Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease caused by bacterial infection, which affects the tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth. If left untreated, periodontitis causes progressive, irreversible tissue destruction and bone loss around teeth, looseness of teeth and eventually, tooth loss. Despite the fact that a range of therapies is available for the treatment of periodontitis, such as mechanical procedures like scaling or root planing and local or systemic antibiotic therapies, many patients exhibit persistent or recurrent periodontal disease and cannot be adequately treated.

onepharm’s most advanced pipeline project is built around OPM-3023 and its pharmacological activity, namely the anti-inflammatory effect including inhibition of inflammation-induced periodontal bone loss. Based on data from several periodontitis animal studies onepharm is currently investigating the therapeutic potential of OPM-3023 in a phase 2 clinical study via oral administration. The Investigational Medicinal Product Dossier was submitted to the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) and approved in June 2009. Further to this, a local extended-release formulation of OPM-3023 is being developed.