Tarix Pharmaceuticals : TXA127 Granted Orphan Drug Status for Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

September 27, 2011 – Tarix Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted TXA127, the Company’s lead peptide drug candidate, orphan drug status for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Emerging science has demonstrated that the naturally occurring peptide angiotensin (1-7), the pharmaceutical ingredient in TXA127, exhibits a protective effect in animal models of PAH, suggesting a potentially beneficial role for TXA127 against this disease.

 Rick Franklin, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Tarix, commented, “We are extremely pleased that TXA127 has been granted orphan drug status for this indication by the FDA. This is an important development for Tarix and is part of our strategy to build a portfolio of products using TXA127 and our synthetic peptide PanCyte to treat a variety of serious pulmonary diseases.”

 Tarix is developing TXA127 for multiple therapeutic indications, including enhancement of engraftment following peripheral blood and cord blood stem cell transplantation and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In 2010, TXA127 was granted Orphan Drug designation as a treatment to enhance engraftment in patients receiving a stem cell transplant. TXA127 has also received Orphan Drug designation for the treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)... Tarix Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -