QUERCIS PHARMA
For a healthier world
What does Quercis Pharma do?
Quercis is studying the use of its novel, proprietary and orally available anti-thrombotic, anti-cancer, antiviral and immuno-modulatory platforms to deliver innovative, effective, safe and broadly accessible treatments to patients with potentially life-threatening conditions addressing significant unmet medical needs.
With its portfolio of PDI inhibitors and New Innate Immune Pathway Modulators – Quercis Pharma is committed to develop next-generation anti-thrombotics that turn off the blood clotting mechanism instead of thinning the blood without increasing the risk of bruising and bleeding while addressing VTE in cancer and eventually their use to prevent thrombosis in high-risk Sickle-Cell Disease, Cardiac and Stroke patients.
Strong initial data has indicated potential anti-neoplastic effects of our PDI inhibitors. We now better understand the relationship between Systemic Basal Inflammation and the contribution of PDI to cancer tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis. Our drugs also act on PDL-1 and VEGF in what we believe to be a more controlled manner than bi-specific antibodies with a vastly improved safety profile.
The relationship between viral illness and thrombosis and how PDI influences this as well as inflammasome behavior in the presence of our drug candidates gives us real hope for future thrombosis prevention and treatment in cancer, viral illnesses and other diseases.
Quercis has a preliminary program in ALS where a combination of Zafirlukast and Kinisoquin™ is being tested.
Initial Focus
Our initial focus and lead indication is on prevention of venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in high-risk cancer patients with our drug candidate Kinisoquin™, containing our patented Isoquercetin formulation. Phase 3 Clinical Trials looking at Cancer Associated Thrombosis prevention in Pancreatic and Ovarian Cancer will start in 2025 with early readouts in 2026.
Secondary Focus
Our secondary focus is on treating solid tumors in cancer as well as prevention of thrombosis in steady state and crisis-prone sickle-cell disease patients to address with an accessible oral drug the unmet medical need of millions of predominantly impoverished patients worldwide.
Safety
The safety of our investigational drug has been proven in various studies, with no serious side effects having been identified. Our drug candidate for cancer thrombosis and sickle cell disease has to date shown no increased bleeding risk in clinical trials conducted in collaboration with Harvard Medical School and the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Efficacy
A clinical Phase 2 study in the United States has shown that Kinisoquin™ reduced hypercoagulability in cancer patients at high risk for thrombosis with an improved benefit/risk ratio. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.125851
A clinical Phase 2 study conducted by the NIH showed that Kinisoquin™ treatment attenuated blood coagulation, platelet aggregation and inducible tissue factor gene expression in adults with sickle cell disease. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2473952923006353
Unique pathway
Our unique pathway is based on a new mechanism of action that arrests and/or reverses platelet aggregation with a profile that conveys vastly lowered bleeding risk compared to standard of care.
Caring
Quercis believes that drug development must be focused squarely on patient needs and that means ALL patient populations, not just wealthy ones in first world countries. The humanitarian aspect of the Company is to look at treating global diseases in impoverished populations and to work with Governments and NGOs to improve healthcare in countries where they find it difficult to pay for development or production of new drugs to combat critical health threats such as Sickle Cell Disease. We plan to ensure that our next generation medications, available as capsules or tablets are made available to those less fortunate at sustainably affordable prices. Quercis plans to partner with Governments and NGOs to achieve this goal. Many wars are brought about by the suffering of impoverished and oppressed populations who want to “break free” of an endless cycle of poverty, deplorable living conditions and lack of access to proper education and healthcare due to lack of funding. Quercis is aware that we alone cannot solve all these complex problems, but we believe we can make a major contribution to health and peace by ensuring that the most vulnerable of human populations can access new orally available drugs in a manner and at a cost that treats illness in their communities without further undermining their dignity.
Selection of Published Medical Articles
Kinisoquin™ (our Isoquercetin-based drug candidate) reduces coagulation markers in cancer patients at risk of thrombosis
https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.125851
Kinisoquin™ (our Isoquercetin-based drug candidate) reduces coagulation markers in sickle cell disease patients
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2473952923006353
Zafirlukast® (our repurposed drug candidate) has the potential to treat ovarian cancer. Thiol isomerase inhibition with zafirlukast represents a novel, well-tolerated therapeutic in the treatment of ovarian cancer.
https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1096/fj.202201952R
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Kinisoquin™ (our Isoquercetin-based drug candidate) reduces coagulation markers in patients at risk of thrombosis
About us
Quercis Pharma AG is a privately owned, biopharmaceutical company based in Zug, Switzerland. We are advancing a development pipeline of late-stage clinical studies that focus on the prevention of VTE in cancer patients and sickle cell disease. In addition, Quercis is also targeting cancers and other diseases commonly associated with thrombotic events. The Company’s lead drug candidate acts as an anti-thrombotic with significantly lower risk of thrombosis and resulting adverse events than existing treatments. The Company also has in development a “Phase 2 Ready” combination drug containing both Isoquercetin and Zafirlukast which has shown significant pre-clinical effects in cancer. It is also expected to have significant effects in a number of neurological indications.