Relmada Therapeutics Enters Into Agreement with Memorial Sloan Kettering to Better Clarify Unique Mechanism of Action for LevoCap ER

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Relmada Therapeutics, Inc., (OTCBB: RLMD), a clinical-stage company developing novel therapies for the treatment of chronic pain, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in a series of animal studies for levorphanol, the active ingredient of LevoCap ER, a new tamper-resistant, extended release form of levorphanol.  Gavril Pasternak, MD, PhD, of MSKCC is the lead investigator for these studies.

Dr. Pasternak said, "Levorphanol is a unique opioid analgesic that has been used clinically for decades. The purpose of these studies is to further characterize the actions of the drug at the molecular and behavioral levels based upon the current understanding of opioid mechanisms. The basic question is whether the actions of levorphanol can be dissociated from those of morphine and the more traditional opioid analgesics and whether these actions involve a novel subset of mu opioid receptor splice variants."

Eliseo Salinas, MD, MSc, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Relmada Therapeutics Inc. stated, "Unlike oxycodone, morphine, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, and hydrocodone, levorphanol  seems to modulate pain through mechanisms common with those traditional opioids (the ascending opioid pathways) as well as a unique combination of mechanisms involving δ (delta), κ (kappa) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, the norepinephrine and serotonin transporters, as well as different variant of the mu opioid receptor described by Dr. Pasternak's group. This unique combination of mechanisms may explain its efficacy and its ability to partially reverse tolerance to morphine."

Sergio Traversa, CEO of Relmada Therapeutics concluded, "Relmada is delighted to work with Dr. Pasternak and his team at Memorial Sloan Kettering.  MSKCC has done amazing, pioneering work on pain mechanisms and their experience with levorphanol is ideal for our research.  Our company is dedicated to finding new ways to treat and manage pain, and the methodologies of this kind of research have evolved since levorphanol was last examined in detail a couple of decades ago.  We are confident that new treatments for pain are needed, and we believe that levorphanol's promise is worth the greatest consideration.

"In addition, Relmada remains dedicated to further research and development into d-methadone, the NMDA receptor antagonist for neuropathic pain; BuTab ER, an oral dosage form of the opioid analgesic buprenorphine; and MepiGel, a FDA Orphan Drug designated topical formulation of the local anesthetic mepivacaine."

About Relmada Therapeutics, Inc.

Relmada Therapeutics is a clinical stage, public specialty pharmaceutical company, focused on developing novel versions of proven drug products together with new chemical entities that potentially address areas of high unmet medical need in the treatment of pain. The Company has a diversified portfolio of four lead products at different stages of development.  The Company's product development efforts are guided by the internationally recognized scientific expertise of its research team with inputs from a world-class scientific advisory board. The Company's approach is expected to reduce clinical development risks and costs while potentially delivering valuable products in areas of high unmet medical needs.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. The forward-looking statements may include statements regarding product development, product potential, or financial performance. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may differ materially from those projected. Relmada undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. 

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SOURCE Relmada Therapeutics, Inc.