09 March 2023

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Lipella Pharmaceuticals creates oral health scientific advisory board

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Lipella Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company addressing serious diseases with significant unmet need, announced on March 1 the creation of a Scientific Advisory Board in oral health.  

According to a news release, the five-member board will initially focus on the development of LP-310, Lipella's product candidate for the treatment of symptomatic oral lichen planus (OLP). LP-310 is a proprietary liposomal oral rinse formulation of liposomal tacrolimus.

The board will also provide guidance on the design of the company's phase 2a multicenter dose escalation study of LP-310 for IND submission and will assist Lipella with additional indications in oral liposomal drug delivery and treatment.

Members of the advisory board include:

• Alessandro Villa, DDS, PhD, MPH will serve as the inaugural chair of the board. Dr. Villa is the chief of oral medicine, oral oncology and dentistry at Miami Cancer Institute and professor, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Miami.
• Michael Brennan, DDS, MHS, chairman, Department of Oral Medicine/Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina. He is also a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem.
• Kamal Al-Eryani, DDS, PhD, associate professor of orofacial science and chief of oral medicine services at the UCSF School of Dentistry, San Francisco.
• Vidya Sankar, DMD, MHS, associate professor and division director for oral medicine, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston.
• Hervé Y. Sroussi, DMD, PhD, associate surgeon and director for research in the division of oral medicine and dentistry at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is also an associate professor in the Department of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston.

In the news release, Dr. Michael Chancellor, M.D., chief medical officer of Lipella, said the successful regulatory approval and initiation of the clinical trial of LP-310 will be a critical milestone in Lipella's development.

"This milestone takes us one step closer to bringing a first-in class treatment for oral lichen planus, a disease that affects over six million Americans and represents great unmet medical need," he said.  

Tacrolimus is an FDA-approved drug. Lipella is working to develop tacrolimus via the 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway for oral cavity application. Lipella owns intellectual property rights to the drug's formulation.

About oral lichen planus

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects the mucous surfaces of the oral cavity.  OLP is common, affecting 1% of the population, yet no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment exists.  OLP may appear as lesions in the mouth that may cause burning, pain and affect quality of life.  OLP requires regular monitoring given patients have increased risk of developing oral dysplasia and oral cancer.  OLP is a disease with great unmet need. 

About Lipella Pharmaceuticals Inc. 

Lipella is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing new drugs by reformulating the active agents in existing generic drugs and optimizing these reformulations for new applications. Additionally, the company maintains a therapeutic focus on diseases with significant, unaddressed morbidity and mortality where no approved drug therapy currently exists. Lipella recently completed an initial public offering in December 2022. For more information, visit www.lipella.com or LinkedIn for updates.