Vivozon begins first dosing in U.S. Phase 1b trial of non-opioid pain candidate VVZ-2471

[Financial News] Vivozon, an affiliate of VIVOZON PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD., has begun dosing the first patient in a U.S. Phase 1b trial of VVZ-2471, a non-opioid pain drug candidate.
According to financial industry sources on the 10th, the trial is being led by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had also previously approved the investigational new drug (IND) application.
The trial’s primary objective is to assess safety and tolerability when the drug is administered repeatedly. Based on the results, Vivozon plans to refine the design of a follow-up trial in patients with opioid use disorder (OUD).
VVZ-2471 is an oral drug candidate that modulates two types of receptors involved in neurotransmission at the same time. It acts on the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2A) and metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5), targeting the central nervous system’s reward circuit associated with drug cravings.
In South Korea, the company is separately pursuing development of a treatment for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). The related Phase 2 trial has been completed, and the data collected so far are being analyzed. Vivozon is assessing VVZ-2471’s potential applications in pain treatment and drug addiction treatment.
Meanwhile, Vivozon received a decision to grant a domestic patent related to VVZ-2471 last September and completed patent registration in Israel. Including these, the number of countries and regions where it has secured related patent rights has risen to eight.

[email protected] Im Sang-hyeok Reporter