RXi Pharmaceuticals plans new focus for its next generation RNAi technology

US RNAi-based drug development firm RXi Pharmaceuticals has announced the company's new focused RNAi therapeutic strategy at the Jefferies 2010 Global Life Sciences Conference.

RXi's therapeutic platform has the potential to be broadly applicable to multiple therapeutic areas and indications. The company's core focus leverages RXi's unique technologies and competencies to advance potential candidates in select therapeutic areas with attractive market potential. The company will also explore additional indications of strategic interest to the company which will be advanced internally and with partners through preclinical studies. As RXi executes on its core focus and strategic interest areas, additional areas may be pursued opportunistically.

Core Focus: RXi will focus its internal therapeutic development efforts in two main areas:

In the area of Dermatology, it is pursuing a program in anti-scarring. The companyestimates that the US potential market for skin scarring is up to $4 billion with approximately 42 million skin-scarring surgical procedures annually. RXi's sd-rxRNA (self-delivering rxRNA) compounds have shown robust delivery and effective target silencing in skin using local administration. The company intends to select an anti-scarring development candidate in 2010 and file an Investigational New Drug application in 2011. RXi says its success with RNAi therapeutics in anti-scarring may provide additional opportunities in other dermatology applications as well as in anti-fibrotic indications including pulmonary fibrosis, liver fibrosis, acute spinal cord injury, ocular scarring and restenosis, which together encompass a potential market size of more than $16 billion. 

In the area of ophthalmology, RXi is moving forward with a program in retinal disorders. There are multiple retinal diseases with large unmet medical need that are not addressed with currently available therapies. These include wet and dry age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema, which together affect approximately 18 million people in the USA, and which have an estimated market potential of up to $20 billion. RXi has shown data demonstrating unprecedented delivery and effective target silencing in the retina with sd-rxRNA compounds. The company intends to select a retinal disorder development candidate in 2011.