- Odyssey is a medical company focused on products that offer clinical advantages to unmet clinical needs
- Its brain-related drug development programs are currently focused on treatments for concussion and the Niemann Pick Type-C (“NPC”) disease, both of which do not currently have approved treatments
- The company is also developing medical devices such as the intranasal drug delivery device, CardioMap, and Save-A-Life
Scientists and specialists describe concussion, which is also referred to as mild traumatic brain injury (“mTBI”), as a spectrum. On the one hand, some concussed patients fully recover and do not require medical intervention or attention; on the other, some patients experience consequences, with some lasting for a prolonged period (
https://ibn.fm/Z45JF).
This variability underscores the fact that every brain injury develops differently, a fact that has previously somewhat impeded treatment development. In fact, there is currently no FDA-approved drug for concussion. However, organizations such as
Odyssey Health (OTC: ODYY), a medical company focused on unique, life-saving medical products that offer clinical advantages to unmet clinical needs, are exploring different approaches that may birth a treatment.
Odyssey’s approach focuses on minimizing or eliminating the effects of a blow or jolt on the brain. This has led to the development of a fully synthetic, non-naturally occurring neurosteroid known as PRV-002, intended to treat mTBI. Designed to be administered within a few minutes of a concussive episode, PRV-002 induces an intracellular steroid receptor in brain cells, with the stimulation of this receptor activating multiple gene response elements that promote transcription of anti-inflammatories, antioxidants, and efflux channels that remove excess fluid and debris.
To put it simply, PRV-002 is intended to reduce swelling, oxidative stress, and inflammation in the brain, and restore proper blood flow to the brain, effects that often arise from mechanical injury to the brain. Moreover, this drug candidate is intended to avoid drug-induced fatigue or cognitive decline linked to prolonged use and the drug weakly activates the progesterone receptor, avoiding such side effects as infertility or clotting.
Odyssey is currently undertaking a Phase I study that seeks to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the drug candidate among healthy volunteers. Thus far, the results have evidenced that PRV-002 is safe and well tolerated, even among subjects who received multiple doses (
https://ibn.fm/TLWCl). Next, the company is planning a Phase II trial, which is expected to be undertaken in military training camps, where cases of concussion are common.
“It’s time to find a treatment for concussion that expedites the return to work, play, school, and military duty; a treatment that can reduce the likelihood of long-term disease. Better helmets and rule changes can assist but will not prevent concussion,” Odyssey writes in a white paper (
https://ibn.fm/6sv2T). “However, if the Odyssey drug candidate can reduce the pathological cascade of molecular events that occur in the acute phase of the injury, a substantial improvement in patient outcomes can be achieved in athletic and military settings as well as other commonplace occurrences for concussion.”
In addition to the PRV-002 drug candidate, Odyssey’s drug development pipeline also includes PRV-001, a first-in-class neurosteroid for the treatment of Niemann Pick Type-C (“NPC”) disease. NPC is a rare “autosomal recessive, lysosomal storage disorder characterized by accumulation of cholesterol and gangliosides in the brain and liver.” It is linked to neurological dysfunction with symptoms such as seizures, psychotic episodes, progressive dementia, motor impairment, and visual palsy, just to name a few. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for this lethal neurodegenerative disease (
https://ibn.fm/5GXrs).
Odyssey is also developing medical devices: the breath-propelled intranasal delivery device designed to deliver PRV-002; CardioMap, a heart monitoring and screening device for early detection of coronary artery disease; and Save-A-Life, a handheld choking rescue device.
For more information, visit the company’s website at
www.OdysseyHealthInc.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to ODYY are available in the company’s newsroom at
https://ibn.fm/ODYY
