Vectura, Incannex Enter Preclinical Services Agreement

Vectura Group plc, an inhalation CDMO, has signed an agreement with Incannex Healthcare Ltd., an Australian cannabinoid medicines development company, to provide preclinical development services for IHL-216A, Incannex’s proprietary inhaled drug product for the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Vectura will provide formulation screening studies, manufacturing process optimization studies and stability assessments, as well as manufacturing a lab-scale batch of IHL-216A to support toxicological studies from its Chippenham, UK facility.

IHL-216A is a combination drug that combines cannabidiol (CBD) with the anaesthetic isoflurane, which have previously been found by Incannex to act synergistically to reduce neuronal damage, neuroinflammation and behavioural deficits resulting from TBI. IHL-216A has been designed to be administered soon after head trauma to reduce secondary brain injuries.

Mark Bleackley, Incannex’s Chief Scientific Officer, said, “The in vivo study we have developed offers the opportunity to accelerate this programme through to clinical development, and we look forward to working with Vectura, leveraging its wealth of experience in developing inhaled drugs, to progress this treatment to the next stage.”

Mark Bridgewater, Vectura’s Chief Commercial Officer, added, “The risks associated with head injuries in sport are becoming more widely recognized, and this project is at the forefront of research to not only make sports safer, but reduce the morbidity and mortality rates of people suffering serious head traumas. There are currently no pharmaceutical agents approved for the treatment of TBI, and we look forward to working with Incannex to develop a truly innovative and potentially life-saving drug.”