Cyxone AB (publ) has in collaboration with its contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) managed to significantly streamline part of the manufacturing process of the drug candidate Rabeximod, which is under development for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). As part of the continued development of Rabeximod, Cyxone is now, in collaboration with its CDMO, working on the development of creating a scalable manufacturing process for the late development phases as well as the commercialization of Rabeximod. Rabeximod is produced by chemical synthesis through several intermediate steps to make up the final active pharmaceutical ingredient (API).

In the recent process development efforts one of the major time-consuming steps was significantly improved, which opens for a much more streamlined manufacturing process going forward. Rabeximod is a well-tolerated, orally available Phase 2 candidate drug with a unique mechanism of action. Rabeximod selectively targets the inflammatory macrophage, a type of white blood cell which is the central orchestrator of the inflammatory process that causes tissue destruction and clinical symptoms in RA.

Combined with the convenience of oral administration and a beneficial tolerability profile, this opens up for treatment in the early as well as later stages of the disease. It is believed to be particularly effective at onset and relapses of RA, with good potential to prevent joint destruction and progression of the disease.