Tonix Pharmaceuticals (Tonix) has recently announced a licensing deal with Katana Pharmaceuticals for its intranasal potentiated oxytocin with a view to expand its application into metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance, diabetes and obesity. Tonix had originally purchased oxytocin-potentiated therapy from Trigemina in June 2020, with a promising pre-clinical data demonstrating efficacy for the intranasal oxytocin product TNX-1900 in central nervous system disorders. TNX-1900 has significant opportunity to enter the metabolic disease market and disrupt the incumbent therapies as intranasal therapy is likely to lead the improved compliance technology due to ease of application, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

There is a clear unmet need in the market for novel therapies that address the fundamental dysfunction that leads to the development of metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). Obesity is a common precursor and comorbidity of T2D and there is a critical need for therapeutics that induce weight loss. Tonix’s intranasal oxytocin has significant opportunity to gain market share in the obesity and T2D disease space.

Additional evidence around intranasal oxytocin includes improved glucose homeostasis and increased pancreatic beta-cell responsivity. With the evidence collected from these studies, Tonix believes that TNX-1900 may prove effective in addressing a variety of metabolic disorders.

Akash Patel, Healthcare Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “There is an increased anticipation from both patients and physicians for both oral and related methods, such as intranasal, therapies to enter the metabolic disease market. These therapies are likely to significantly improve patient compliance and provide wider therapeutic options for prescribing, with regards to T2D and obesity.”

The deal provides Tonix with exclusive rights to the technology developed by University of Geneva and held by Katana Pharmaceuticals with regards to oxytocin-based treatments. Studies from the University of Geneva have demonstrated the use of oxytocin leading to improvements in lipid metabolism, glucose tolerance and insulin resistance.

Patel concludes: “Intranasal administered therapy will be significant for the metabolic market. This technology provides a novel opportunity for Tonix Pharmaceuticals to become a significant player in T2D, obesity and the wider metabolic market, capturing significant market share from less innovative market incumbents.”