Orexo, eoxins, new mechanism for asthma and COPD treatment

2008-01-10 - The discovery of the eoxins and their characteristics has paved the way for a new class of pharmaceuticals for treatment of asthma and COPD. One of the world’s most-cited scientific journals, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States (PNAS), is now publishing Orexo´s research on the initial discovery and biological functions of eoxins. The publication describes the scientific rationale behind Orexo´s drug development program on eoxin inhibitors.Eoxins constitute a new group of inflammatory mediators, which adds to understanding the mechanisms for airway inflammation. Eoxins are pro-duced from the endogenous fatty acid arachidonic acid, via the initial action of the enzyme 15-lipoxygenase. Inflammatory cells in the res-piratory tract are the main producers of eoxins, and the production is initiated by well known inflammatory mediators released in connection with allergy and asthma. These data, together with the powerful pro-inflammatory effects demonstrated for the eoxins, indicate an important role for eoxins in the inflammation seen in connection with asthma and COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease... Orexo´s Press Release -