Recludix Pharma Announces Development Candidate Nomination of First-in-Class Oral STAT6 Inhibitor for Inflammatory Diseases and Achievement of Significant Milestone Under Collaboration with Sanofi

Core Insights - Recludix Pharma has nominated REX-8756 as a lead development candidate, an oral, selective, and reversible small molecule inhibitor of STAT6, completing GLP toxicology studies associated with a $50 million payment to Recludix from Sanofi [1][4] - REX-8756 demonstrates complete pathway inhibition and is well tolerated in preclinical studies, showing potential for fewer side effects compared to JAK inhibitors [1][2] - The company is advancing REX-8756 towards Investigational New Drug (IND) submission later this year, with ongoing IND-enabling activities [1][2] Company Overview - Recludix Pharma specializes in discovering inhibitors for challenging targets related to inflammatory diseases, with a focus on developing best-in-class drug candidates [2][6] - The company has developed a unique drug discovery platform that integrates custom DNA-encoded libraries and proprietary screening tools, particularly targeting SH2 domain inhibitors [6] - Recludix has a strategic collaboration with Sanofi for the development and commercialization of STAT6 inhibitors, with potential for significant financial milestones exceeding $1.2 billion [4][6] Product Development - REX-8756 has shown robust efficacy in preclinical models of asthma, acute lung inflammation, and dermatitis, disrupting IL-4/13 stimulated inflammatory biomarkers [2][3] - The compound inhibits STAT6 through its SH2 domain, which is crucial for mediating protein-protein interactions and was previously considered undruggable [2][3] - The company aims to provide oral medicines with biologic-like activity and favorable safety profiles as alternatives to current therapies like JAK inhibitors [2][3] Collaboration with Sanofi - Under the collaboration, Sanofi will take over worldwide clinical development and commercialization responsibilities after the start of Phase 2 clinical trials [4] - Recludix has received $125 million in near-term payments and has the option to participate in U.S. profit/loss sharing, including co-promotion activities [4]