Nocion Therapeutics Advances to Clinical Stage and Expands Leadership

• First Subject Dosed in a Phase 1 Trial Evaluating NOC-100, a Novel Therapeutic for Cough

• Christopher Silber hired as Chief Medical Officer

• Michael Higgins Appointed to the Board of Directors

September 1, 2020 / Waltham, MA – Nocion Therapeutics (Nocion) announced today the dosing of the first subject in a healthy volunteer Phase 1 trial of NOC-100, an inhaled formulation of NTX-1175. NTX-1175 is a novel small molecule Charged Sodium Channel Blocker (“CSCB”) being developed for cough. Nocion received priority review through the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as NOC-100 has the potential to treat both chronic and acute cough – the latter a common symptom in patients with COVID-19 and associated with transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The company has also strengthened its leadership team by hiring Christopher Silber, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer and appointing Michael Higgins to the Board of Directors.

“We are very excited to begin the clinical development of this novel class of compounds which we believe has the potential to treat many common diseases caused by inflamed nociceptors,” said Dr. Richard Batycky, CEO of Nocion. “Cough is a common and debilitating symptom that affects millions of Americans with few available treatment options.” Dr. Batycky added, “As we evolve to this next stage of development, we are pleased to add Chris as our Chief Medical Officer and Michael as an independent Board member to help us advance our important work.”

Christopher Silber, M.D. has spent over 20 years in the Pharma industry in clinical development leadership roles, including his most recent as SVP at Sage Therapeutics. He has worked across multiple therapeutic areas and has extensive experience in clinical science and drug development, supporting multiple product approvals. “I am delighted to be joining Nocion at this stage in the company’s growth, and look forward to helping Nocion realize the tremendous potential of this novel platform to create unique therapeutics to treat common conditions such as cough, atopic dermatitis and pain across an array of disorders,” said Dr. Silber.

Michael Higgins joins the Nocion Board with more than 30 years of Biopharmaceutical experience. He is a serial entrepreneur who has helped launched multiple companies during his career. He spent more than a decade as COO of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals helping lead them from venture backed start-up to a fully integrated, publicly traded commercial organization. Prior to his time at Ironwood, Higgins worked in business development and finance at Genzyme. “I am thrilled to be joining the Nocion team at this exciting moment as we move our first compound into the clinic”

Learn More:https://www.nociontx.com/nocion-therapeutics-advances-to-clinical-stage-and-expands-leadership/