Our Proposed Solution
Our goal is to develop an effective and safe product to treat AUD that does not require abstinence as part of the treatment and does not have the negative side effects of the current drugs on the market. Our product candidate is designed for patients who desire to control their drinking but cannot or do not want to completely abstain from drinking. By removing the difficulties associated with abstinence and the side effects associated with the other current products on the market, we believe that we may be able to remove barriers to patient adoption that inhibit adoption of current therapies and can attract a greater portion of the many millions of patients with AUD that remain untreated. Unlike other therapies, our investigational product, AD04, uses a novel mode of action that involves genetic screening with a companion diagnostic genetic test prior to treatment and is designed to reduce cravings for alcohol to effectively curb alcohol intake, without the requirement of abstinence prior to or during treatment. Our product candidate is intended to be easy to use since it is administered orally, currently on a twice daily basis and with a once-a-day tablet planned as part of the product’s life cycle management. To date, clinical testing of AD04 has shown it to have a positive safety and tolerability profile with side effects similar to placebo.
The companion diagnostic genetic test used to identify patients that are most likely to benefit from treatment with AD04 may potentially enhance the likelihood of a successful outcome for those undergoing treatment. Additionally, it may provide doctors with the opportunity to have a non-threatening conversation about alcohol with their patients and may provide the patient an acceptable path to help them determine if they might be a candidate for help with their alcohol use. If the test results are positive, patients would have a science based rationale for their treatment, which we believe will reduce some of the stigma patients might otherwise endure, and allow them to be treated in the confidence of their doctor, potentially with a simple, oral tablet.