HALETHORPE, Md., Sept. 24, 2024 ~ Fzata, Inc. has recently been awarded a five-year non-dilutive grant of up to $7 million by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The grant, with the identification number UG3NS135350, will also include in-kind contributions and will support the development of Fzata's drug candidate FZ006 as an oral treatment for chronic visceral pain associated with inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS).

The grant is a collaboration between Fzata and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), with the aim of advancing the development of FZ006. This drug candidate is being developed as a safe and effective option for treating chronic abdominal pain without the risk of addiction.

Dr. Zhiyong Yang, President and CEO of Fzata, expressed his excitement about this opportunity to address a serious unmet need. He stated that 10-15% of Americans suffer from severe pain associated with IBS, but current treatment options are often inadequate. The most effective treatments involve opioids, which come with a high risk of addiction. FZ006 aims to be the first non-addictive option for treating chronic abdominal pain.

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The team at Fzata is looking forward to working with their collaborators at UMB and NINDS to bring this game-changing treatment to IBS patients and their families. Dr. Yang believes that this collaboration will lead to significant advancements in their pipeline, including their drug candidate FZ002 for C. difficile infections.

Phil Robilotto, DO, MBA, associate vice president of technology transfer at UMB and director of UM Ventures in Baltimore, also expressed his enthusiasm for this partnership. He stated that it presents a wonderful opportunity for one of UMB's startup portfolio companies to advance their platform technology for an important medical need. He also mentioned that they are excited about Fzata's continued pipeline advancements, including FZ002, which is expected to start first-in-human clinical trials in 2025. This drug candidate is based on technology licensed from UMB.

The grant will support various activities, including IND-enabling studies, GLP toxicology, cGMP manufacturing, phase 1 trial design, IND submission, and a Phase 1a clinical trial. With this support from NINDS and the collaboration between Fzata and UMB, there is hope for a safe and effective treatment for chronic abdominal pain associated with IBS in the near future.

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