The Solution
Attgeno’s solution is Supernitro, a new drug candidate with potent vasodilatory effects. Supernitro is administered as a continuous intravenous infusion and, due to its extremely short half-life, exhibits a lung-selective action. Supernitro operates by releasing nitric oxide (NO), a gas also naturally produced by the body, which dilates blood vessels by relaxing the smooth muscle cells in the vessel walls. When administered intravenously, Supernitro initially passes through the pulmonary circulation. The rapid release of NO results in the majority of NO in Supernitro being released during its passage through the lungs, thereby primarily affecting the pulmonary circulation. Consequently, when administered at the correct dosage, Supernitro causes vasodilation in the pulmonary circulation with minimal impact on other parts of the circulatory system, thereby reducing the risk of a drop in systemic blood pressure.
The ultra-short half-life of Supernitro enables organ-specific NO delivery: Studies suggest that Supernitro has a half-life of approximately 3.5 seconds when administered in a shorter infusion. During periods of rest, it typically takes about 8 seconds for blood to circulate through the pulmonary vasculature, and this duration may even be longer in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension. Consequently, under such conditions, approximately 80% of the NO administered via Supernitro is emitted and exerts its effects in the pulmonary circulation due to its extremely short-acting nature. Supernitro binds NO to Propanediol, an alcohol used in several approved drugs. At the expected doses for the treatment of acute pulmonary hypertension with this drug candidate, Propanediol is anticipated to be well tolerated.
Supernitro, the first and only intravenous drug to selectively treat acute high blood pressure in the lungs
The Attgeno technology is based on ground-breaking research on nitric oxide and circulatory physiology at the Karolinska Institute and has been awarded the Major Innovation Prize by the Karolinska Institute Innovations AB and Innovation Agency Stockholm. Our method of tailoring drugs to release nitric oxide to specific organs in the body has now generated a range of new drug substances with unique properties that can be used in life-threatening medical conditions. A great advantage with nitric oxide is that the substance is a natural part of our body and has been used for many years in clinical treatments. Supernitro, our first drug candidate, represents a great new step in the medical use of nitric oxide. Since the patient receives Supernitro as an intravenous infusion which means that nitric oxide is delivered in the natural way via the blood-vessels to the heart and lungs. The pressure in the lung circulation is lowered by widening all the targeted local blood vessels in the lungs.