepsy, a rare chronic neurological disorder which affects sleep regulation. XW Labs intends to begin a multiple ascending dose study pending satisfactory outcome of the initial doses from the SAD study.

XW Labs' drug discovery team identified XW10172 through its efforts to create a narcolepsy treatment that exhibits favorable efficacy compared to existing first-line treatments but with better compliance and tolerability. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder with abnormal regulation of the sleep-wake cycle. Patients with narcolepsy type 1 typically present with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and cataplexy among other symptoms. Most currently available treatments of narcolepsy target one symptom and those treating both EDS and cataplexy may be associated with intolerable side effects or inconvenient dosing regimen. XW10172 is a novel agent that is expected not only to be efficacious in treating the primary symptoms of narcolepsy but also improve the tolerability and dosing convenience.

"In just over three years, we went from an idea to first-in-human clinical trials," said Dr. Jia-Ning Xiang, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of XW Labs. "This demonstrates that our platform technology can deliver better compounds into the clinic in a shorter amount of time than traditional Research and Development approaches for neurological disorders such as narcolepsy."

XW Labs is a biopharmaceutical Research and Development company with its focuses on neurological disorders. The company has established a diversified portfolio of lead compounds in the Central Nervous System therapeutic area through its three drug discovery platforms. XW Labs' first two platforms aim at delivering best-in-class medicine with potential for new indications. Its third platform is a novel platform focused on reducing damage to the mitochondria, which has been linked to many neurological disorders.

About XW Laboratories Inc.

XW Laboratories Inc. (XW Labs) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel compounds for the treatment of neurological disorders with primary research and development activities located in Wuhan, Mainland China and New Taipei City, Taiwan. XW Labs' expertise in drug design and specialized drug platforms provide critical competitive advantages to shortening the time it takes to identify best-in-class development candidates.

SOURCE XW Laboratories Inc.