Zucara Therapeutics – Helping people with diabetes sleep safely and soundly
- Typically occurring overnight, hypoglycemia puts approximately 8.3M people globally at fatal risk during their sleep.
- Current therapies offer hypoglycemic treatment only once an episode occurs.
- Zucara is working on the first treatment to prevent hypoglycemia which can kill patients in their sleep.
November 14, 2018 - Vancouver, Canada: On World Diabetes Day, Zucara Therapeutics is raising awareness about hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) that can cause serious complications and even death for people with diabetes. Currently, no therapy to prevent hypoglycemia exists, leaving patients to rely on rescue therapies, such as glucose or glucagon, typically used after the patient is already suffering from a potential fatal hypoglycemic episode. Preventing hypoglycemia will dramatically change Type 1 diabetes disease management, improving both patient health and quality of life.
Zucara is developing the first once-daily therapeutic to prevent hypoglycemia in people with Type 1 diabetes and other types of insulin-dependent diabetes. Zucara’s lead drug candidate “ZT-01” is moving towards Phase 1 clinical trials in late 2019 after demonstrating efficacy and safety validated in multiple preclinical models of hypoglycemia. The company is now defining the clinical trial plan for Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies.
Michael Midmer, Chief Executive Officer for Zucara Therapeutics explained, “Hypoglycemic episodes are an important concern for people with diabetes, in the most severe cases, they are life threatening, and are a particular source of fear and anxiety for patients. Our technology is aimed at creating the first treatment to prevent clinically significant low blood sugar. We are extremely happy with the results achieved so far to advance our lead drug “ZT-01” and are excited to start Phase 1 clinical trials in 2019. We are currently raising funding to conduct our first clinical studies, and appreciate the support we have received to date from leading institutions and diabetes organizations.”
Zucara has raised US$7M in funding to date from various organizations including its founding institutions: CDRD and MaRS Innovation; leading diabetes organizations: The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and JDRF International; and other funders including the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), and Accel-Rx Health Sciences Accelerator. The funding has helped Zucara complete a robust preclinical program enabling its lead drug “ZT-01” to be further advanced towards clinical trials.
About Zucara Therapeutics Inc.
Zucara Therapeutics is developing the first drug therapy to prevent hypoglycemia in people with diabetes. The Company’s first-in-class therapeutic, ZT-01, is aimed at inhibiting a hormone in the pancreas called somatostatin, which does not function properly in Type 1 diabetes. Preventing hypoglycemia will dramatically change diabetes disease management, improving both patient health and quality of life. www.zucara.ca
